Youth Leader – Millie Hardy-Sims

Millie Hardy-Sims is a 29-year-old director and writer living in Maryport. With a background working with children in theatre and film, including working for the Walt Disney Company, Millie has worked in theatre and youth projects since 2011. Millie is a published author, with her debut novel being published in December 2021, and has adapted 15+ plays for young people on stage and published her playbooks on Amazon and OfftheWalls Plays. She likes to say her biggest challenge when adapting scripts for young people is making sure everyone has plenty of stage time to shine, and believes there is no such thing as small parts: every role on stage is equally important.

Millie has previously worked in youth theatre for Theatre By the Lake, Kirkgate Centre and Workington Theatre Royal. In 2016 she was nominated for an award for her work with young people in theatre. She currently runs popular Cockermouth-based local youth theatre Happy Thoughts Drama Company, as well as running after school drama and dance clubs in the local area and beyond, and is now the creative mind behind Carnegie Youth Theatre. Millie is enthusiastic about bringing more youth projects to the Carnegie Theatre and is excited to get started in such a cultural area of the county with such a diverse group of young people. 

Millie is a massive Disney fan, having worked for them, and also has a diploma in pirate history. Her favourite stories are J.M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’.

“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” ~ J.M Barrie.