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Glass is an international award-winning theatre company that gives voice to unheard stories, told by everyday people.

 We began working together in 2004 and since then have made performances and co-produced projects on small and large scales – from theatres to nightclubs and football pitches – for an audience of 600 to an audience of just one.

We love spending time with other people and most enjoy the ordinary stories that make us all extraordinary. Because of this – all of our performances involve real families, communities or individuals and explore their relationships, memories and histories in order to help us all better understand the world we live in together.

“Hailed as one of the finest in the UK, and it’s not difficult to see why”
– Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

REVIEWS

 Glimmer: ★★★★ The Herald, ★★★★  The Scotsman

 The Happiness Project:  ★★★★ The Stage, ★★★★  The Scotsman

Albert Drive: ★★★★ The Herald, ★★★★  The Scotsman

I Hope My Heart Goes First (Junction 25) ★★★★★  The Herald, ★★★★  The Scotsman, ★★★★★  The Guardian

Chip: ★★★★ The Herald, ★★★★  The Scotsman

Life Long:★★★★★ The Herald, ★★★★  The Scotsman

Hand Me Down: ★★★★ The Herald, ★★★★★  The Scotsman

OLD BOY ★★★★ The Guardian, ★★★★  The Scotsman ★★★★  The Herald

Jess Thorpe

Co-Artistic Director

Jess Thorpe is co-Artistic Director of the creative partnership Glass as well as co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Junction 25. Alongside this work, she is currently part-time Lecturer in the Arts in Justice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she designs and delivers creative projects in prisons and with communities affected by crime. She is a founder and trustee of Justice and Arts Scotland (formally SPAN), which is an organisation dedicated to developing creative work in Scottish prisons and post-release. Jess is an artist with the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), where she has led projects across the world.

Tashi Gore

Co-Artistic Director

Tashi Gore is Co-Artistic Director of Glass Performance where she leads projects on small and large scales, working with people to explore questions about the world. With Glass she co-founded Junction 25 at Tramway in Glasgow and Polmont Youth Theatre at HMYOI Polmont. Tashi works predominantly in socially engaged contexts as a facilitator/director, producer and consultant. She is a visiting lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and her work in higher education has led her to develop an interest in supporting artists development and providing a critical framework for the creation of new work. Tashi is a partnering artist with American company Dance Exchange and is a trained facilitator in the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process. She is also part of the Federation of Scottish Theatre CRP facilitators network.

Louise Allan

Company Manager

Louise Allan is Company Manager of Glass, and has over 15 years experience working with arts companies and charitable organisations. She has a background in theatre, is an innovative facilitator and a highly experienced Project Manager.

Louise has specialised in supporting small, artist led organisations with a focus on using art and theatre as a catalyst for personal and social change. With a passion for work that engages and benefits young people and communities, she has delivered many such projects across Scotland and Europe. She is also a board member of social enterprise Merry-Go-Round based on the Southside of Glasgow.

Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir

Associate Artist

Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir is an Icelandic performance artist, director and facilitator based in Glasgow. She graduated with a first class BA (Hons) from the Contemporary Performance Practice programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Gudrun received BANNER Graduate Award 2016, an Artsadmin initiative supported by Goldsmiths, University of London and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Gudrun has worked with a number of companies including:
Glass Performance, Junction 25, Janice Parker Projects, A Moment’s Peace Theatre Company, National Theatre of Scotland, Roundhouse, Artsadmin, TYCI, Platform, National Theatre of Iceland, National Television of Iceland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Rachel O'Neill

Associate Artist

Rachel O’Neill is a visual artist and a scenographer for contemporary-performance. As a graduate from Glasgow School of Art Rachel is interested in the relationship between objects, materials, space, time and bodies and how this complex language can form meaning and experiences within the context of performance. Rachel has a particular interest in the social value of art and through her practice devises and creates work for theatre spaces and other spaces including performance, site-specific work, public works and live events. Rachel is a long-term collaborator with Glas(s) Performance and has worked with other companies and solo artists such as National Theatre of Scotland, Woman’s Creative Company, Superfan, Nic Green, Peter McMaster, Michael-John McCarthy and Martin O’Connor. Rachel is also lecturer of performance aesthetics at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she teaches on the Contemporary Performance Practice programme.

The Board

  • Suzanne Kay [Chair]
  • Johnnny McKnight
  • Laiqa Umar [Graduate of Junction 25]
  • Jackie Arnott-Raymond
  • Allison Smith
  • Kate Bonney