I’ve just come to the end of the busiest five years of my life. It started in 2015 with five world premieres within twelve months and continued unabated with another four world premieres and twenty more productions right up until Horrible Christmas at the Winter Gardens last December - which was a great way to finish this busy run (I would never have imagined a 3,000 seater theatre could feel so intimate).

January and February have been fantastic to spread the proverbial wings into the plays, films and exhibitions I find harder to take in when it’s hectic. I’ll never complain about being busy because it’s what everyone in this business seeks to be, but I have often felt my interests become very narrow when I’m at the coalface.

I once walked down 5th Avenue with the actress Sian Philips and was humbled and astonished by how many books, films and exhibitions she had seen while she was performing in New York. It made me realise just how narrow my interests can become. I can erroneously decide in advance what is going to interest me, so I’m trying to curtail my self-censorship. It’s also great to have the time to breathe space into the creative process, so not everything has to be achieved overnight.

But most important of all is the chance to spend proper time with friends from all walks of life who inspire you in so many different ways. I feel I’m stepping out into the real world and seeing it all afresh. And there’s so much to see!

I’ve just come to the end of the busiest five years of my life. It started in 2015 with five world premieres in twelve months and continued unabated right up until Horrible Christmas at the Winter Gardens last December - which was a great way to finish the busy run (I would never have imagined a 3,000 seater theatre could feel so intimate).

January and February have been fantastic to spread the proverbial wings into the plays, films and exhibitions I find harder to take in when it’s hectic. I’ll never complain about being busy because it’s what everyone in this business seeks to be, but I have often felt my interests become very narrow when I’m at the coalface.

I once walked down 5th Avenue with the actress Sian Philips and was humbled and astonished by how many books, films and exhibitions she had seen while she was performing in New York. It made me realise just how narrow my interests can become. I can erroneously decide in advance what is going to interest me, so I’m trying to curtail my self-censorship. It’s also great to have the time to breathe space into the creative process, so not everything has to be achieved overnight.

But most important of all is the chance to spend proper time with friends from all walks of life who inspire you in so many different ways. I feel I’m stepping out into the real world and seeing it all afresh. And there’s so much to see!