About the Fish

Created in 2006, Nimble Fish is led by Greg Klerkx and Samantha Holdsworth. Passionate about the potential for the arts as a catalyst for social change, Sam and Greg have evolved a unique method of working that focuses on the creation of high-quality artistic events via deep and meaningful community engagement.

As well, Nimble Fish draws on a vast network of performers, designers, and makers to bring bespoke creative diversity to every project.

Samantha Holdsworth

Sam completed an MA in Directing at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and then studied for a further year in Clowning at L’ecole Philippe Gaulier. She went on to devise and produce her own work (Dimaa, BAC 2000; One Night Only Edinburgh Fringe 2001; You Are…? Lion & Unicorn Theatre 2001; Hotel on the Hill, MYT 2002). She also obtained experience with companies such as London Bubble, Manchester Youth Theatre, Peta Lily and the site-specific company Corridor.

More recently, Sam has specialised in working creatively with young people and disenfranchised groups. She was Course Director and acting Project Manager for Blue Sky, a community arts programme for ‘at risk’ young people and also spent over a year working with excluded teenage boys on a film and arts based project. Sam spent three years helping to establish the Arcola Youth Theatre, devising over 10 performances with young people including directing a Turkish/Kurdish Refugee project. Sam continues to work as a freelance facilitator with Epic Arts and EastSide Educational Trust.

Sam is also interested in the impact of community arts in unusual and international settings. So far her research has taken her to the Channel Islands, Brazil, India….and Glastonbury Music Festival (!)

Greg Klerkx

As a writer, Greg has earned journalism awards in Los Angeles, and Arts Council support for both fiction and playwriting. His first book, Lost in Space, about the travails of NASA, was named among the best books of 2004 in both the Independent and San Francisco Chronicle. A frequent contributor to New Scientist magazine, Greg’s writing has also appeared in the Evening Standard, Sunday Telegraph, and the New York Times.

As a facilitator, Greg has delivered sessions on writing and creativity to schools and community groups in the US and UK. He also works with The MAP Consortium to develop and deliver arts-based training in government and corporate settings.

As a producer, Greg has staged events in a hilltop mansion, a cycling velodrome and, memorably, in a decommissioned aircraft hangar. And don’t get him started about his years working with SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence…

Associates

Tim Blazdell
Sound artist, musician, scenic designer and all-around man-of-talent, Tim has worked on almost every Nimble Fish project since Einstein’s Dreams in 2006. When he’s not working with us, he’s a Digital Artist at the National Theatre. Among many other creative activities, Tim is currently part of the nu-folk band, The Modern Exposition.

Stephanie Kehoe
Steph is a performer and teacher in the UK and Australia. She studied at the Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and has completed her Pedagogical Training at the London International School of Performing Arts. Her particular interest is the Suzuki Method of Actor Training as well as creating work for those without conventional access to theatre.

Selected Other Collaborators

Jon Bausor (design)
Rebecca Birch
Richard Bevan
Stuart Bowditch
Wendy Daws
Naomi Dawson
Abigail Hunt
Sebastian Lawson (design, performance)
Samar Maakaron
Andrew Palmer
Rozi Peters (film)
Andrea Puerta (dance, performance)
Michelle Reader
Sons of Alpha Centauri
Adrienne Quartly
David Valentine