My friend Karen Taylor, who has died aged 55 of cancer, was a fierce champion of young people. As a supervisor at ChildLine, she touched – and probably saved – countless young lives. And as founder, writer and director of the Theatre ADAD company she changed the attitudes and behaviours of young people with plays that encouraged them to think and talk about big issues such as drugs, gangs, bullying and domestic violence.
Karen was born in Wroughton, Wiltshire, to Hal Taylor, an airline pilot, and Iona Mackenzie, a school secretary. Growing up in West Berkshire, she became known as a natural comedian, renowned for making teachers and pupils laugh at Didcot girls’ school.
At 18 she moved to London and temped for a while, but was not suited to office life, so she trailed around West End theatres asking for work. She struck lucky at the Old Vic and became the stage door manager, which gave her a store of great anecdotes, including her version of meeting the ghost of Lilian Baylis when locking up at night.
At 22 she began a BA theatre-in-education course at Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, south-east London, and discovered a talent for directing. With her course-mates Katharine Heathcock and Mario Guarnieri, she toured absurdist plays in schools and small venues. After graduating, a community police officer mentioned drama’s value in tackling youth crime, so with characteristic chutzpah Karen told him her theatre company specialised in just that, and Theatre ADAD was born.
ADAD’s vibrant, well-researched dramas toured schools, young offender institutions and centres for children excluded from school. As part of the theatre company’s work, Karen devised an inter-generational project in Notting Hill, west London, to bring together elderly people and local disruptive youths and she also trained police and other professionals to communicate better with young people.
ADAD was mentioned in the House of Commons as an exemplary initiative. She continued to run the company as its artistic director until poor health prevented her from doing so two years ago.
We met when we were training together to be volunteer counsellors at ChildLine in 2008. Children in appalling situations trusted Karen instinctively, while colleagues valued her zany humour, which defused stress but was never disrespectful.
Soon Karen became a supervisor, at first on a voluntary basis but later as a part-time paid member of staff, overseeing a bank of volunteers dealing with calls and listening in and helping out when needed. Until ill health again intervened, she also trained ChildLine volunteers.
In her spare time Karen loved parties, good food, holidays and the theatre, especially musicals. She adored watching Strictly Come Dancing, live-blogging it wickedly on WhatsApp. Apart from her friends and family, the love of her life was her springador Mabel.
She is survived by her mother, a brother, Russell, and a sister, Frances.
