Following the launch of ‘Phenomenal People’, a project celebrating inspirational women, founders of Fuel Louise Blackwell & Kate McGrath name the women who have inspired their careers.
Kate McGrath (left) and Louise Blackwell
Photo: Sheila Burnett
Debbie was my GCSE and A-Level drama teacher at Ifield Community College in Crawley. Still a formidable woman now, she introduced me to Antonin Artaud and Bertolt Brecht, and set the tone for my aesthetic and passions in my working life. She encouraged us to take creative risks and step out of our comfort zones. She also encouraged us to set up our own theatre company, with all the different roles that entails, and tour our devised show to local day care centres. The shape of things to come for me.