"I've asked a man to climb into the middle of a 37-foot plastic bubble"

Hometown
Birmingham

What do you do?
Theatre and arts development manager, AiR (Arts in Redditch) Project, Redditch Borough Council

What was your very first role in theatre?
Actor with National Youth Theatre and running youth theatres in Aston and Handsworth, Birmingham

What else have you done in theatre?
Youth arts development worker, youth start coordinator and youth theatre director, all for Birmingham City Council Youth Services
Various freelance roles in youth arts, youth theatre and running creative workshops

Have you got qualifications?
A theatre arts degree
Dip HE in community youth and play studies (JNC National Qualification)

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
Community development and youth services work in equal measure to pure performing arts and arts development work

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
I found community and youth work provided me with the opportunities to engage with professional theatre venues on a regular basis. If I hadn’t been working in communities then I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to work in those venues.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Actor and theatre director

What do you do all day?
I have responsibility for the Arts in Redditch project and the arts strategy in Redditch, including the strategic development of the Palace Theatre, a 425-seat Edwardian venue.
My day-to-day work varies hugely, which is what is so good about it. I could be writing a funding bid, chairing a meeting, managing the staff in my team or dropping everything to do something for the senior staff in the council.
But I’ve also handed a microphone to Jools Holland, asked a man to climb into the middle of a 37-foot plastic bubble and float into the middle of a lake playing a flute, and led a procession of 250 excited young people.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Seeing young people enjoy working with inspirational artists of all kinds

And the worst?
Filling in form after form after form!

What’s your dream job in theatre?
I enjoy directing highly physical theatre work or performance events

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
There is no traditional route to working in the professional arts sector. In my case the indirect route got me a result: working with young people in council estates across Birmingham for eight years for one reason or another got me a job running an arts agenda for a town.

You must show passion for your chosen art form and stick at it; get up after you’ve fallen down and keep going; push yourself and take risks and opportunities; believe in your own views but respect others; play to your strengths but be aware of your weaknesses and do something about them; be willing to volunteer at first; learn from others; remember who the boss is; be willing to change your mind; build strong alliances with those who are interested in what you are doing; pay positive and close attention to those who don’t want you to do what you do and learn from their views.