Anna Moreau chats with Norma Davis, theatre manager of the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth for seven years.
WABN: Describe a day at work.
ND: “It is fractured because it’s a ‘spare time-do-things-when-you-can’ kind of job as we are all volunteers, so trying to keep an eye on the current production as well as attending to the housekeeping (literally) and general running of the place constitutes a ‘day’s work’.”
WABN: What is the best piece of advice you can give someone to motivate a team?
ND: “Support them whenever necessary, soothe them when they are stressed, stand up to them sometimes and make the ‘rules’ clear from the start. (It doesn’t always work.)
“My motivation is that I love acting and get satisfaction from seeing a production come to fruition, sometimes after overcoming considerable difficulties, and seeing and hearing the audience’s enjoyment.
WABN: What was the most challenging event in your career?
ND: “A hard one to answer, as my current job isn’t a career; I fell into it, one might say by default. Certainly the most challenging aspect is dealing with artistic egos. I’m trying to learn to hold my tongue on occasions and find a way around quietly.”
WABN: What is the main quality are you looking for within your team members?
ND: “The ‘team’ is basically me! There are a different set of people for each production, so it’s back to square one each time and I don’t generally have a choice in who is in ‘the team’, but I hope for a cast and crew who will work harmoniously within the structure and rules of the theatre management”
WABN: What’s the best measurement of your performance, and can you name a highlight in your career?
ND: “The increased audience numbers over the years, a higher profile for the theatre and appreciation from the people who matter – our audiences.
“No real highlight as yet, just a steady improvement. Our most successful recent shows were South Pacific in 2006, Aladdin in December 2007 and The Importance of Being Earnest in 2007.”
WABN: How do you deal with egos in your workplace?
ND: “I am not sure I can answer that one. Carefully, is about the best answer I can give.”
WABN: What frustrates you the most about your sector and what would you do to change it?
ND: “Artistic egos. Don’t think you can change those, you can only negotiate around them.”
WABN: What are the specific hurdles that you meet on a daily basis in your sector? How do you deal with them?
ND: “A major hurdle is the lack of money.
“If we put on a show the public doesn’t like, for instance if we do something controversial, experimental, way out and they don’t come, then we are in real trouble no matter how good it was from an artistic viewpoint. As we are 99 per cent self-supporting, a poor showing audience-wise means less money for running the theatre.
“The lack of support for ‘non-professional theatre’ from governments and many local councils (note City of South Perth is notably exempt from this criticism, as are some other councils).
“There is an horrendous amount of paperwork if applying for any grants- it’s a full-time job with absolutely no idea whether you are in the least likely to be successful.
“City of South Perth owns the Old Mill Theatre building and we ‘rent’ it from them at a modest rate.
“It is a heritage-listed building and they are very supportive of us; currently they are completely renovating the exterior of the building, which is why it looks like a building site at present.
“We consider ourselves very fortunate in our local council who are always helpful. Three years ago the entire auditorium was gutted and renovated and the council paid a large part of the cost.”
WABN: What were you doing before your current position?
ND: “My career was that of a medical scientist; this is a complete change of direction.”
