Shrodells - our first home and where it all started
We are a small theatre company founded in May 2012 by the then Drama Therapist at Watford Assessment and Therapy Services. Situated initially in Shrodells psychiatric wing of Watford General Hospital, then at Colne House, the HPFT Community Hub in Upton Road, Watford until around 2020 when we moved to our current rehearsal space at Beechen Grove Baptist Church, also in Watford.
Our Director, Gerald Maiello is the Principal Drama Therapist for the Adult Community Mental Health Team at Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and is also a 'Freedom to Speak Up Champion' for the Trust. We are also lucky enough to have the services, when required, of Nicola Williams who is an Arts Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist who obtained for us an Arts Council grant. She was mentored in this task by Pippa Frith , an Independent Producer, Project Manager, Arts Administrator who has won the Peter Brook / Mark Marvin Rent Subsidy Award.
All members of the Company have experience of mental ill health, be it personal or professional, and this informs our work in a unique and valuable way. We have a core group of 4 founding members who provide a stable base to welcome new members and we currently total 7 as at end of 2025.
We work through improvisation, and other character development techniques to produce both plays and tailored workshops, which remain only loosely scripted, so each performance is unique and organic.
Our work addresses themes of mental health, both head on and more obliquely, with a focus on education and awareness with the hope of reducing stigma around the subject of mental health.
We also work closely with The University of Hertfordshire providing workshops and role play scenarios as part of their various Mental Health and Nursing Doctorates (incorporating Mental Health Nursing, General Nursing, Paramedics and Psychology) and Queen Mary University's Msc Creative Arts in Mental Health.
Our Director, Gerald Maiello is the Principal Drama Therapist for the Adult Community Mental Health Team at Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and is also a 'Freedom to Speak Up Champion' for the Trust. We are also lucky enough to have the services, when required, of Nicola Williams who is an Arts Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist who obtained for us an Arts Council grant. She was mentored in this task by Pippa Frith , an Independent Producer, Project Manager, Arts Administrator who has won the Peter Brook / Mark Marvin Rent Subsidy Award.
All members of the Company have experience of mental ill health, be it personal or professional, and this informs our work in a unique and valuable way. We have a core group of 4 founding members who provide a stable base to welcome new members and we currently total 7 as at end of 2025.
We work through improvisation, and other character development techniques to produce both plays and tailored workshops, which remain only loosely scripted, so each performance is unique and organic.
Our work addresses themes of mental health, both head on and more obliquely, with a focus on education and awareness with the hope of reducing stigma around the subject of mental health.
We also work closely with The University of Hertfordshire providing workshops and role play scenarios as part of their various Mental Health and Nursing Doctorates (incorporating Mental Health Nursing, General Nursing, Paramedics and Psychology) and Queen Mary University's Msc Creative Arts in Mental Health.
