Our people

We are named Pleasure Dome after Samuel Taylor Coleridge's seminal Romantic poem Kubla Khan which speaks to our shared love of the natural world, our greatest inspiration.

Helena Payne- Artistic Director/Producer/ Spectral Train Driver

Helena grew up between Exmoor and London. She read English at the University of Exeter before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. She is the Creative Director of Pleasure Dome Theatre and has produced all their shows to date. Recently she wrote and toured ROSALIE in partnership with the National Trust; other writing credits include LOUISA, the incredible true story of the Overland Launch which toured in partnership with the RNLI supported by Arts Council England. She is currently developing LOUISA for future touring and
writing several new pieces including A Christmas Carol for the Brewhouse, The Jeffreys Project, and SLEDGE.

She has played both Helena and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Edmund in LEAR, Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest, Will Doone and Gwenny in Lorna Doone, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Lady Sims in The Twelve Pound Look with Pleasure Dome. Other work includes Sexism is Bad...at The Arcola, Praxagora in The Assembly Women, Mrs Smith in The Bald Prima Donna, Guiderius in Cymbeline, Viola in Twelfth Night and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing, and Lily in Birthday Day with Wassail Theatre.
Sung roles include Mercedes in Carmen, Amneris in Aida, Cassandra in Les Troyens, The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Queen of the Fairies in Iolanthe, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, Mrs Noye in Noye’s Fludde and Mustardseed in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

She loves The Valley of Rocks and thanks you for indulging her childhood dream in turning this spectacular space into a theatre...

Scott Le Crass- Director and Associate Company Member

Scott grew up in Birmingham, trained as an actor at Arts Ed and was a director on the Birmingham Rep’s first Foundry Programme. In 2022, he completed the National Theatre Director’s Course.

His credits with Pleasure Dome include A Christmas Carol, Louisa and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Scott directed the Off Com award winning digital revival of Rose by Martin Sherman starring Maureen Lipman (Hope Mill Theatre/Sky Arts/Broadway HD). In 2023 he was nominated for Best Creative West End Debut at The Stage Awards for his production of Rose. In 2022, he received an Off West End and Broadway World nomination for Best Director for Rose. In 2024 Rose won an Off West End award for Best Solo Performance.

Credits include:

Director- Rose (West End), Cut The Crap starring Sharon Osbourne (West End), Invisible Me, The Olive Boy (Southwark Playhouse), The Wind In The Willows (Sheringham Little Theatre), Elmer (UK and International Tour/Sell A Door), Sid (Arts Theatre and UK Tour), Toxic (HOME, Manchester/UK tour), Buff (UK tour), Marshmallow Me (UK tour), Second Summer of Love (UK tour), Sleeping Beauty (Stafford Gatehouse), Nostos (Southwark Playhouse), Possum Trot (Tabard Theatre), The Witches (Watford Palace), Alice in Wonderland (Old, Rep, Birmingham), Jab (Finborough Theatre/Park Theatre), Rose (Hope Mill Theatre/Park Theatre), Country Music (Omnibus Theatre), Zanna Don’t (Old Joint Stock Theatre), Pillock (Contact Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe), Wormholes (Omnibus Theatre), The Railway Children (OVO Roman Theatre),Twelfth Night (East London Shakespeare Festival).

Jai Morjaria- Lighting Designer and Associate Company Member

Jai trained at RADA and won the 2016 Association of Lighting Designer’s ETC Award.

Recent designs include Cruise (Duchess Theatre); Big Big Sky, The Hoes (Hampstead Theatre); Lava, Pawn/Limbo (Bush Theatre); My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) (Turbine Theatre); Hushabye Mountain (Hope Mill); Out of the Dark (Rose Theatre Kingston); Shuck’n’Jive, Whitewash (Soho Theatre); Anansi the Spider, Aesop’s Fables (Unicorn Theatre); I’ll Take You To Mrs. Cole (Complicite); World’s End (King’s Head Theatre); The Actor’s Nightmare (Park Theatre); Mapping Brent (Kiln Theatre); Mary’s Babies (Jermyn Street Theatre); Glory (Duke’s Theatre/Red Ladder); Cuzco (Theatre503); Losing Venice (Orange Tree Theatre); King Lear, Lorna Doone (Exmoor National Park); Cinderella (Duke’s Lancaster); Ages of the Moon (Vaults Festival); A Lie of the Mind (Southwark Playhouse); 46 Beacon (Trafalgar Studios with Rick Fisher); Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road (White Bear Theatre/Trafalgar Studios 2); Acorn (Courtyard Theatre. Off-West End Award nomination for Best Lighting).

Seb Payne - Composer and Associate Company Member

Seb began as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral and the classical training he received has formed a bedrock for all that followed. Songwriting was taken up in his late teens, and since his steady
introduction into more contemporary styles there has been no looking back. As a scholar at Berklee College of Music, Boston, Seb developed and expanded his musical scope. Now living in London and performing with several different groups – from 80’s classics to A Cappella group NoVI to funk/rock band Superbird – Seb still just about finds time to write and record his own music under the pseudonym, Kasoma. He is relishing working on the sound world of Treasure Island and looks forward to sharing his many original compositions and arrangements with a new audience.

Stephanie Berner - Performer and Associate Company member

Steph graduated from the London College of Music in 2018. She performed with Opera Holland Park and at the Proms as part of the BBC Symphony Chorus. In 2018, she won the Michael James Oratorio Competition. Since finishing LCM she has been the soloist for Minehead Choral Society and Taunton Choral Society. She is a frequent performer with Pleasure Dome Theatre and Somerset Opera, most recently as Ahmal in Ahmal and the Night Visitors. Steph’s next
venture will be with Bluebird Opera and working with the Brewhouse on their Christmas show, A Christmas Carol.

