30 Seconds with...JENNY SEALEY MBE

Name

Jenny Sealey

Profession

Theatre Director

Three words to describe your feelings about arts and culture

An Essential Necessary Human Right

What inspires you daily?

The people I work with.

What’s the most challenging thing about being in arts and culture right now?

Sadly in my world it is juggling the double whammy of standstill funding and cuts to Access to Work (a scheme supporting access for Deaf and disabled people in the workplace).

And, the biggest opportunity?

Artists, no matter what is going on in the world, will always find a way to make art.

What was the last film you saw?

At the cinema? Pride (2014) Matthew Warchus, at Dalston Rio because it is my local and it had subtitles!

Video on Demand: forces filmmakers to think differently or ruins the cinematic experience?

I can't answer this re theatre but I am struggling with how much some theatre streaming costs - almost as much as a theatre ticket which feels very wrong given theatre is about being live! But I also do understand that theatre can get to people who cannot access it easily, however cost must be kept down as that is often the reason people don't go to the theatre!

Positive discrimination: essential for the film sector or the wrong approach to gender equality?

The film and theatre world need to take a serious look at all of this... and casting.

Director / Talent Q&As: insufferably boring or a great way to give engage and develop audiences?

Depends on who the director is!

What are you looking forward to most about TWU 2017?

Meeting new people and learning from them.

What part of the TWU 2017 debate are you most interested in and why?

All of it as a lot of it is outside my comfort zone which is good for me.

Where can people find you online?

On Twitter: @GraeaeJennyS or online   www.graeae.org.

In real life, as a keynote at TWU17 in Hull!