Katie Sommers · International Women’s Day 2021 Staff Highlight

Here at Trinity, we’ve grown a working ensemble to shout about, and we’re firm believers in having cast members that inspire and drive us.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re going to be highlighting a number of our incredibly talented staff throughout the day:

Name and position at Trinity?

Katie Sommers, Education Officer.

Who is your biggest role model?

I have lots of role models, so it is difficult to choose! My mum inspires me and there are lots of female puppeteers who I am just in awe of! A historical figure I think of lots and who inspires me is Ada Lovelace. She achieved so many amazing things and changed the world with her discoveries and she did this all in a world where women were often not encouraged and accepted in any other area than the home. I made an Ada puppet with my puppet theatre company, Rust & Stardust Productions and performed with her in a show called The Poetical Scientist at the Komedia for Brighton Science Festival and learned so much about her life.

What’s your favourite aspect of working at Trinity?

I love that it is a hub of creativity, driven by likeminded creative people who are passionate about what they do.

How would the rest of #TeamTrinity describe you? 

I am very new and due to lockdown I have not met many people in person yet! Those who have met me might describe me as a mad puppet lady, a title I am quite happy with!

What’s the one thing our Trinity audience might not know about you?

People might not know that I am a scavenger and don’t like to throw things away! I strive to be as planet friendly as I can and recycle, upcycle and forage things to make my work. I used the back of my mum’s tumble-dryer and took all of the curtain eyes out of her curtains for a ‘puppet emergency’. I would rather give something a new life as a puppet of piece of art than see it go to landfill.

How have you been keeping busy through lockdown?

Bored is a word I don’t identify with! I have a list as long as my arm of creative projects I want to do, so lockdown was the perfect time to make a dragon, unearth a ragdoll I started on the train to the Edinburgh Festival that I never finished and make YouTube tutorials for families to get stuck into craft activities at home. And it was a great time to explore my local countryside and go for lots of long walks!