Sterts Arts & Environmental Centre

Who We Are

Sterts Arts & Environmental Centre is a creative community hub nestled on the edge of Bodmin Moor in South-East Cornwall

Our unique 4 acre site offers a place where creativity and nature collide, at the geographical and cultural gateway to Cornwall. Our new 500 seat barn theatre offers a diverse programme of theatre, dance, comedy and live music. Our newly refurbished 70 seat studio and community hub will open in April 2025 and are centred around creativity and community, providing a regular programme of activity and performances for people of all ages.

Originally conceived in the 1980’s by the innovative minds of Ewart and Anne Sturrock who, frustrated by the lack of arts facilities in the county at the time, created Sterts to enable people to ‘explore their own creativity and learning through doing’. The original outdoor theatre was inspired by Greek amphitheatres, and after installing their own version at Sterts, Ewart and Anne’s venue became part of the burgeoning outdoor theatre scene in Cornwall. Since then, Sterts has moved through several iterations, with the theatre space becoming covered by canvas and the site hosting a vibrant gallery and cafe.

The latest incarnation of Sterts remains true to its original vision, to inspire creative careers, provide access to the arts and house a community of creative practice.

Our Vision

Inspire creative growth, joy and confidence with communities, where everyone can thrive in a supportive and sustainable environment

Our Mission

With our communities we will create a resilient arts organisation.

We will do this by

Producing, making and evolving our wider creative programme in the context of our environmental and place-based responsibilities
Learning and discovery being at the heart of what we do
Being accessible, inclusive and welcoming
Maximising our unique assets

Our Values

Collaboration

Discovery

Welcoming

Vitality

Courage

Programming
and Hire

Programming and Hire

For programming and hire enquiries programming@stertsarts.org. More information about hire options at Sterts coming soon.

“This is an amazing rural theatre with shows to cater for all tastes”

“I couldn’t recommend this venue, the variety of shows and wonderfully helpful volunteers enough…I will be back regularly to support such a fantastic arts venue”

“Great setting and always a good show”

“Great theatre with some superb productions and at a very good price. Highly recommend”

“Lovely atmosphere, lovely people”

“It’s a magical place”

“Great shows, great location, friendly staff, a fabulous and affordable night out”

Audience
Testimonials

Volunteers

Volunteers are the beating heart of Sterts, embodying our values and ensuring we can continue to bring creativity and joy to our communities and audiences.

Whatever your age, skills or experience and however much time you can spare we’d love to hear from you. To express your interest in volunteering please sign up here. Watch this space, our new volunteer handbook is coming soon! Got a question about volunteering? Email volunteers@stertsarts.org.

We are on the lookout for more volunteers to join our team ready for our relaunch and new season in spring 2025.

Volunteers are the beating heart of Sterts, embodying our values and ensuring we can continue to bring creativity and joy to our communities and audiences.

We are on the lookout for more volunteers to join our team ready for our relaunch and new season in Spring 2025.

Become a volunteer

Staff

Sara Rhodes

CEO/Creative Director

Sara is an experienced cultural leader and creative producer, specialising in producing large-scale, inclusive arts events, site-specific work and community-led productions working across multiple art forms including theatre, live music and dance. Her practice focuses on enabling people from all walks of life to access and engage with high-quality arts and culture. This has included developing and overseeing creative programmes with D/deaf people, adults experiencing multiple disadvantages, veterans, prisoners, young people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds, the elderly and through an international project, the Native American Wampanoag Nation.

She is an experienced networker, creating and fostering strategic, cross-sector partnerships on a local, national and international level. Sara has experience of developing creative strategies, business planning, producing and co-producing, strategic programming and partnership working.

Sara also brings a background of fundraising to Sterts. During her twelve and a half years working at Theatre Royal Plymouth, she contributed to fundraising projects for more than £2m.

Sara takes great joy in enabling others to thrive, untapping talent and giving space and opportunity for people to achieve their potential. She looks forward to working with artists, businesses and the local community to bring future success to such a unique and special organisation.

