Vicky Meets… Angela Buckley, Project & Events Coordinator at Chichester Festival Theatre

How did you come to the role of Projects & Events Coordinator?

I grew up in Lancing and trained in stage management and technical theatre at Guildhall.

I graduated in 2012 and got a secondment with the Cheek by Jowell Theatre Company.

I then toured for years, going from an ASM [Assistant Stage Manager] to DSM [Deputy Stage Manager].

I ended up at the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years, touring and up at Stratford. I loved it and I became a massive fan of Shakespeare.

Being in a rehearsal room and listening to the text being deciphered just blew my mind and really stuck with me.

The last contract I was offered came when I was pregnant. When Arthur was six months old, we went into lockdown. We moved back down here.

My second child was born on the very last day of the last lockdown!

With two children it was going to be very hard to return to Stage Management.

I did bits, but then I saw the job advertised here, along with a line that part time would be considered. Luckily, Keshira Aarabi also applied on a part time basis and together we were taken on.

Do you and Keshira work well together?

We are a really good team. We both have different strengths, so the role was split accordingly.

My role involves the onstage events, like the pre and post show talks.

Keshira works on events and activities that take place elsewhere on the site.

I’m also on the Green Team, so I look after events for that too. My background in stage management is really useful and it’s lovely to be back in a theatre environment.

Are the pre and post show talks well attended?

They really are. It is such a great experience for our audience. To be able to ask questions of a Director before a show has even had a press night is really exciting. We put these talks on YouTube so everyone can access them.

What sort of events can we expect this season?

The 11 August is The Big Summer Knees Up. Including events that are free as well as ticketed, we want to open up the space and make it really inclusive. From a silent disco to workshops and lots of family fun, there will be something for everybody. Not everyone attends theatre, but we want people to know that there are opportunities here for them.

Our community events are growing and growing, which is really exciting. Other highlights include pre and post show talks, our CFT Lates, family activities and the fabulous Fizz and Feminism events.

Is sustainability a developing priority for CFT?

Sustainability is a big journey for us and the community is really good at supporting this. The Theatre Green Book is a nationwide initiative to make every single show as sustainable as it possibly can be. This is definitely going to have an even bigger journey this year.

Further information: www.cft.org.uk