Lyric life

Welcome to #12JobsofTheatre.

Over 12 days in December we’ll be telling you about 12 different jobs at the Lyric to give you an insight into the varied and vital jobs that contribute to the work we make.

Each of the wonderful people that are currently in those positions have shared how they got there and we hope it will be helpful to those thinking about pursuing a career in the arts.

Next up is Alex Hurst, our Resident Assistant Director.

1. In one sentence, can you explain what your job is?

My job changes from project to project but at its core, I work closely alongside the director and creative team to help them create and deliver the highest quality of shows for the Lyric.

2. What made you want to work in theatre and where did you start?

I’ve been spellbound by the theatre since I went to see my first panto as a child but it was being exposed to a range of unforgettable theatre productions in my teenage years that made me decide to tell stories for a living. I studied Drama at University thinking that I was going to become an actor yet I began to become more and more interested in the unique creativity of directing. I tried my hand at directing a university drama society production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and I was hooked! Since that point I have directed a piece of horror theatre in a dilapidated mansion in Manchester, taken work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and I am currently studying for a Masters Degree in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck which is how I’ve found myself in the lucky position of Resident Assistant Director at the Lyric.

3. What is your top recommendation for someone who wants to be an Assistant Director/Director.

My advice to anyone wanting to become a director is to find your niche; your unique selling point that makes you different from everybody else. This may change and develop over time but it is essential to know why theatre is important to you and what stories you want to tell. I’d also say go and find some friends and just make something. Anything! You don’t need a big budget to make good theatre, all you need is people and imagination.

4. What is your favourite production at the Lyric that you have worked on and why?

I am brand new to this position so I haven’t yet completed any productions at the Lyric, but I am really looking forward to co-directing our community play Heart of Hammersmith with Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan over the next few months.