 She was the first person in the history of her school to attend Cambridge University, where she studied English at New Hall, now Murray Edwards College.She began directing for theatre at Cambridge and amongst other credits, was the first woman in history to direct the Footlights Pantomime, which was co-written by Footlights President and Vice President Richard Ayoade and John Oliver.Upon graduating from Cambridge in 1998, she worked for Cambridge Arts Theatre, co-ordinating the BT National Connections project around East Anglia.