In one of Roald Dahl’s most popular stories, Naomi was one of its stars at the Octagon Bolton and in London. She played a Mugglewump and hung upside-down whilst puppeteering her baby mugglewump! Using slapstick, live music, dance and drama, this was a magical treat for all the family during the festive season.

With her comedic charms and chaotic fun Naomi became a “force of nature as the bombastic Robber Girl” (The Stage). One of the most memorable moments was her amusing transformation from Robber Girl to... pigeon, with only a handful of feathers and a sulky expression. The audience thoroughly enjoyed her antics!

Naomi was cast in Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s The Jolly Postman. From cackling mayhem as Wicked Witch to Prince of Charming-ness – “Cortes, a versatile actor, makes a lovely toff-ish Prince Charming” (The Stage) – she delighted audiences with her dizzying array of characters and funny-girl aplomb.

In this edgy and innovative production based on Bloodtide, a YA novel by Melvin Burgess, Naomi faced one of her most physical acting challenges. She played Melanie, a pig-woman hybrid who spent much of her life underground in a dystopian world of London where family, loyalty and revenge were key themes.

Inspired by Naomi’s love of pockets, Oily Cart created her first role: Pocket was her name and clothes were her game, in the show Under Your Hat. She also performed in Boing!, an interactive production for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and in Jumpin’ Beans, the company’s first ever show for babies!

How High Is Up? was a magical play using music and movement to celebrate life and all its changes and lasting truths. Playing the character of the Bird Who Has No Wings, Naomi took on the role of best friend, confidant and guide throughout this adventurous and sometimes dangerous journey.

Naomi gave an effervescent performance as Audrey in this Shakespeare comedy, entertaining theatregoers in Norway and the Czech Republic. Many of the audience had not seen a black woman perform Shakespeare before, and Naomi revelled in the character’s bumpkin mannerisms, with her great comic timing and interval mayhem!

Being cast in two Shakespeare comedic roles made quick changes essential. Exiting her scene as the cheerful Host, Naomi would re-enter as Mistress Ford hatching vengeance, transformed in costume, voice and presence. “Cackling with laughter ... Naomi Cortes perfectly depicted [one of] the Merry Wives of Windsor.”

Naomi travelled to South Africa to develop Action Transport Theatre’s script Gogo. At the same Soweto venue where many years ago Nelson Mandela honed his boxing skills, she worked with local performers. Absorbing the importance of traditional culture, she learned to click her tongue in Xhosa and sing in Zulu.

Vuluvulani, a South African theatre company, invited Naomi to perform in their tradition-inspired folk tale. A young city girl, whilst visiting a village, sets out on a brave journey to find her missing friend. After rehearsals in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, Tselane’s Song returned to the UK with a residency at the Unicorn Theatre.

For the BBC Naomi was cast as the straight-talking district nurse Pam Yahoya in their daytime soap Doctors. Here she dished out her own medical advice to a worried young musician unsure of his future fatherly role. All the while, Pam cradled her own newborn baby, who snored his way throughout rehearsals!

In the popular children’s series Crisis Control, children were tasked as cadets to assess and respond to major incidents. As the no-nonsense Sergeant Teresa Singer, Naomi provided the contestants with interactive and urgent briefings which needed immediate solutions – and time was ticking by!

On radio Naomi created an array of different voices in the adaptation of Valerie Bloom’s first novel, Surprising Joy. Steeped in Jamaican culture, sunshine and tradition, the story journeys to London, where it is cold, dark and unfriendly. But an even greater shock awaits Joy when she goes to live with her mother...

Naomi worked with Red Earth theatre on their first audio drama, Woven Lives, which tackled the environmental crisis. Set in London but spanning the continents and the generations, it explored the complexities of intergenerational relationships and the urgency of a community coming together to protect the last tree.

Naomi’s storytelling performances are for everybody, young and old, big and small, and are fully accessible. She places strong emphasis on visual language, using movement and rhythm, as well as words. “Everything brilliant!” “Kids loved it” “Excellent and engaging story” “She’s a funny lady” “Best thing I’ve seen ALL day!”

Her participatory ‘talking tales’ are created for nurseries, schools and children’s centres, as well as indoor and outdoor festivals. Naomi performs larger-than-life and lovable characters who sing, dance and roar loudly! She creates follow-my-leader gestures and actions to engage all children, regardless of their age.

At the National Maritime Museum, Naomi appears as one of the few female passengers on the HMT Empire Windrush. Wandering amongst the museum’s visitors, she shares small insights about what the passengers wished and then experienced on their arrival in England, using storytelling props from her suitcase.

Naomi has used her captivating storymaking in various projects with a variety of museums, sharing the histories of artefacts including the Benin Bronzes, Vietnamese folk masks and Foundling tokens. The stories shared are always inspired by objects, whether it is the history of how they came to be or their presence in the world today.