Profiles

Sharon has been at the theatre for 15 years on and off. She's had children, completed a degree and worked full-time as a senior tutor and teacher of Performing Arts and Drama at Bilborough College.

Class background

Sharon has lived in Nottinghamshire all her life, her background was not steeped in theatre. She came from a working class family; her father was a postman and her mother was a sales assistant.

A former teacher, who was also a member of the Lace Market Theatre, inspired her to follow her dreams. However life at the theatre has not always been easy for her.

"I found it difficult to break into the middle class world of the theatre. There is this perception that you have to dumb down theatre for the working class. Just because your background is not middle class does not mean you are not intelligent and creative."

The plays Sharon likes to direct tend to be more on-the-edge and away from the mainstream.

Lace Market Theatre sign

"I need to do something that has got some way of stimulating me as a director, my cast and of course the audience. I want to tackle plays with stylistic issues and be excited by them.

"I'm not interested in British middle class theatre, it presents no journey or challenge. I'm more drawn to anything around the Elizabethan and Jacobean period, and European avant-garde theatre. I want to make people jump outside their framework." 

This reflects in the plays that Sharon chose for this season, which included Brecht's 'The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui' and Frank Wedekind's 'Lulu'.

Directing

At the Lace Market Theatre, when plays for the next season are announced, it is not a question of directors picking and choosing which plays they want.

If there is more than one person wishing to direct a particular play, it is up to the board to decide who gets it.

"It is hard for directors, when the list goes up, you are in competition with each other."

Poster for 'Power'

When choosing a director, the board take many aspects into consideration, for example how long you have been at the theatre, whether you are new but talented, and previous plays that you have directed. Sharon emphasises, "You are only as good as your last play".

Hopes

The Lace Market Theatre stages a variety of productions, however Sharon feels not enough is being done to make the theatre attractive to the local community.

"We are not doing anything to proactively seek the community. A more inclusive policy is needed."

To put this policy in action, Sharon is suggesting a more diverse variety of plays to be staged, including Bollywood plays, which so far have never been performed at the Lace Market Theatre.

She hopes the redevelopment will encourage a more open minded approach to all aspects of the theatre.

"Disabled access is going to improve, which is crucial, but we have got to look to appeal to other groups as well, and get over this cultural divide."

Sharon has been credited with bringing a lot of new young talent to the Lace Market Theatre. Keeping the theatre in touch with younger generations is something that Sharon feels passionately about, and she has used her own students in her plays.

"Theatre changes faster than a tart's knickers. Young people understand theatre better. Sometimes the Lace Market needs to be more accommodating for young people and their exuberance. They are to be celebrated, not denigrated.

"Valuable experience is marvelous to build infrastructure and to train other people, but it is about giving young adults the opportunity to perform in front of grown-up audiences."

Sharon's ambition is to set up the first drama school in Nottingham, something that is currently sorely lacking in the city.

Sharon says there are private drama centres, but there is nothing pushing people into professional theatre. She hopes to offer an affordable alternative to these private centres, in order to give local talent a chance. Sharon says,

"There are local people not from wealthy backgrounds, with various upbringings who do amazing work."

Sharon will be directing a production of Harold Pinter's 'The Lover', in which she will be doing two different versions of the same play, one in the style of Matthew Bourne with no speaking at all.

'The Lover' will be performed towards the end of May 2007 until the beginning of June 2007.