For RIFT’s Shakespeare in Shoreditch Festival which ran from the 1st- 13th of October 2014, aiming to reconnect the Shoreditch that the young Shakespeare lived and worked in with its vibrant 21st century counterpart, I acted as Company Liaison for the companies that had been selected to produce one of 8 new plays commissioned by RIFT.

The 8 plays that have been comissioned all take inspiration from various Shakespeare texts and appropriates them into a contemporary setting, provoking the question: How can we contemporise Shakespeare to create innovative, exciting productions in the area where the Bard himself lived and worked?

My responsibilities include:

• Meeting and greeting the companies that had been selected to produce the plays.
• Organising and setting up the rehearsal rooms in Balfron Tower for their rehearsals.
• Being the first point of contact for the companies, dealing with their requests and problems, or helping them if something went wrong.
• Liaising with them concerning rehearsal dates, requirements, charting the progress of their productions and so on.

I greatly improved my communication skills and management abilities, as with 8 different theatre companies all rehearsing very intense productions in only 4 weeks, they all had a lot of requirements that needed to be met. My time management skills also improved tenfold, as I had to learn to juggle and prioritise the demands of the companies and make sure they had everything they needed during rehearsals.