PHOTOGRAPH: ROBERT DAY
Many of the women identify the same qualities, some of which could be argued as being innately female. The ability to juggle and multi-task, ‘a wide field of vision and being able to hold many things at once’ says Deborah Aydon, Executive Producer Liverpool Theatres while Rachel Tackley agrees that ‘You have to keep so many plates spinning as a producer, and you could easily assert that it’s a female trait.’ For all of them, the choice of people they work with is a fundamental prerequisite and the ability to put teams of people together to make a good show. Hedda Beeby believes that ‘women are collaborative by nature,’ they are relational and in Carole Winter’s experience, she has found that female producers ‘really care about the company and put a lot of energy into gelling a team. You have to have an understanding of psychology, be good at trying to get the best out of everyone.’ A common ability to nurture is recognised as key, ‘Do they need a vodka or a cup of tea, do they need me to shout at them or pay them overtime? You need to be a mind reader’ says Emma Stenning, or perhaps that innate empathy is simply a question of perception. Rachel Tackley muses ‘I don’t know whether this is because I am a woman or because I am not a director of plays, but the thing about ETT being at the table is that there is no ego. I can talk to anyone about anything and I don’t think I am threatening at all and that’s partly to do with being female. A natural empathy, having an empathetic attitude, or perhaps it’s because everyone thinks we do.
BRONTË: A PRODUCTION BY THE WATERMILL THEATRE AND SHARED EXPERIENCE
And I know not all female producers are like that, but maybe it’s what people think.’ On balance, the women see good producing as ultimately dependent on personalities. For Deborah Aydon, ‘There are so many individuals, men and women, so the qualities depend on the people,’ and for Emma Stenning, ‘Producing is an incredibly personal thing, there are shared qualities and skills but your personality defines your style of producing.’ For all the women the overriding quality, which is unquestionably
a universal one and underpins everything is passion. Thelma Holt, who was interviewed briefly for this article, stated, ‘I want to do it and that’s it.’ Passion is the quality all these women share and although their paths into producing may differ, what their careers have in common is a certainty in what they want to do, a single-mindedness and a sense of vocation which has motivated them. Their experience encompasses a broad spectrum which has enhanced their producer’s awareness – some form of theatre or drama studies at degree level, 7