James has worked in theatre education for over ten years. He has worked in a variety of settings including touring a play in Liverpool, running a Musical Theatre Academy in south-east London, on a youth theatre exchange in Texas, project managing in Switzerland, administrating in Plymouth and teaching in Nepal! James is responsible for the management and strategy of the Creative Learning department, and is also Associate Director of the Lyric's Captial Project. He is on the board of governors at Jessop Primary School and the William Morris Sixth Form. He regularly speaks at events and conferences, acting as an advocate for young people. In his spare time James likes watching trashy-TV. One last thing - his Mum doesn't cut his fringe anymore.

As you can see from his photo, David was a looker when he was younger and he’s still got that glint in his eye today. His journey from an adventurer on the streets of Birmingham to co-running the Lyric’s Creative Learning department has been dynamic! After training as an actor, he worked extensively in theatre, film and television all over the country. Alongside acting, David also lead drama projects in schools, community centres and youth clubs: this is where he developed his passion for working with young people. David first came to the Lyric playing the role of ‘Puck’ in A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream in 1997, and six years later he came back - after a quick rise through the ranks, he is now responsible for artistic delivery on all Creative Learning projects.

Serina's school report aged 7 said: 'She likes talking - she will achieve more if she can talk less. Always cheerful and most often very noisy, she likes to take the lead in drama'. Years later, people who work with Serina will say nothing has changed! She now focuses her energies on her passion for performing arts and working with young people. This has led her to work within social work, school and theatre settings. Born and bred in London's East End, Serina's favourite things about working at the Lyric are: 'No two days are the same, the young people keep me inspired and make it colourful and fun' followed by: 'the big Primark round da corna innit!'.

Originally from Birmingham, Rachel headed to the big smoke at the age of 18 to train as an actress at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. 7 years later, after some great (and lets face it, some not so great) jobs, Rachel discovered her passion for working with young people in theatre. Rachel looks after the Lyric Interactive programme, working with teachers and students in schools. She loves the fact that every day at the Lyric is different, and that she gets to work alongside lots of young people. Rachel also enjoys teaching the next generation of young West Londoners (and the Creative Learning office) important Brummie phrases such as ‘rock on’, ‘jog on’, ‘wicked’ and ‘BOSTIN’ (and no, we don’t know what that last one means either).

Deepak (we call her Dee for short) was born in West London and grew up Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria and the equally exotic Hounslow. Since finishing her Drama degree, Dee has worked with young people on a variety of projects, including volunteering with the Air Cadets, running workshops at Helen O’Grady’s Drama Academy, as well as working as a Teaching Assistant at a school in Shepherds Bush. Dee joined the Lyric in 2007 and looks after the Lyric Young Company (LYC). Her skills include high-speed envelope stuffing, typing 90 words per minute and an impeccable taste in handbags!

William's first experience of the Lyric was at the tender age of 6, when he came along to see the stage version of Button Moon. Since then, he has acted in the Studio, and was part of the first Youth Advisory Committee (now known as LYC Ambassadors!). Now he's back at the Lyric (again), after working in Marketing and Sales for a musical theatre producer, and currently assists the Project Managers and Co-Directors in the day-to-day logistics of the department. Will has always wanted to work somewhere that young people can utilise the many resources of a theatre - even though being around young people all the time makes him realise how uncool he really is.

The chances are you'll hear Nana before you see her - when she laughs (and even speaks), we're sure she can be heard at the other end of King Street. Since she was 13 years old, Nana knew she wanted to be involved in performing arts. She took part in school plays, family gatherings and at the Notting Hill Carnival in a dance troupe - which suited Nana down to the ground as she always has an immaculately colour co-ordinated outfit on. She went on to study at the University of East London for a BA in Performing Arts and also attended a dance and drama project at the Tricycle Theatre. Nana now works at the Lyric as an assistant to the many projects that the Creative Learning department run, and is very passionate about working with young people.

From the sunny Philippines to sunny Peckham, Michelle arrived in London at the age of 5. She studied her way through a Drama degree as a budding actor, and then began her Lyric journey working in the Ticket Office. After sending many young people upstairs for Creative Learning workshops, Michelle has now moved the other side of the counter, and looks after the START project with Nana. She values that working with all kinds of young people is an enjoyable challenge, and believes that all young people have the ability to fulfil their potential with the right support and encouragement. Michelle feels that when working with young people, everyday is different and everyday she learns something new about herself.