LADA Staff - LADA Live Art Development Agency

Ria Righteous

Ria Righteous (Interim Artistic Director, she/her) joined LADA in June 2023. Ria is an interdisciplinary artist crafted in performance, theatre and Live Art. She has also worked collaboratively as a researcher, mentor, workshop leader, presenter and consultant. Grounded on decolonial-queer-feminist frameworks and informed by her lived experience, Ria makes process-based biographically driven work that explores the intersections of race, class, gender and sexual orientation. She approaches her practice as a contextual life enquiry that responds to generations of systemic violence and oppression and she is concerned with the decolonisation, healing, reclamation and transformation of her psyche and soma. Ria pays close attention to memory, identity, human relationships and the rewriting of narratives. She often invites participation and exchange between herself and audiences, seeking to blur the relationship between the performer and the audience, the space and the situation in order to open new possibilities of thought and exchange. She is the founder of ecologies of care, an initiative to ensure best practice for artists across the sector. Ria is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Castlefield Gallery Associate.

Willy Amott

Willy Amott (Operations Manager, they/he) joined LADA in October 2023. They are a project manager, producer and researcher whose work spans DIY drag cabaret, national artist development schemes, worldwide funding experiments, immersive experiential events, festival sets, club nights and community arts activities. Their practice centres care, wellbeing and accessibility through responsive and sustainable modes. They have a BA in English Literature and an MA in Film & Literature from the University of Birmingham, and have previously managed commercial venues.

Tania Camara

Tania Camara (Interim Artist Development Manager, she/her) joined LADA in June 2023. Tania is a solo performance artist based in Manchester and currently working in different mediums: devised theatre, dance, Live Art, video, voice-work and music. Bringing together stories from Cape Verde, Britain, Portugal and Guinea Bissau, her artistic focus is to create work that generates conversations about race relations in Britain, tells untold stories, and brings marginalised lived experiences to the forefront. Tania is inspired by her MA research into the traditional dance/music genre Batuku as social performance and as a form of holistic healing during the Cape Verdean Revolution. She is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam with an MA in Artistic Research and a BA in Performing Arts (Theatre and Dance). To date, she has been selected for and performed at SPILL Festival, National Platform, Camden People’s Theatre SPRINT Festival, London Big Bang, and she has been commissioned for Push Festival and HOME Manchester. She has been awarded Developing Your Creative Practice funding from Arts Council England and her performance OREO (2020) was awarded a National Lottery Project Grant. Tania is currently a part of the 2022-24 Developed With The Lowry cohort.

Natalia Damigou-Papoti

Natalia Damigou-Papoti (Press & Communications Manager, she/her) joined LADA in December 2019. She is a writer and an independent cultural programmer and producer invested in feminist and queer frameworks and modes of collaboration. Natalia was working at CUNTemporary/Arts Feminism Queer and was a founding member of the interdisciplinary festival UNCENSORED (London 2019) which explored pornography at the intersection of art and activism. She has worked in press and communications for London-based events and festivals taking place in venues such as the ICA, Rich Mix, Camden People’s Theatre. Her background is in journalism and cultural criticism, writing mainly about gender, sexuality, feminist politics, and pop culture. She holds a BA in Journalism from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MA in Gender Studies from Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences.

Rosaleigh Harvey-Otway

Rosaleigh Harvey-Otway (Unbound Manager, she/they) joined LADA in December 2019 as the head of Digital Projects and Resources and moved to the role of Unbound Manager in September 2023. She began her career in photography and production before moving into digital-focused roles, leading her to joining the team at LADA. Rosaleigh is also an artist, and her work is concerned with ecology, queerness and memory. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a first class honours degree in Fine Art, and is currently studying an MA in Art and Ecology at Goldsmiths.

Jess Latowicki

Jess Latowicki (Programme Development Manager, she/her) joined LADA in October 2023. Jess is a theatre-maker, writer, performer and co-founder of the London-based theatre company MIC. Her practice is centred around the intersection of anxiety, language and terrible dancing. Jess has co-created and performed in all of MIC’s work to date, which has been developed and performed across the UK and internationally, at venues that include The National Theatre, Forest Fringe, The Bristol Old Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bios Athens, Abrons Arts Centre NYC and Paradiso Amsterdam. Alongside MIC, Jess has a solo and collaborative arts and curatorial practice, with work being seen at venues such as the ICA, The Unicorn Theatre, SHUNT and The Place. Jess has a BFA from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts and an MA from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is currently working on a new opera with composer Melanie Wilson and a dance piece for pregnant performers with choreographer Valentina Formenti.

Jodie Worton

Jodie Worton (Support & Administrative Services, she/her) is an Executive Assistant and Access Support Worker with over 10 years of experience in the arts industry. They have previously held general management roles with SPILL Festival and possess a wide range of skills in general management, care and wellbeing, administration, and finance. Jodie is passionate about promoting inclusivity and ensuring equal opportunities, and approaches their work with an intersectional lens. Their deep understanding of the arts informs their work, as they recognise the transformative power of creativity and self-expression. With their extensive background in arts management, Jodie brings a unique perspective to their roles, combining their knowledge of the arts with their dedication to helping others overcome barriers and achieve their goals.