Company for The Signalman 2026

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Gerald Dickens - The Signalman

Gerald Dickens is a great-great-grandson of the author Charles Dickens and has been a professional actor for more than forty years.

In 1993, Gerald was asked to perform a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol and, since then, has been adapting and producing a series of one-man shows based on the life and works of Dickens, including The Signalman. These performances have taken him around the world, including multiple tours across the USA.

As well as his Dickens performances, Gerald has also recorded audiobooks, provided

Theatre in Education workshops, written, produced, and directed many other theatrical works, and worked extensively as a performer in the tourism industry.

Gerald has extensively researched the circumstances surrounding the Staplehurst rail crash. He has published a book on the subject, as well as an autobiographical account of his years performing A Christmas Carol.

This tour of The Signalman is Gerald’s first with Pleasure Dome Theatre Co., and he is greatly looking forward to working with the company.

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Ben Fensome - The Visitor

Ben is an actor and writer from the South West. Credits with Pleasure Dome include, as an actor: Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelve Pound Look, The Signalman, and as a writer: Treasure Island.

Other credits include: Pride and Prejudice (UK Tour), The Stand Up Sketch Show (Itv2), Collide (White Bear Theatre) Buff (Edinburgh & UK tour). He can also be found online wearing silly things on his head for entertainment (@somebenfen)

Charlotte Ellen - Mrs Carter and Ensemble and Associate Artist

Charlotte Ellen is an actor and theatre maker currently based in Ayrshire. She has previously played Kate in The Twelve Pound Look for Pleasure Dome Theatre. Other acting credits include Elvira in Blithe Spirit (English Repertory Company), Adele in Shakers Re-stirred (E.G. Productions), Phyllis in The [Fletton] Railway Children (Eastern Angles) Princess Fenella in The Princess and The Frog (Nottingham Playhouse) and title roles in Cinderella and Peter Pan at Easterbrook Hall Dumfries, as well as roles in Shakespeare including, Puck - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Phoebe - As You Like It, Dromio of Ephesus - The Comedy of Errors and Emilia - Othello for Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. Creative Director of Betwixt-and-Between, Charlotte has written Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and The Princess and the Dragon and co-wrote the book and lyrics for Pleasure Dome’s A Christmas Carol at Taunton Brewhouse 2023. Theatre is Charlotte's happy place and she is delighted to be experiencing it with you as part of this exciting production.

Molly Gooch - Ensemble and Young Artist

Molly Gooch is a multifaceted creative, born and bred in the North Devon. a professional writer, director, performer and facilitator Molly loves to use her varied skill set and knowledge of the inter connectivity of the arts to inform her creative practice.

Molly’s acting work includes: Swim From The Wild Shore (Burn The Curtain), On Board! (GWR X Unique voice) Cinderella (Touring Pantos).

Notably, Molly has twice been awarded Seed Commission Funding from Landmark Theatres allowing her to develop her original ideas into full scale productions including ‘Seasons’ (2024), Mind Games (2025). Furthermore, she was selected as one of Exeter Northcott's writers for 2025 in which she used the Write/Direct Scheme to pen her new play ‘Tactile’ which has since received Funding from Arts Council England. Most recently Molly been awarded Graduate Development Scheme funding from BN1 Arts to take Tactile to the Brighton Fringe in 2026.

She is so excited to be returning home to the Westcountry and to get on board with Pleasure Dome's ‘The signalman.’

Nayomie James - Man and Ensemble

Nayomie James is a theatre maker, writer, dancer and poet living in North Devon, this will be her 4th production with Pleasure Dome. Recent credits include organising and compering the first spoken word poetry evening at StudioKIND, KIND Voices. Her first directing credit is for Sarah Grant's latest dance film, Maelstrom, centred around Louise Butcher’s mastectomy journey. Nayomie is currently writing a one-act play, Retreating, for Landmark Theatres Seed Commission programme, culminating in a performance at the Welcome Weekender, billed alongside The Signalman. Nayomie has been working with Paines Plough on their Open Writers programme for three years, which produced her first full-length stage play. At Parracombe Arts & Literary Festival, Nayomie reimagined her poetry play from 2024, Does It Hurt, using the verbatim work of local writer L B Rousseau. Favourite theatre credits include playing the Captain / Harriet in Treasure Island and Nayomie regularly performs with SwitchFrame Scenic Dance, working with them on their 11th film this summer and most recently dancing at the Lynton & Lynmouth Steampunk Festival. Nayomie also loved choreographing for Charlie Ranken as part of her The 40 Project Moves. Other theatre credits include Mona Lipschitz in Chicago, Puck in A Shakespeare Conspiracy, Francis Flute (ACS Random) and Peter Quince (Pleasure Dome) A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Genevieve in devised play Paper Wings, working with Helen Tennison.

Freya Warren Brand - Ensemble and Associate Young Artist

Freya Warren-Brand is a 20-year-old aspiring actor who has worked with Pleasure Dome Theatre three times before. She was young Lorna in Lorna Doone, Mustard Seed in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and O’Brien in Treasure Island. She studied performing arts at Petroc College, where she was part of Lord of the Flies, dick Whittington, Buckets, and Brooke Windham in Legally Blonde. She is currently studying acting at Fourth Monkey, a drama school in London. She is very excited to be back with Pleasure Dome for the Signal Man and to perform in this beautiful venue again.