Award-winning author, playwright and creative practitioner Lisette Auton has found a new home for her creativity at Innovation Central, and it’s already proving to be an inspiring move.
A proud “Darlo lass,” Lisette is known for her powerful storytelling and inclusive creative practice, often working with care-experienced young people, disabled communities, and schools across the North East. Now, from her light-filled studio at Innovation Central at Central Park in Darlington, she’s drawing fresh inspiration from the very heart of her hometown.
“It has a full-length window. So just sitting here and looking out is amazing. It looks over the train line so I get very excited every time a train comes past,” Lisette says. “The trees are changing colour at the moment and it’s beautiful. I just sit in front of that giant window on a cushion and write. It’s definitely rejuvenated me having a beautiful space to work in.”
Lisette’s creative journey began as a ‘secret scribbler’ with a deep love for libraries and storytelling. She studied devised performance at university, but a serious illness during her final year shifted her path, bringing her back to Darlington and into a period of recovery. That’s when she rediscovered her passion for writing and began to build a career that blends creativity with community.
Her dual career as both a writer and a facilitator has allowed her to work across literature, theatre and social impact projects. With a background in youth work and community development, Lisette is passionate about using creativity to affect change – especially for disabled and neurodivergent people, and those with care experience. Her work is rooted in inclusion, empowerment and storytelling that makes a difference.
Lisette’s move to her dedicated office at Innovation Central came after her previous studio became noisy, less secure, and significantly more expensive. She was looking for a space that offered 24-hour access, safety, and a creative atmosphere – and she found it all here.
“This was just perfect,” she explains. “There’s amazing Ben on reception who is so welcoming and keeps everything safe. There’s a car park so I can leave my car here for free and the fact that it takes me five minutes to walk to the train station means I can easily get to any of the places I need to go.”
Innovation Central’s varied and vibrant community has also been a welcome surprise.
“There’s lots of really funky sciencey stuff going on in here, which is really cool. I like peering through windows – don’t tell anyone I do that! It’s great to meet people from different industries. It’s more interesting and inspiring than being surrounded by people doing exactly the same thing as me and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this makes its way into my writing.”
Lisette’s current projects include Creative Aid with Blue Cabin, working with young men in prison to help them discover their creative voices, and a magical immersive theatre project with Novo Theatre that saw schoolchildren believe an alien spaceship had landed in their playground.
Her latest book, The Starlight Rebel, is out now from Puffin books, and she hints that more exciting projects are in the pipeline.
“I’ve squished together my love of people and words. Being here at Innovation Central gives me the space and focus to do just that,” she says.
Daniel Sanderson, Centre Manager at Innovation Central, added: “We’re over the moon to welcome Lisette to our vibrant community and we’re really excited to see what Innovation Central and her new neighbours inspire her to create next.
“Lisette’s decision to locate here demonstrates how versatile this space is – not just for tech, but for creatives, scientists and entrepreneurs alike. That mix is what makes the community here at Innovation Central and our sister site Business Central so special.”