"Don’t believe anyone who says that doing a job you enjoy isn’t realistic"

Hometown
I’m from North Yorkshire

What do you do?
Education and arts development officer, The Arc, Stockton on Tees

What was your very first role in theatre?
My current job

Have you got qualifications?
MA English literature and language

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I was a teacher for two years. First teaching communication and literacy in a further education college and then teaching English in a secondary school.

How did you make the move into theatre?
I saw that my local arts centre was reopening and I wrote a letter to the Arts Council England, North East head of arts development and asked if there was a position opening for an arts education officer. I put forward my ideas about creativity and education.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always did and still want to be a writer

What do you do all day?
I research education and creative practice, look for opportunities and develop ideas for creative education projects. Once an idea has taken shape I search for potential partners and if the idea fits the needs of the area in which I work, I apply for funding.

If the application is successful I project manage it: finding artists, recruiting participants, administrating contracts, setting up development meetings and monitoring the progress. I am usually juggling about five projects at different stages of development.

My typical day involves checking all my timetables to make sure the artists are in the right place, catching up on administration, calling artists / teachers to meetings, devising and sending out evaluations and developing new ideas to turn into applications.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Seeing my ideas come to life and watching participants, especially kids, having the time of their lives and knowing that I had a little bit to do with this amazing opportunity which they will remember forever.

And the worst?
Working with people who don’t get it, those who see creativity as a box they have to tick but really don’t have the open mindedness to embrace its potential.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
My dream job is to be a writer, whether that is scripts, novels or poetry. I would love to be a great fireside storyteller.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Get as much experience as you can in any area you can – it all counts. Don’t believe anyone who says that doing a job you enjoy isn’t realistic, they probably didn’t have the balls to try.