5 THINGS YOU’d ONLY KNow IF YOU’re A THEATRE DIRECtor
Our Associate Director Nadia Emam talks to Exposed Magazine
What if the true power of art lies not in hierarchy but in collaboration, creativity, and fearless activism—can we rethink the director’s role and art’s potential for social change?
5 MINS READ
Of course, sometimes we do need someone to be a leader of sorts, to make executive decisions and support a large group of people. But the main misconception about directing is the hierarchy of the role. The director often gets all of the credit too. Making something, a play or a film, is a collaboration between a huge amount of very skilled people, moving towards a shared vision, everybody inputs ideas, and bounces off one another.
Nadia Emam, Associate Director, SBC Theatre, Photograph By Smart.J.Banda
Sometimes in a film crew, the director can be the person with the least amount of experience. In theatre it’s different, the route to becoming a director is long, there are more practical skills and learnings required to get to the point of directing a show.
I believe to be a good director you must be a good facilitator, because essentially you are facilitating a lot of people, thoughts and logistics.
DIRECTING IS JUST TELLING PEOPLE WHAT TO DO/ WHERE TO STAND
Noel Coward (20th century White, English playwright) said to actors ‘just say the lines and don’t trip over the furniture!’
Another misconception is that actors are ‘divas’ or just ‘walking props’.
Sometimes an actor will come in with ideas for a role you never imagined, and the rehearsal process can be such a joy when this happens. You are the outside eye, guiding them to mould those ideas; it’s such a collaborative process. The main thing I look for in an actor when casting, is what kind of person they are. I’m not interested in working with big egos, I look to working with people who I can see will be generous, good listeners, team players, because these people are going to be spending a lot of time together. They need to be able to develop trust, and be vulnerable together. Directing is so much about bringing together the right people, and that shows in the process and outcome of whatever you make.
EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST
We are all born with the abilities to be creative. It’s just that art was a measure, in school, of ability, we were given boundaries with little exploration, some people were told they were better than others, so we are conditioned to think we’re no good at it. Art, in a capitalist society, has become a commodity, and it is often goal orientated, ego driven and monetised.
So many of us reconnected with our creative selves during the lockdowns, because we had the luxury of time, and we found that making art was a nourishing experience. I hope we hold on to that. Making time to be creative, just for the sake of it, is so enriching to our lives and we can all do it.
SOAPBOX group, Nomad Maison, Photography By Smart J Banda
I work with an organisation called SBC Theatre (Stand and Be Counted Theatre) who are the UK’s first and leading Theatre Company of Sanctuary. They shifted their way of working in response to observing the needs of their communities, and reacting to the political and social impact on people seeking sanctuary (refugees and asylum seekers). They proudly sit at the intersection of arts, culture & social activism and provide thousands of people seeking sanctuary with regular, long-term making opportunities and events in order to celebrate, platform and ensure equality of opportunity. Their Soap Box Group for young adults is now a family. Everything about what SBC Theatre does has changed my working practice, and I’m so glad I’ve finally found an organisation that feels genuine care for their community, that also shares my passion and beliefs for social change. Working with them has made me realise how important it is as artists, to share our knowledge, to use the resources we have and open up these regular spaces for people to explore their creativity, to have a space for art as a nourishing form of self-expression. To me, it’s the duty of arts organisations, especially buildings, to be welcoming, inclusive and accessible to the community around them. I think a lot of organisations could learn from SBC Theatre.
Nadia Emam, Imogine Ashby and Sally Willson, Sheffield Theatres Costume Dept. Photography By Smart J Banda
ART IS POLITICAL
Art can be a form of escapism, but art is also a form of expression; so much of it is a response to our lived experience, the social climate. Many arts organisations are registered charities, which means they are non-profit. When it comes to being challenging or political, many will support, make and programme work about feminism, cultural diversity, queer rights, putting out statements supporting the Black Lives Matter Movements, or that they will be deleting their profiles from ‘X’ because it doesn’t align with their beliefs. Yet when it comes to supporting Palestinian human rights, so many arts organisations have remained silent, choosing to hide behind the veil of political neutrality. It seems some are ‘political apart from Palestine’ which exposes the boundaries of freedom in the arts. To me, art is political, art is activism, art is freedom of expression. By telling stories, offering alternative narratives, challenging people, reaching hearts and minds, we can have social change.
