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 Rachel O’Riordan, our Artistic Director and joint CEO of the Lyric.

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

I am the Artistic Director and joint CEO of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. This means I am responsible for programming the  work audiences see on our stages, putting together creative teams, and on occasion also directing that work. I am responsible for making sure the theatre is artistically viable, and also for company culture and values. I am also jointly responsible for the financial health of the Lyric, and for our role in the community. I am an ambassador for the Lyric- this job means you live and breathe the theatre you run. 

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

I did not grow up around theatre- I had seen very little until I went to university in London but I was always fascinated by the idea of it. In books, for example, when theatre was described, or in films- I was intrigued. When I was younger, directing was a very male dominated, London centric world that felt closed to me. So I set up a theatre company in Belfast, and started making my own work. I knew quite quickly that I enjoyed running something, being part of a team, and so alongside developing my freelance directing career I also focused on developing that company (Ransom Theatre). I learnt on the job. We toured Northern Ireland, and developed projects in rural communities too. Then I applied for  and got an AD  job in Perth, then moved to run the Sherman in Cardiff, after which I was approached to apply for the Lyric Hammersmith. I am the first female AD of this theatre.   

3.            What is your top recommendation for someone who wants to be an Artistic Director?

Think outside the box. The job is diverse in its demands. You need to be able to think about lots of different things at once, and make connections between those things. You need a combination of a strategic and artistic brain! So, try and find ways to develop those skills. Make your own work though, is the best advice I personally can give. Keep making work- wherever that is, it doesn’t matter. Online, in a garage, in a house…in post-conflict Belfast there was a real ‘make it happen’ spirit and I am very informed by that. 

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

I can’t choose! But, making your first show for a theatre as a new AD is really special. So, Tanika Gupta’s A Doll’s House is a show I love. It was amazing to see a new Indian/Asian audience come into the theatre, and to see the incredible cast own that story. The re-framing of Ibsen through a post-colonial frame remains a highlight of my career, and I am glad that is what I chose to begin my tenure with.