It all stems from a deep passion for theatre; you can’t overestimate how far that can drive you as a practitioner. 

I did a three-year BA (Hons) in Drama at Hull. I didn’t want to go to drama school. I’m of the opinion that directing can’t be taught; it’s just in you and the best way to learn is to do. So I spent my degree doing everything from Japanese Noh Theatre to 19th century drama and Postmodernism. 

I always wanted to run my own theatre but decided first to get some experience and be a professional director. So I joined Y Touring Theatre Company as an associate director. I’d be directing, assisting, company managing – which meant driving a van up and down the country – loads of different things. Then I won one of the Y Touring young director bursaries and trained at the Palace Theatre Watford for a year.

I’ve been living on about four hours’ sleep for the last few weeks. But it is the biggest dream coming true. In terms of day-to-day work it’s actually very similar to doing a really huge show. You’re managing a team, but whereas a director manages the lighting and technical designers and actors, an artistic director manages the architect, mechanical and electrical engineer, labourers. It’s just on a much bigger scale – we’re working on a £2.5 million budget.

We didn’t get any public funding from the Arts Council but a number of trusts and foundations have supported us, as well as a huge number of private benefactors. The council has also been supportive in terms of planning permission and licensing, so we can stay open until 2am on weekends. 

You have to research the priorities of each trust or foundation – it’s usually quite clear on their website. Some don’t support capital projects, others only do revenue, some don’t support projects in London. So, before you put a lot of time and effort into an application phone their grants officer and have a quick, informal chat about whether your project is something they’re likely to support.

It took us six years of searching all through London to find the right building. We needed an area that little-to-no arts provision but good transport links. Finsbury Park was also perfect because it’s full of theatre-savvy people. 

Even when it was a building site we were bringing companies in to get them enthused about the space. As soon as we fixed an opening date we had loads and loads of proposals come through. The thing with creative people is that they have great imagination – they can get excited and see the end result. They also feel a greater sense of ownership when they’ve been involved from that early stage.

The biggest challenge is probably working with builders. The way people communicate and do business in the building trade is very different to the theatre world. When people complain that their kitchen extension overran and was over budget – just imagine what that’s like on this scale and budget. 

Not all theatre companies need a building. Some like to be vagabond, to tour and have the freedom to work in different parts of the world; others like bricks and mortar. After being a freelancer for many years I like the idea now of having a place, building a legacy and nurturing an audience.

Photo by Charlie Ward.

To find out more about the Park Theatre, visit their website.

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