Ep. 11: Anna Glover - Creativity, Risk, The Performing Arts, and How to Let Your Path Find You

Have you been to the theatre lately?  Perhaps you’ve attended a performance at the National Theatre in London, or watched a broadcast of one at your local cinema.  If so, you’ll know that they do some amazing things at these live productions - performers float or even ”fly”, shows have live birds flying, and they even set things on fire.  How do these productions do these things within the confines of a theatre or arts centre, and how do they balance risk while maintaining the artistic integrity of the production?

Enter, stage right, my guest on today’s episode, Ms. Anna Glover.  Anna leads the Safety Risk and Fire Management team at the world renowned National Theatre here in London.  As you will soon find out, Anna does NOT do Health and Safety risk.  Rather, she and her team are a core part of these internationally acclaimed shows – full stop. The work she does embodies what great risk management is all about – taking risk with intelligence and confidence – and achieving great things in the process. We obviously cover this fascinating line of work in the episode – including her work with top directors, choreographers, designers, and actors, and on some amazing shows. 

But, there is much more to Anna than this.  We have a great conversation around how Anna got into this line of work.  This is a wonderful example of how to find your path – or more precisely, how to let it find you. We move on to have a great discussion about Anna’s philosophy on risk, fear, and many other things.  We also cover:

•What she learned from working with Juliette Binoche

•Her time in North Wales from studying to running an outdoor pursuits on a military base

•Her “run in” with Sir Ranulph Fiennes

•Martial arts – Anna is a second dan in the Korean art of hapkido

•Finding your path

•And much, much more

This is an amazing episode and I am sure you will enjoy it!

 

Show notes:

Anna Glover's website - http://annagloverconsulting.com/ 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/annajglover 

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annagloverconsulting/ 

Some people Anna has worked with:

•Phyllida Lloyd, CBE is a British director, best known for her work in theatre and as the director of Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllida_Lloyd

•Paule Constable is a British lighting designer who won the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2013 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design. She was also a nominee for four further productions and for a 2007 Tony Award on Broadway - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paule_Constable

•Catherine Mallyon - Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company - https://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/whos-who/catherine-mallyon-executive-director

•Mark Dakin Technical -Director of the Royal Opera House - http://www.theatrecraft.org/leaders/mark-dakin/

•”War Horse” – http://www.warhorseonstage.com/

“The Light Princess” – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Princess-Original-Cast-Recording/dp/B0131W0S4Q

Book recommendation – Creativity, Inc.by Ed Catmull - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077903-creativity-inc?from_search=true&search_version=service

Book recommendation – The Organised Mind by Daniel Levitin - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693669-the-organized-mind?ac=1&from_search=true

Joint Service Mountain Training Centre - http://www.nuffieldanglesey.org.uk/

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

Chang’s Hapkido Academy - http://www.changshapkido.net/

Poem – “The Bright Field” by RS Thomas: http://emilyspoetryblog.com/2013/10/23/the-bright-field-by-r-s-thomas/

I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the
pearl of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

__________________

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