"Everybody in the theatre has an important role to play"

Hometown
Born India; live Sheffield via London

What do you do?
Senior marketing officer on secondment (that means ’borrowed’) from my job as education liaison officer

What was your very first role in theatre?
Publicity worker at Oval House Theatre, London

What else have you done in theatre?
I have been director of London Bubble Theatre Company since 1990. I was a community arts development officer in a school for a year until it gained specialist arts college status. Until my secondment, I was education liaison officer for Sheffield Theatres.

I worked for Sheffield Arts Education for a few years running artists in schools projects and events. Before all this, I worked for years as a communications officer for Hackney Council (London), as marketing officer for London Bubble Theatre Company and as a freelance marketing consultant for theatre, music and dance companies.

Have you got qualifications?
A degree in English literature and drama

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A lawyer, an actress, a journalist and an artist all at the same time!

What do you do all day?
Meeting deadlines on daily/hourly basis
Liaising with designers
Liaising with printers
Moving boxes
Putting up posters
Writing copy
Editing copy
Speaking to theatre companies
Speaking to journalists
Devising marketing campaigns to sell shows
Liaising with box office dept re campaigns
Meetings with team members re the progress of campaigns
Fire-fighting for colleagues who are on holiday
Proofing advertising in the media
Creating direct mail letters
Managing the budgets
Asking actors agents to send actor CVs and biogs and photos for theatre programmes

What’s the best thing about your job?
Writing and creating campaigns. Seeing finished products, such as the theatre programme being enjoyed by the theatre audience and of course seeing ticket sales rise as the marketing campaigns hit. Seeing audiences participating in theatre experiences.

And the worst?
Unhappy customers, empty theatres, sad artists, disheartened actors…
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What’s your dream job in theatre?
All jobs are great , everybody in the theatre has an important role to play in creating theatre for everyone. Just working in the theatre is a dream come true.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Eat breakfast. Keep creative. Enjoy your work as you will be at work for many long hours. Gain as many skills as possible and keep learning new ones; writing; design; photography; IT packages, project management skills, people skills. Be very organised as there will always be competing deadlines. Be calm under pressure. Keep clear-headed.