Juggling high stakes

I got fired from my first real job. To help fund an engineering degree, I snagged a place on a sponsored student programme. I was doing night shifts on a chemical plant. I had braids in my hair. People refused to speak to me. 

Every night I was faced with a barrage of racism. Miserable, I complained to a mentor responsible for my well-being. A few weeks after I left, a letter arrived firing me for being a troublemaker and ‘not fitting in with the workforce’.  A great start to a young person’s career. 

General Manager – Cardinal Clinic (1997 – 1999)

I was bad at engineering, I tried to drop out. My family were ashamed and furious. My professor convinced me to stick with it suggesting a joint course with Economics and Management more suited to my strengths. He saved me. 

Having gained a Masters, I wanted a job in health, and I nabbed a plum one working in a small, family-owned clinic in Windsor. I had much more responsibility than I was ready for, but I learned a lot. 

It was a close-knit group, and the Medical Director insisted that no-one could ever say ‘It’s not my job’. That’s a great mantra for any workplace. 

Deputy Divisional Manager – King’s College Hospital (2002-2005)

After kicking around NHS jobs in South London, I made a big jump to become Deputy of a huge division at King’s College Hospital covering women and children’s services. 

Positives in my career have often been due to amazing individuals – in this case Cathy Warwick – taking a punt on me. Suddenly I was responsible for a £multi-million budget, hundreds of staff and the complexity of overseeing maternity wards, children’s intensive care units, and outpatient clinics on multiple sites. 

At the beginning, the division was hugely overspent every year; by the time I left, we were at break-even with shorter waiting lists and improved patient care outcomes. I’m prouder of this achievement than any other in my career and I loved the job with a passion. 

But working 14+ hour days, 6 days a week led to burnout after 3 years. Nothing in the arts compares to the high stakes, the stress and the challenges of operational management in a huge NHS hospital.

Extra – Barbican (2005)

The Barbican was looking for extras for a play to be directed by Deborah Warner. I accompanied my partner to give her moral support but I was pulled from the sidelines and asked to audition myself. 

I was cast as one of many extras in an epic production, starring Fiona Shaw, Simon Russell-Beale and Ralph Fiennes. I was enchanted – onstage and off – and thus began a life-long love affair with theatre. 

After performing for months, I approached Gabby Vautier at the Young Vic to say I wanted to direct a show and ask if she would she help me. Remarkably she said yes. She produced an unlikely hit which prompted me to spend the next decade juggling healthcare and directing roles.

Resident Director – National Theatre Studio (2010-2011)

After doing the rounds on the fringe circuit, I got a ‘stamp of approval’ by bagging a Resident Director role at the NTS. Directors at the NT blew my mind in terms of the scale and rigour of their work, but the Studio taught me about creative development. 

It was an amazing crucible of national and international artists in every space. This fuelled my passion for international, experimental and devised work. 

Associate Artistic Director – The Yard Theatre (2011-2014)

When I met Jay Miller, I was hooked by his vision to create a space where people like us could create innovative work without the financial pressure of paying rent. 

We both contributed £5,000 to start up and set about developing the Yard in a dilapidated warehouse, using reclaimed materials from the Olympic Park. 

They were exciting times. We all got our hands dirty, and the collaborative spirit created something magical. The project was intended to last 6 months, but it’s still going strong.

But I was struggling to pay the bills and I was unable to get any directing work either. So after 3 years, I decided to give up on a career in theatre. 

Up Next Artist Director – Battersea Arts Centre (2016-2017)

Simelia Hodge-Dallaway, David Jubb and Madani Younnis brought me back. I was missing performance so much I applied for this job. These three took a risk on me. 

I became a part-time director of the Up Next programme, a project to support diverse leadership in the arts. I ‘took the keys’ for a few months, to lead and progamme a season. 

Amazing in theory… in practice, highly problematic. Shared leadership is tough, and we couldn’t agree on direction. But I fell in love with BAC – its risk-taking, its commitment to access and inclusion, its deep work with communities, its passion for supporting performance makers, and its talented and committed staff. I had found my spiritual home. 

Interim Director for Theatre – Arts Council England (2017-2019)

I don’t think I’ve ever prepped so hard for anything as I did for this job. I knew more about the Arts Council than anyone. Although I was a ‘fringe candidate’, and ACE worried about my credibility with senior leaders in the sector, they agreed to take a punt.

Working for ACE in a senior role was mind-blowing. I travelled up and down the country, observing the varying challenges for freelancers, companies and venues. I gained a holistic view of the theatre few others get. 

I met inspiring people daily and I have a huge respect for ACE and its people. Their work is both complex and highly constrained by politics. 

I tried to champion radical changes for incentivised collaboration, moves on diversity and access, and the working environment for artists and freelancers. I even argued for the dismantling of the NPO system. I would like to have stayed longer to see more of it through.  

Artistic Director & CEO – Battersea Arts Centre (2020 – now)

After a gruelling interview process, I cried when I heard that I had got this job. 

I love it, it’s an enormous privilege, but it’s tough. I started just months before the pandemic so much of my first season was cancelled. It’s been a rollercoaster ever since – as it has been for everyone. 

I’m proud of the team’s achievements though – we never stopped or ‘shut down’. We kept our community programmes going, created a dance academy for young people, enabled digital commissions for artists and did co-creation projects. And we were the borough’s main vaccine hub. 

The challenges have got much harder. We’re trying to double down, bringing in a Pay What You Can system and offering more support for the creatives we work with. 

But we are feeling the pain of the ‘flight of money’ from London and from our local funders. We have to start the restabilising and reimaging of BAC all over again. But BAC thrives on change – we are at our best when given the opportunity to break the rules. 

Tarek Iskander is Artistic Director and CEO of Battersea Arts Centre.
@tarekiskander1 | @Battersea_Arts