Who We Are
PATRICIA WILLIAMS
Patricia Williams is an experienced drama practitioner who has worked in the theatre for many years and has developed her own skills in public speaking through her work in the theatre and through working with many hundreds of young students in schools over the last ten years in developing their skills too. She has worked in primary and secondary schools. She was Artistic Director of Streats Ahead Youth Theatre for 21 years and Director of the Junior Youth Theatre at the Watermill Theatre for 20 years. Patricia was Artistic Director for the Gap Festival 2014-2016. She continues to work privately, in schools, and now with Out Loud.
Patricia has a team of assistants who work with her at South Street Arts Centre and Sindlesham Court. Being an Out Loud assistant is a wonderful opportunity and is all part of understanding deadlines, timekeeping, confidentiality, constructive criticism, empathy, public speaking skills, and especially care and concern for the Out Loud students. They are a great team! They will all have some excellent work to support their personal statements when applying to uni and for jobs.
This term’s assistants … Summer 2025
As we wind down Out Loud and lose groups, we also let go of wonderful assistants.
In the Spring Term Achint left South Street and Kaimi and Shaheer left Sindlesham Court … Morgan and Rolls Royce have also ended and we are left with the Gold Medal groups, Tesla at South Street and Bugatti at Sindlesham Court.
So this Summer term we have Kushh leading the whole Out Loud Assistants Team (and that include Examinations) which is now Kushh and Rishona (returning) at South Street and we introduce two new assistants to work with the Bugatti group at Sindlesham Court. These are Alice, who’s been a student with Out Loud, a relief assistant at times and a Duke of Edinburgh volunteer. Devishi will work with Alice in Bugatti. Remaining with us (happily) are Aahanaa for Visual Aids and Neerav running the website. Another great team …
I couldn’t be more proud of them all!!!!
AAHANAA DURAIVELAN
I still remember my first session with OutLoud when I was in year 7. At the time, the prospect of speaking to a large audience was possibly one of the most daunting things I could think of, yet I walked out of the session feeling much more confident! OutLoud has not only helped me learn how to speak in front of large audiences but has also helped me meet deadlines, work in a group and become much more organised. These skills are extremely valuable and are an essential part of day to day life. Public speaking is something most people my age struggle with. Even if you’re not necessarily a shy person, learning to express opinions and present them effectively to an audience can definitely seem challenging. But in OutLoud these steps are broken down and immediately become much easier to understand and execute. Patricia and the entire OutLoud team have helped me grow into the confident speaker I am today and I am excited to help many other students as best I can.
ALICE LI
Public speaking is not only about talking – it’s also about the energy and life you bring to a set of words on a page. Out Loud has allowed me to incorporate this concept of the flow of energy in public speaking into my everyday life, and in doing so has improved my confidence, not only in giving a speech but also in daily conversation. When I started Out Loud in year 7, I had no idea how much it would grow to become such an integral part of my life. I had never realised how often the skills used in public speaking presented themselves in my daily life until I joined the Out Loud community. It was there where I learnt about the importance of being able to communicate your thoughts clearly, and to always stand up for your ideas. I am so grateful to Patricia and the entire Out Loud team for providing such a supportive and encouraging learning environment, and as an assistant I would love to do my best in providing the same for others!
DEVISHI ROHILA
I remember my very first lesson in Out Loud when I was doing Grade 5, walking into the room feeling nervous, not knowing I would come out already feeling more confident in public speaking. I wasn't too sure about just me speaking in front of large audiences but now I can't believe I ever felt this way! Public speaking has taught me so many skills like meeting deadlines, working in a group and talking to new people - all of which have helped me to become the confident speaker I am today. It's been useful in and out of school and I am constantly learning new things, whether it's coming from answering the weekly question to choosing a new and exciting topic for my next speech. I have been taught a vital skill I believe everyone should learn and I cannot thank Patricia and the Out Loud team enough for that. I wish to pass this on now as an assistant and look forward to working with many new people.
Kushh Mishra
Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to be on stage, in front of huge numbers of people where every single eye is watching me. I just never knew what I would say. That was before Out Loud. Since joining at South Street I’ve gained such a good understanding of what I need to do to deliver an exciting speech to make sure that every eye stays on me. But that’s not all. It has taught me how to manage tasks and deal with pressure – both key skills which will be a boost to my life in many aspects. Out Loud has taught me that public speaking is not something to fear or dread, rather a place to show the audience what you are capable of. I would like to thank Patricia and the assistants who helped me reach this stage and I am excited for the opportunity to pass these skills on as an assistant.
Neerav Soni
40% of the population has performance anxiety, or put more commonly, stage fright. Now, that idea seems unimaginable to me, but when I started Out Loud in Year 8 I was most definitely part of that 40%. I have gained so much confidence from going through Out Loud and feel like I have defintively gained the ability to speak to anyone I come across and have my ideas come across to them well. Not only does Out Loud help with confidence and conversation skills, it also teaches you how to meet deadlines, how to correctly write emails and so many more skills which can be used anywhere. Out Loud has given me the gift of being able to communicate effectively with anyone I meet and I have to thank Patricia and the entire Out Loud team for that! I want to help the future sets of students as best as I can with Out Loud!
RISHONA VIKRAM
I started Public Speaking in Grade 3. If you had told me back then that I would grow to love Public Speaking as much as I do now, I wouldn’t have believed you. In Grade 3, I was too afraid to speak in front of my peers in the sessions, yet now it’s like second-nature to me. Out Loud has helped me improve my confidence, and has eased me out of my comfort zone so I discover new things that I enjoy. The best part about learning Public Speaking with Patricia is the feeling of independence it gives you. I remember choosing my own speech topics and realising how amazing it feels to share your passion with others. As well as this, it teaches you important life skills such as communication, improvising, confidence and more. I can definitely say that being with Out Loud has helped me to work on shaping these skills and I’m grateful that I have a chance to share my knowledge with others, working with Patricia and the team.