Lucy Donald

General Manager

Lucy is an experienced producer and project manager, who’s specialised in working with young people and communities across the South West and beyond. She led Plymouth Cultural Education Partnership’s flagship project, With Flying Colours, in 2022 and 2023. Since then, she has gone on to produce a variety of projects in partnership with schools from early years to Post-16, including Tiny Tales (Theatre Royal Plymouth), Playhouse (Landmark Theatres) and Speak Up (Landmark Theatres and National Theatre).

Lucy’s passions for celebrating the natural world and theatre first collided in 2021, when she assistant produced Little Amal at COP26 (Good Chance Theatre, The Walk) working with partners like the New York Times and United Nations to tour a 3.5m puppet of a 10 year old Syrian refugee to the conference. Lucy is excited to continue to support opportunities for the arts and environment to interact, and work with the local community to expand the offer and reach of Sterts.

Trustees

Mark Brownrigg

Chair of Trustees

Mark has been coming to Sterts for 12 years on and off. He enjoyed and supported the canopy theatre and is knocked out by the potential of the new theatre and community hub.

His career heading up the UK’s trade association for the shipping industry gave him extensive experience of national and international policy-making and government relations and, in particular, of bringing different interests together across the wider maritime sector.

He followed a similar path in the community activities he was involved with in Twickenham before moving to Cornwall – having set up and chaired a community centre, chaired a fair supporting local schools and charities, and actively campaigned on local issues to protect and preserve a beautiful stretch of the Thames.

As chair of the Sterts charity, Mark is looking forward to continuing to work with the excellent trustees and new management team to take Sterts into a bright new future!

Joy Dent

Treasurer

Joy grew up on a dairy farm on the North Cornish coast. She trained for 6 years as an opera singer and was a soloist with Duchy Opera and sang with the wonderful Baritone Benjamin Luxon. She was also one half of the pioneering women’s comedy duo Rubber Gloves in the 80s, writing and performing their own material.

Joy has four boys, the eldest Will, was the first sound and lighting tech at Sterts and is now a lighting director in London.

A founding member of Sterts, she worked with Ewart Sturrock on finance and later as administrator of the newly established Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre. Her work background is in business administration and later as project coordinator with environmental organisation, ReZolve based in Bodmin.

Joy still sings in a local choir and has directed many local pantomimes and plays.

Sarah Pym

Company Secretary and CIC Director

Sarah’s association with Sterts goes back to 1985 when she was given an opportunity by Ewart Sturrock to begin her career in the arts. She went on to be administrator and then company director at the Barbican Theatre Plymouth, Theatre Development Officer at The Works (based at the Hall for Cornwall) and then a freelance producer and project manager. Sarah worked with Access Theatre for a number of years, establishing the company as a charity. She now collaborates with writer Simon Parker, producing shows for their company The Arc at Sterts , The Minack and The Drum at Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Sarah also works as an Action Learning Facilitator and a Creative Health Ambassador for ArtsWell in The Tamar to Moor Community Area Partnership.

Sarah says ”I owe so much to Sterts which I love passionately, and bring my experience back in a full circle now as a Trustee and CIC Director.”

Dan Sturrock

Trustee and CIC Director

Dan has been more or less involved with Sterts since it was founded by his parents in the early 80s. Dan spent 30 years working in London for a number of global investment banks in various risk management and compliance roles until he returned to live in Cornwall in 2019. Dan joined the Board of Sterts in early 2023 in order to prepare and present the necessary financial projections to support funding applications for the Community Ownership Fund and Shared Prosperity Fund, which have supported the rebuild of Sterts. He has ongoing responsibility, together with a number of his fellow Trustees and Sterts management team, for Sterts accounting and budgeting activities that feed into our ongoing fundraising efforts.

