The Post: Artistic Director, Commedia of Errors
The Post Holder: Benjamin Gould
Passion, resilience and determination are key attributes Benjamin Gould needs in his role as an Artistic Director.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I’m a director working in the theatre industry and like to experiment with tools such as virtual reality to enhance performances. I began my career as an actor in London in 2010, before founding my own theatre company, Commedia of Errors, in 2013. Since then, I’ve directed over 20 productions across the UK, Ireland, Italy and America. Most recently, I directed The Gap Year at Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I’ve always loved drama but unfortunately that wasn’t on the curriculum at school, so probably chemistry.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so, what did you study and where?
I originally wanted to go to drama school but was too scared and bottled the auditions. I ended up studying drama in Liverpool and did make it to drama school in the end, studying for an MA in Professional Acting at The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London.
How did you get into your area of work?
I joined Belfast’s Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts as a child and although very shy, I absolutely loved it. At 16, in a fit of bravery I decided to go for the thing that scared me the most and, to the dismay of many of my teachers, chose a career in the arts.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
Yes, although it took a while to realise that! Once I started on my path, it all fell into place. Looking back, even when I was 11, in our P7 play, I was helping the teacher direct the show. It’s just in my bones.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
Qualifications aren’t necessary but getting out there and gaining experience is vital. Studying or training is one way to get that, but people come into the industry via many different routes. As a director, you have to be a self-starter and create your own projects and opportunities, particularly in the beginning.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
In this industry, most people have been involved in amateur, student or youth productions at some point and many have trained at drama schools like The Lir Academy in Dublin. Directors often start out as actors or in other related roles and then move across.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Creativity and passion are vital. You have to be able to read a play, discern why it speaks to you and build a vision for how you want to translate that to an audience. You’ve got to be really into it because it requires a huge amount of work to take it from page to stage. It also requires strong time and people management skills, along with good communication.
Theatre is 90 per cent about people and you’ve got to be able to work with everyone and keep them communicating and moving towards a common goal.
What does a typical day entail?
My day-to-day can be really varied, but during rehearsals, a standard day will likely be 9am-7pm. I’ll spend an hour working through emails and any minor niggles that have cropped up the day before. Then I’ll be working with the actors from 10am-6pm, helping them to understand their characters, the scenes and the overall play structure. I’ll also be talking to costume designers and trying out whatever they’ve been working on before introducing it to the cast in rehearsals. Afterwards, I’ll spend some time with the stage manager, figuring out what we need to do the next day and checking in with how other elements of the production are getting on.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
Getting your foot in the door and finding work can sometimes be the hardest part. Beyond that, it would be ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that things are progressing quickly enough. You have to find a balance between artistic ambition and time management. Working with other creatives and seeing them rise to the challenge and come together as a team is incredibly rewarding and seeing an audience engaging with your work is amazing too.
Why is what you do important?
The arts can completely change our mindset, improve our day and help us feel better. The entertainment of theatre lightens our mood and the stories, characters and emotions involved can help us understand ourselves, others and the world a little better.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
It was quite a nightmare. For a business based around people working together in close proximity and requiring large numbers of people to congregate next to each other, it couldn’t really have been worse. With Commedia of Errors, we made some good decisions early on to digitise some of our programmes and that helped to sustain us.
What adjustments have you had to make?
Thankfully, we’ve moved on from digital only work, but, post pandemic, we’ve had to focus on much smaller productions and make contingency plans, which consider the financial risks of actors getting Covid.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Be prepared for a lot of hard work with very little financial reward, but if you’re passionate, resilient and determined, and can find a way to carve out your place in the industry, there’s no better way to spend your time. It’ll take you to places you’d never imagined and there’s never a dull moment.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you like to do?
As long as what I was doing was varied and involved helping or entertaining people, I think I could manage it.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Trust yourself and think about who you are and what you want. Don’t push yourself to become what other people want you to be – that way madness lies.
Describe your ideal day off.
Plenty of time with my wonderful wife. A few hours spent surfing or cycling, a nice lunch somewhere and after that a show, a gig or a film and I’m a happy man.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Know what you want, but also be flexible – sometimes your skills are transferable, and life isn’t linear so stay open and maybe an exciting opportunity will arise.
Keep up to date with the latest news and views on the NI job market and more by following the nijobfinder blog.
Follow nijobfinder on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to see the latest jobs and to ensure your dream job won’t pass you by.