Executive director of the Lyric, Hammersmith Sian Alexander talks to Jane McGowan about life at the helm of West London’s busiest venues
Lyric Hammersmith's 2015 production of Bugsy Malone
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a theatre? What happens when the lights have dimmed and the curtain falls?
Well, if you are talking about the Lyric in Hammersmith, that – as its executive director Sian Alexander will tell you – is when the real work begins.
Alexander, who had previously headed up the Bush Theatre and the London Theatre department of the Arts Council, was appointed to the role last November. She shares responsibility for the running of the Lyric with artistic director Sean Holmes.
“Between us we do everything,” she explains. “From deciding which programme to run to looking after the building itself, and of course balancing the budget. We have to make sure we have enough money to ensure our vision for the Lyric and the role it plays in our community.”
And as a Chiswick resident herself – she has lived in West London for more than 20 years – she is fiercely proud of the theatre and keenly aware of its importance for the local area.
The Lyric theatre has been at the heart of the Hammersmith arts scene for more than 125 years. Following a £20m extension, the theatre reopened last April with a sell-out, critically-acclaimed production of family favourite Bugsy Malone. In the past year alone, it has sold more than 125,000 tickets and delivered more than 23,000 classes, workshops and activities for local youngsters.
Sian Alexander
Young people are very much at the centre of the theatre. As a mum of two young children, Alexander is a firm believer in offering children the chance to have a creative childhood, whatever their background.
“We run targeted programmes where we work with young people who are very disadvantaged, people who have been marginalised or come to us through youth offender schemes,” Alexander explains. “And we have a really great success rate of helping those people get back on track.”
The theatre also runs a series of “pathways” to get young people jobs in the theatre – including everything from set design to electrics, front of house to marketing.
“It’s really important for people to realise the work we do,” she insists. “People who come and see the shows should know about this amazing work that goes on behind the scenes. It’s what we see as our remit – to make our part of West London a vibrant and creative place to live, to work, to go to school and to grow up.”
So while all this is going on off stage what can theatregoers look forward to?
Bugsy Malone, which will again be open to local children, is back in June and there is of course a panto – Aladdin - to finish the year. But alongside these popular shows, are some edgier productions including operas Pleasure, featuring Lesley Garratt as a toilet attendant in a gay club in the north of England and Psychosis, the world premiere of a new piece by the British composer Philip Venables, which is based on playwright Sarah Kane’s experience of depression.
“We have to balance projects with amounts of money and levels of audience numbers. There are some things in our programme that are tried and tested which enable us to take risks with other parts of the programme. It’s important for us to have the balance,” she says.
“We are not a commercial theatre, our raison d’être is not about making money, it’s about our role in the community, the quality of work and developing the theatre.”
You can’t say fairer than that.
Book tickets and find out more on the Lyric Hammersmith website