Sarah Lodge

Trustee

Sarah’s professional life has been spent in Facilities and Property Management in the record and media industries. Sarah became involved in Sterts in 2020 when she moved to Cornwall to begin a 3 year strategic property management role with Cornwall Council. She has been actively involved in community theatre for the past 45 years as a members of 6 Herts and London based theatre companies.

Sarah recently had a career change, becoming a wedding registrar and Pilates instructor and is excited to devote more time to the Sterts Board and our exciting future plans.

Katie Brailsford

Trustee

Katie has a diverse background in the performing arts. She has performed with “The Archers" cast, appeared as Pudsey Bear on national TV, and tap danced with Dame Edna Everage on live TV. At Sterts, Katie directed the controversial play "King Charles III" in 2022 and later that year became a Trustee. She studied at the Arts Educational School in Tring and earned a BA in Performing Arts from DeMontfort University, focusing on experimental theatre.

Katie’s early career included stage acting and leading drama and dance workshops. She later completed a film production course and became an Assistant Director at Carlton Television Studios, working on various TV shows and films. Katie spent over 10 years in marketing and promotions at BBC Birmingham.

In 2018, she became an Assistant Director at Nottingham Playhouse and was selected for the Arts Council’s RTYDS scheme. As a disabled theatre director, Katie brings a unique perspective on accessibility which has been key to Sterts, especially when consulting on our new theatre space.

Bernice Strickland

Trustee

Bernice is a proud Mancunian (of the Red variety!) who has lived in the South West since 1975. She taught Food Technology for nearly 40 years. She now enjoys her retirement by going on holiday, eating and drinking good food and wine, and spending time with friends.

Bernice has been involved in community theatre since childhood & joined Sterts in 2005, where she has since acted, sung, danced, directed & volunteered countless times.

Bernice joined the Board in 2022 and champions the volunteers and community performers at every opportunity. She is the lead Trustee for Safeguarding.

CIC Directors

In addition to their Trustee role, Sarah Pym and Dan Sturrock are also Directors on the CIC Board.

Sam Spake

Director

Sam is an accomplished artist, musician, and creative entrepreneur with a passion for collaboration and community-building. Growing up in a toy factory in Southeast Cornwall, she developed a deep appreciation for the role that playfulness plays in fostering wellbeing and creativity. This “fun first” principle influences everything she undertakes, from business strategies to community programmes.

Sam has wide experience across the Creative and Cultural sector, including training at the Ruskin School, award-winning play-furniture design, working with museums on collection access, pitching on Dragons' Den and managing creative industries programmes. With a background which spans developing creative careers, events design and business, along with regular performances and creative practice, she is currently collaborating with staff to enhance support, build larger audiences and help diversify the creative offer for Sterts.

Deborah Newbury

Director

Deborah’s professional background is in charity PR and Communications, working across a range of sectors from the environment and education to mental health and addiction. As such her skills include PR strategy, media campaigns, press relations, publications, internal communications, crisis management, lobbying and events. Now a Director on the Sterts CIC, Deborah is using these skills to support the team in raising awareness of Sterts as it enters a new era.

A love of chocolate did lead to a rather extreme mid-life crisis though! Deborah trained as a chocolatier and set up an award-winning artisan chocolate company. After many years of chocolate heaven, she and her husband Mark, moved to Upton Cross from London.

Deborah says “It’s not every Cornish village that can boast a 500 seat arts and environmental centre! I’ve always been taken with the story of Sterts and what it means to so many people. It’s very exciting to be part of the next chapter.”

Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre (CIO) and Sterts Theatre (CIC).

Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre is a charitable incorporated organisation (1189424).

Sterts Theatre is its wholly owned community interest company (15422924) acting as the trading arm of the organisation.

The Trustees of Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre retain strategic oversight of the whole organisation.

Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre (CIO) and Sterts Theatre (CIC). Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre is a charitable incorporated organisation (1189424).

Sterts Theatre is its wholly owned community interest company (15422924) acting as the trading arm of the organisation. The Trustees of Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre retain strategic oversight of the whole organisation.

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Who We Are