Maggie Tildesley is Take Part Director at The Roses, Tewkesbury. TG thought it was about time to catch up with Maggie and find out what makes her tick.

TG – Why did you choose a career in theatre?

 When I was young I moved around a lot with my family because of my Dad’s job, joining a youth theatre gave me a sense of community, it was an easy way to make friends in a new place. I believe that theatre brings people together through the power of shared experience and helps to create a sense of community.

 I enjoy being creative and working collaboratively with other people. I am dyslexic and my learning style wasn’t recognised when I was at school, through drama I found an alternative way of learning, sharing ideas and expressing myself.

 I believe everybody has the right to participate in the arts and I want to enable people to take part.

TG – What were you doing before you joined The Roses?

 I was working as the Acting Tutor and Outreach Manager for Full Body & The Voice (FB&TV), a producing theatre company in west Yorkshire. FB&TV promote the work of actors with learning impairments. The Company use physical theatre, music, film and text-based narrative to create contemporary theatre for mainstream audiences. As Acting Tutor I ran the two year professional acting course, affiliated to the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA). I was also responsible for creating and delivering the outreach program for schools and community organizations.

TG – What attracted you to your job at The Roses?

 I was attracted to the Roses because it is a theatre at the heart of its local community with a diverse and innovative outreach programme. I am interested in working with people of all ages and exploring the medium of film as well as theatre. I also felt the position offered career development and the opportunity to expand my strategic and managerial skills.

TG – What motivates you?

 Many things:  Seeing a youth theatre member perform on the Roses stage with courage and conviction. Experiencing performances by theatre companies such as Complicite, Punchdrunk and Kneehigh that involve, challenge and surprise me. My family.

TG – What do you see as the most important aspect of your job?

 Creating inclusive opportunities for people to participate in the arts.

TG – What is the worst part of your job?

 Telling an actor they didn’t get the job...

TG – What was the last piece of theatre you saw and what did you think of it?

 The Caretaker, by London Classic Theatre (LCT) at the Roses; I went with Company, our oldest youth theatre group. Pinter’s not every bodies cup of tea, but I thought it was a really engrossing production with great attention to detail in terms of characterisation. Each actor played a distinct rhythm and the different energies made for great dramatic tension. The status play and posturing was explored through stylised movement very effectively. I was left however, worrying about that Uke I never learned to play…

TG – If money and time were of no object what theatre project would you like to make happen?

 A site specific, multi media, devised (with a script writer), community theatre project with an international exchange…

TG – What are the biggest changes you anticipate will happen in theatre over the next few years?

 Cuts to statutory funding could result in theatre companies needing to become more commercially viable. It may also lead to some interesting collaborative projects between theatre and other cultural and business organisations.

 I think that developments in IT and Gaming will impact on theatre form and lead to more multi media style productions.

TG – Do you think there is a future for theatre in Gloucestershire?

 Yes. As long as theatre makers strive for innovation and respond to the changing world around them. You cannot underestimate the power of live theatre and shared experience.

TG – What advice would you give to anyone starting out in theatre today?

 Keep exploring…and get a MBA.