Solar Bear is a theatre company that does things differently. Inclusion and collaboration are at the heart of our mission. We work with deaf and hearing actors, theatre makers, artists and young people. We reach out to those often excluded from the arts. Working more inclusively and collaboratively makes us think in radically different ways. It shapes who we work with. It inspires us to play with new ways of storytelling. It influences the stories we tell, and where and how we tell them.
About
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Jennifer Bates
CEO/Creative Director
Jennifer is a director, producer and outreach facilitator and has been the Creative Director and CEO of Solar Bear since 2023. She originally joined Solar Bear in 2009 as a drama artist and directed several of DYT’s productions including work for Arches Live, the Paralympics and National Festival of Youth Theatre. In 2013, she co-founded The DH (Deaf and Hearing)Ensemble, an ensemble of deaf and hearing artists making work with and for deaf and hearing professionals and audiences. Whilst in London as Head of Performing Arts at Let Me Play she designed, led and managed several cohorts of vulnerable young people through BTEC qualifications. She also achieved her MA with Distinction from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. After returning to Scotland in 2017 she set up a social enterprise ‘What Happens Now?’ working in schools, online and outdoors, creating interactive performances for young audiences and term-time outdoor drama classes for children and their families.
Angela Coates
Executive Producer
Although Angela started in the commercial sector she quickly moved to working in the third sector where she enjoyed a long career. She subsequently trained as an actor and then became a General Manager in 2001, joining Solar Bear in 2014 before subsequently taking on the role of Executive Producer.
Amy Murray
Associate Director
Amy Murray is a Deaf actor, director, workshop facilitator and multidisciplinary artist based in Scotland. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BA in Performance in British Sign Language and English. Her work focuses on visual storytelling, accessibility and Deaf-led practice.
Her credits include Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin, BBC See Hear, the UK tour of The Detective Dog, and Singing Willows and the Magical Bed at Edinburgh Deaf Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She has also presented her original work, including Red Aphrodite and Dirty Deaf Diary, at festivals across the UK.
Amy is passionate about creating imaginative and inclusive spaces where deaf young people can explore their creativity, build their confidence and tell stories in their own language.
Felix Gilfedder-Cheskin
Digital Development Manager
Felix helps develop and spread a range of digital stories near and far. This includes promoting Solar Bear productions, projects, films, photography and digital art produced by groups and individuals.
Felix has over 250 professional film and TV credits, has developed bespoke digital products working as the Creative Director at Bolster and currently works part time lecturing at Glasgow Clyde College.
Alice Muir
Community Engagement Manager
Alice Muir is now based in Glasgow and grew up in England. She graduated with a BA(Hons) in Fine Art from the University of the West of England. Alice has experience of working with the public sector. She has participated in several international events in Europe, such as the EUDY Study Session.
Alice is an illustrator and has worked on various projects, such as the Imaginate and Bookbug App.
Alice is passionate about Deaf culture, language and community and is eager to be part of the team to help establish a better network of deaf and hearing artists and theatre makers across Scotland.
Klarissa Webster
Film & Screen Lead Officer
Klarissa graduated from Dundee Jordanstone College of Art and from then worked as a Visual Artist and a Youth Worker. She has worked in several different community centres and delivered many creative workshops. After participating in Solar Reels last year, Klarissa has transitioned her career towards the screen industry and got involved in further training and programmes in the industry. Since then, Klarissa has written and directed 2 short films and has been involved in several short films as 1st AD, 1st AC, Editor and Production Assistant.
Yuki Neoh
DYT Co-Director
Yuki Neoh is a Scottish-based Singaporean actor, director, and facilitator, working across stage and screen. Guided by her Deaf perspective, she researches and creates work that reimagines access, collaboration, and performance.
A 2025 BA Performance in BSL and English graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Yuki has experience in community facilitation and project planning, from co-producing independent acting workshops for Deaf adults in Singapore to directing her crowdfunded short film in Glasgow.
Grounded in Deaf identity, language, and lived experience, Yuki is passionate about empowering and equipping young storytellers with the tools to build creative confidence and see their unique voices proudly reflected in the arts.
Our history
Solar Bear was set up in 2002 by Gerry Ramage and Deborah Andrews. The company’s founding principles were to create exciting, innovative theatre with a strong social commitment. From the outset, ground-breaking, multi-disciplinary theatre went hand-in-hand with an extensive programme of outreach, participation and engagement with marginalised communities.
A key milestone in the company’s history was 2008, when it established Deaf Youth Theatre, a year-round youth theatre for young deaf people in Glasgow and beyond. This led the company to focus increasingly on working with the deaf community in Scotland. Our track record in this area includes:
- Playing a crucial role to establish the BA Performance in BSL and English at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) – the first degree course in the UK for deaf actors
- Setting up Deaf Youth Theatre, a year round space for young deaf talent to flourish.
- Producing and touring high-quality, ambitious, and critically acclaimed work that showcases both deaf and hearing professional performers. Most recently, Wake Up (2023), a triple bill of visual theatre developed by three of Scotland’s leading deaf directors.
- Set up Solar Reels, the UK’s first film school developed and delivered by deaf filmmaking professionals.
- Established Solar Reach, a workshop leadership programme for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind talent.
Board
Our future
What next for Solar Bear? Our strategic aims for the next three years are to:
Showcase untold stories: to facilitate opportunities for deaf professionals to lead and to be employed in all parts of the artistic programme.
Creative Learning remains central to our work; develop new work shaped by deaf children and young people’s ideas, stories and questions.
Training and skills development as a priority in company and sector development – investing in people to create change.
Provide and support clear pathways for deaf creatives into the theatre, TV and film industries.
Drive change in the wider cultural sector through advocacy, advice and our best practice: celebrating deaf culture, language and heritage.
Reach new audiences who don’t usually access the arts.
If you want to know more about our work or to help us or get involved – please get in touch!
