...it was important for me because it showed me that you didn’t need to be white to be involved in the theatre. It’s vital that theatre represents the diversity of Britain on its stages
What is your job?
I'm a Director at Soho Connect.
What does your job involve?
The Soho Connect department is the theatre’s Education, Community and Outreach programme, which works with people of all ages in many contexts to enable creative learning. It aims to introduce people to theatre as an art form, cement our links with the local community, and play an important role in discovering new writers and developing new audiences. We run a series of programmes including a playwriting scheme for schoolchildren in Year 6, an outreach programme for 11-18 year olds in youth clubs, and a young writers’ programme for people aged 18-25. We also develop regular community projects in our local borough of Westminster and run an annual playwriting competition. The work often involves creative exchange. Currently our young writers are involved in a cultural exchange project with a group in Malaysia. We will be hosting them in July and creating a new piece of inter-cultural theatre. My role is to oversee and manage the department, as well as lead on and direct some of the projects and productions.
How did you get to this point in your career?
My first gig was at the ICA as part of a Live Art Festival in the early 90s. I directed and performed in some one woman shows, and also set up a small theatre company. I worked as an Assistant Director on a show then got my first proper job – at the Crucible in Sheffield. Then I moved back to London and for several years worked for Immediate Theatre, a community theatre company in Hackney, and also did freelance directing. I had some unusual experiences, including setting up a resident theatre project at Billingsgate Fish Market in East London. We created a small proscenium arch theatre and put on shows at 8am for the fishmongers and their customers. I also worked with the Theatre Royal at Stratford East, Shared Experience, and with Kali Theatre. I came to work for Soho Theatre in 2004.
What training did you do and where?
I studied a Theatre degree at Dartington College in Totnes for four years. Coming from Sheffield, there was something about the challenge of studying in a tiny town in Devon that appealed to me. The course encouraged me to create my own work and you could focus on directing, writing or choreography; it wasn’t just about performance. I specialised in directing, and also wrote a couple of plays while I was there.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of a project I ran in September 2007 called ‘Moonwalking in Chinatown, which had a cast and crew made up of a mix of professionals and community volunteers. It was a really ambitious project and no one knew how it was going to turn out. The writer built up a really strong relationship with people in Chinatown to create a play based on the Autumn Moon Festival and the stories of three generations of Chinese communities living in London. The play started out in the Soho Theatre, but then took to the streets, blurring the boundaries between ‘real life’ and ‘the play’. There was a fantastic company feel, everyone put in a huge amount of work, and it was great fun.
What do you need to succeed in your industry?
You need to be driven to work in the theatre, as it can be a challenging and competitive environment. You also need to be flexible, so you can work in lots of different environments. One day I’ll be working in a school with children, the next day I’ll be in a theatre working with professional actors. You have to be prepared to work hard and to work long hours. Also, I think it’s important to take risks when you first start a project, and be able to learn from your mistakes without getting too sensitive about getting things wrong. If you’re being bold and creative, you’re bound to make mistakes sometimes. For this job, you also have to be good at office administration, alongside being creative.
Who’s your work hero / heroine?
I once directed a piece called ‘On the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa’. He was a Nigerian writer and activist who struggled to gain justice for the Ogonii people of the Niger Delta when dealing with multi-national corporation Shell and the Nigerian Dictatorship. He was executed alongside eight other Ogoni collegues in 1995 by the Nigerian Military Junta after an unfair trial. He was writing and using the power of words throughout his incarcerations, through to his final days in prison. The play was adapted from his prison short story that was smuggled out several days before his execution. His words and work still live on today.
What inspired you to do this type of work?
I started off doing ballet classes when I was seven, and originally wanted to go to dance school. Then I took some speech and drama lessons, and fell in love with words and acting. After my A levels, I spent a year with the Sheffield Youth Theatre, touring new versions of classic stories to schools in the area. This experience convinced me I wanted to work in the theatre.
What do your friends/family think of the work you do?
Perhaps my parents would initially have preferred if I’d gone into a more stable or secure career, but overall they have always been very supportive of whatever I’ve wanted to do.
What are your tips for anyone wanting to do your job?
Go to the theatre as much as possible. Get on to theatre networks to find out how to get cheap deals on tickets. Join your local youth theatre. Read scripts and discover which playwrights you like. Identify the theatre companies that produce work you enjoy, and then try to make connections with the people from those companies. Volunteering is a good way in.
Creative inspirations
My Anglo-Indian heritage
My family background has inspired me to explore cultural identity and related themes in my work. I find people’s cultural backgrounds fascinating.
Myths and fairytales
I’ve always loved Greek myths, fairytales and legends, and think they’ve inspired a magic realism style in my directing and choices of plays.
Caryl Churchill
I read Cloud 9 at college and it inspired me to look at feminism and race issues in my work.
Augusto Boal
This Brazilian theatre director founded ‘The Theatre of the Oppressed’ , and showed me how you can use theatre to promote social and political change.
The Don Valley in Sheffield
My first house looked out over this industrial landscape full of factories and steelworks and towers, which I love. I feel very connected to Sheffield, and the landscape and humour have influenced my work a great deal.
Dance
When I see the body in movement and how much it can communicate, it reminds me not to over-clutter theatre with words.
Yukio Ninagawa
This Japanese director’s work always impresses me because it needs little translation. He uses a really powerful visual and physical language on stage that crosses language boundaries.
The Wiz
I first saw this black musical when I was eight or nine years old. It seems a bit cheesy now, but it was important for me because it showed me that you didn’t need to be white to be involved in the theatre. It’s vital that theatre represents the diversity of Britain on its stages.
Travel
Travel broadens the mind, helps you discover more about yourself and other people’s cultures, and also helps you reflect on your own culture. It’s very inspirational to see how other cultures make sense of the world through theatre and art.
Keiji Nakazawa
Nakazawa wrote ‘Barefoot Gen’, a Manga comic about an anti-war family in Second World War Japan. The comic was based on his own experience of surviving the bombing of Hiroshima, only a mile from ground zero. When I was at The Crucible in Sheffield, the youth theatre performed a stage adaptation of the book and we met him. I was inspired by the way this man turned one of the world’s most horrific atrocities into a powerful and meaningful piece of art that we can all learn from.
If you would like advice on creative careers and courses, contact a Creative Way Careers Adviser - either Matt Ball on m.ball@uel.ac.uk / 07889 001764 or Sarah Comerford on s.comerford@uel.ac.uk / 07515 051509.