The lesson I keep learning is the massive difference live entertainment makes, both to the audience and to me. It continues to challenge us and stretch our minds. I worked with Cardboard Citizen last year on their show Cathy, which helped raise awareness of how easy it is for people to become homeless. The production held discussions and forums on how individuals can help, and it had a really empowering effect on the audience, and on me. I have worked with Kali Theatre Company, an extraordinary company that gives voices to South Asian women, and one that has repeatedly challenged me and opened my mind over the 10 years of my career. A great honour was working with Bamboozle Theatre Company last summer, taking a show for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties to Melbourne. Once again, I was in awe of the impact the show had on these children and their families. The show I’m doing at the moment is no different: We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, on tour after a West End run. The joy it brings to children, many of whom are coming to the theatre for the first time, is heart-warming. It brings families together. These are the things that remind me how important the things we do in the arts are, and that we genuinely make a difference.
Since I was a young child I have loved performing, whether it was singing, dancing, acting, pretending to be a news presenter in home videos or (briefly) playing the saxophone. Fast forward to the present day and I’m a Company Stage Manager fighting for the survival of the arts! Between then and now I have worked on over 40 productions, sung and danced at holiday parks in Great Yarmouth, Wales and Cornwall, and even applied to be a Detective in the Metropolitan Police Force! But I love stage managing. I love meeting and working with new people, travelling and seeing different parts of the world, and – on a broader note – getting paid to do something I enjoy! I love jumping in to find a solution when something goes wrong; it’s so exciting.