Charlie graduated from Warwick University in 2011, determined to work in theatre but struggling to decide exactly where. A jack of all trades from an early age, Charlie spent her early years performing, writing, and making, with puppetry remaining a magnetic source of fascination and inspiration throughout.

After graduation, alongside Alex Rutter and Polly Boon, she set up Whole Hog Theatre and went on to produce and puppet design for the whirlwind staging of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke in London and Tokyo in 2012/2013. After seeing Charlie’s work in action, Max invited her to join him and Chuck first as an apprentice, and then as a permanent team member ahead of their build for Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia in 2014. She joined Unit 9, the newly created puppetry sub-division of Nicoll Entertainment, alongside Chuck and Max in 2022.

Charlie’s 14 year career in puppetry has been characterised by fierce curiosity, an intense love for theatre as a complete form, and an almost pathological refusal to specialise. As Unit 9’s ‘swiss army knife’, she supports both Max’s mechanical machinations and Chuck’s characterful aesthetic explorations, ensuring both elements act as catalysts for the overall success of each build as it develops. Her ability to keep the trajectory of multiple projects in mind at once has made her invaluable as the studio has grown, working alongside Workshop Manager Jacky to ensure all the workshop’s plates remain spinning.

Charlie has an abiding faith in the ability of theatre to educate, inspire and foster community, and especially adores seeing young audiences fall under the spell of live performance while watching Dinosaur World Live, Dragons and Mythical Beasts, The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could. Like the teamwork that occurs between the members of Unit 9, puppetry can only be successful when the audience is empowered to joyfully cooperate in the make believe. It is a wholly collaborative experience, and as someone whose professional role is to form the bonds between Chuck and Max’s magic, it is a wonderful way to see that effort realised.