S A L I S B U RY L I V E S
Q&A
A
s director of Salisbury Arts Centre, Paula Redway is responsible for directing, managing, and implementing the work of the centre and is the senior adviser to the board.
My parents got together at a dance in Fordingbridge and I have close lifelong friends and family who live and work in Salisbury and surrounds. I loved the learning part of school and annoyed my siblings by insisting we ‘played schools’ at home too. I was a swotty rebel and pushed the boundaries while working hard. I was in all the productions and concerts and also led the school and county orchestra, choir and recorder groups. I was the youngest performing member of the Three Choirs Festival for a number of years. My on-stage debut was performing as Piglet in a youth theatre production at Scarborough Spa when I was eight, and I still remember to this day how uncomfortable it was to be sat on by Pooh Bear. I was chosen to be the Rose Queen of Littlebeck in my youth, which meant I had to wear a dress and float on a throne down the river to the canned tune of Edelweiss, much to my horror. I was in good company though as the Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt was my attendant. My dream job would have been as a Blue Peter presenter: inspiring creativity, meeting a wide range of people and doing lots of interesting things. Plus I was a big fan of stickyback plastic. My proudest moment was meeting my daughter when she was born. I am extremely happy to have a beautiful baby girl who came into this world against many odds and whom I love with all my heart.
PAULA REDWAY Paula Redway is director of Salisbury Arts Centre and responsible for developing and conveying the centre as an inclusive and dynamic community arts organisation. Here she talks sticky-back plastic, being a carnival queen and Pooh Bear squishing her… My most prized possessions are my keyboards, including a little upright piano my parents gave me for my birthday when I was child. My most embarrassing moment was when running a high-profile charity fundraising event and having my own raffle tickets picked out three times in a row – it was a complete coincidence. I can still remember the calls of ‘fix!’ from the floor. I watch very little TV. There is so much reality TV on offer nowadays and I would rather be enjoying my own real world, than watching others indulging in sharing theirs. I rarely cry in response to ‘real life’ situations but cry buckets at emotional screen scenes. I have to pause the John Lewis Christmas ads to get a tissue and the latest BBC season for Gay Britannia made me weep too.
66 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
I’m currently reading The Silence of Stone – the latest book written by my school friend, Andrea Busfield. If I see a single magpie, I will usually make a conscious effort to try to spot another. Three things I am looking forward to are: introducing broadcasts live from Salisbury Arts Centre in the autumn; the new Bee City Trail project by Becky Twigg; and my daughter sleeping through the night. I have met many celebrities in my line of work but the real celebrities are the poorly paid artists, teachers and workshop leaders who work tirelessly day in day out to help people develop their talents and create the stars of the future.
For more: www.salisburyarts.co.uk