Janice Connolly BEM is a founder member of Women & Theatre and has been Artistic Director for over 20 years. She has written, directed and performed in many projects for the company. Janice is a trained teacher and has worked both in mainstream education and as an education project worker for Barnardos. In 2017 Janice was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Community Arts in the West Midlands.

She is also a successful performer in her own right and has featured in series such as Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights (Channel 4), Dead Man Weds (ITV), Thin Ice (BBC) So Awkward (CBBC), Man Like Mobeen (BBC) Doctors (BBC) as well as appearing twice in Coronation Street. Her theatre roles include Glitterball (Rifco Theatre Company), A Taste of Honey (New Vic Theatre, Stoke) and Tartuffe and Anita & Me (The Rep, Birmingham). Her alter-ego, Mrs. Barbara Nice is a well-loved comedy circuit headliner as well as a Birmingham Icon.