Board of Trustees

Monica Pearl – Chair

Veteran ACT UP activist and scholar, Dr Monica Pearl, has written extensively on HIV/AIDS literature, film, theatre, and visual art. In this public lecture, she will offer current work-in-progress, tracing instances of fury on the part of gay men who survived the AIDS crisis towards younger men who are seemingly oblivious to it in some recent American cultural texts. Monica B. Pearl is Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Twentieth Century American Literature and Film at the University of Manchester, UK. She has written extensively on AIDS representation, including her book AIDS Literature and Gay Identity: The Literature of Loss (Routledge). Her most recent publication is a short essay on the UK AIDS TV show It’s a Sin in The European Journal of Cultural Studies. A brief recent account of her experience as a member of ACT UP/New York was also published recently in Radical History Review.

Dicky Eton – Treasurer

Dicky Eton has been a Producer with Duckie for over 20 years. Prior to stepping into the bright lights Dicky spent over ten years in corporate banking and the NHS  before re-training as an actor and developing an interest in experimental theatre and performance. Over the years he has worked with Blast Theory (with whom he is an associate artist) Pacitti Company, and Carnesky Productions amongst others.

He presently sits on the on the boards of Marlborough Theatre Productions, and Screaming Alley. These days you will generally find him lurking in the shadows at one of numerous events run by Duckie, The Posh Club or Home Live Art.

Andrew Westle – Deputy chair

Andrew is the National Programme Manager for The Agency at Battersea Arts Centre. Before this, he worked as Engagement Manager (co-creation) for Manchester International Festival. His work defies neat boundaries to include research, socially engaged arts practice, performance, evaluation, writing, and public health.

Originating from Australia, Andrew has lived in the UK for 5 years and has worked with a diverse range of organisations including All The Queens Men, Australian Ballet, University of New South Wales & Manchester Craft and Design Centre. He created popular podcast and web-platform, Delving into Dance, with an international audience of 40,000+.

Andrew holds a PhD and a Masters of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) as part of the Inaugural Cohort at National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). He has also written a leading report into gender equality in Australian dance.

Jayne Compton – Executive Director

Jayne is an award winning arts producer  producing key commissions Family Vogue Ball and Rent Party written by former Trustee Cheryl Martin and Darren Pritchard. Jayne produced and dramaturged David Hoyle’s seminal show Diamond exploring LGBTQIA+ history on the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality. For Homotopia Jayne leads on: The Holly Johnson Story

Jayne has produced work by genre-defying performance artists and musicians, touring work to the Sydney Opera House, Serpentine, Barbican, the Southbank Centre, SXSW, Sharjah Biennial, Edinburgh International Festival, Factory International and National Theatre. Jayne has extensive experience in delivering special event arts projects, producing small to large-scale productions and curating programmes in theatres, grassroots venues, festivals and public realm.