22/9/2015

So long and farewell from Deborah

It has been a joy and a privilege to be Creative Producer for Freedom Studios and to serve the city of Bradford.  And after 6 years of working for the company it is time to give someone else a turn, to make room for the next generation of leaders – Aisha Khan and Alex Chisholm.  It’s time for me to plough new furrows.

 

I love Bradford and its people, and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to produce theatre events and experiences based on stories from the city.  It’s been a pleasure working with other arts companies including Mind the Gap, Kala Sangam and Theatre in the Mill and the brilliant Bobsie Robinson and Rashmi Sudhir from Bradford Council.

 

I have strived to make the company more open and accessible by reaching out to new audiences, engaging in dialogue with people to tell their stories, and trying to capture the diversity of today’s Britain.  It’s been brilliant to support emerging artists to develop their skills and to watch young people’s confidence grow as they discover the power of the performing arts to express themselves.

 

But for me, the really magical moments have been at the end of shows when people have come up and said “Thank you for telling my story, that’s how it was” and “I feel proud to be a Bradfordian tonight.”