Julia Thomas is a director and dramaturg from Llanelli, specialising in new writing, family theatre and artist development. She founded Canoe Theatre, developing a touring model for dementia-friendly bilingual theatre and has created work across the UK.

Julia was Resident Director at National Theatre Studio, RTYDS Resident Director at Curve Leicester, Associate Director at National Theatre Wales and Artist Development and New Work Producer at Curve.

Julia is a member of the Director’s Lab at the Lincoln Center Theater New York, and was supported by Wales Arts International to participate in the Making Theatre in a Time of Change Lab collaborating with creatives from over 60 countries.

She has recently led a Heritage Lottery-funded project partnership between The Wallich and Invisible Cities, using her skills in nurturing authentic stories to enable people who have been impacted by homelessness to become city guides of Cardiff. Julia is committed to enhancing and improving possibilities for participation in the arts interrogating this through language, meaning and feeling. Her work explores community, happiness and the value of culture-led regeneration, intrinsically linked to relationships with nature and future thinking.