Lissa is a theatre director, historian and author. In previous lives she has worked in publishing, journalism and for the National Trust, but has now largely returned to her theatrical roots. Lissa is co-founder and, with Jay Venn, Joint Artistic Director of Clio’s Company, which specialises in site specific theatre. So she spends much of her time researching, writing and directing a diverse range of projects. Most are based on some aspect of London’s history. Two Heritage Lottery funded projects, focus on the development of, and music in, Walthamstow.
A new venture for Clio’s Company concerns Aphra Behn, the first-ever professional woman playwright, who had a successful career in the years after the Restoration, but was then forgotten. Plans include a restaging of Behn’s final play, “The Widow Ranter”, for the first time in over three centuries, new work surrounding her life, and creating resources for schools.
Lissa also undertakes independent research and interpretation projects for heritage sites. She is the author of “Anne Boleyn in London” (Pen and Sword) and is working on a new book about women’s work in the Tudor period.
For many years Lissa has lived in East London – first Hackney, now Walthamstow, where she lives surrounded by rose trees in one of the less fashionable parts of town. Her blog posts, on anything that catches her attention, are often about “invisible” lives, past or present, and places hidden in plain sight.