41 Educators providing Organisation courses in Sunderland

voice in the room

I was working with someone recently who held a very senior position in an organisation and he hadn’t been in a good place. He was terrified of an upcoming key note he had to deliver. At the end of our session he said: “I can’t believe it Jo but I’m really looking forward to it now. I’ve got the tools I need”. That is why I do what I do. What makes Voice in the Room different from other training companies is the different perspective Jo brings. Her unique approach has been shaped by her background and story. It’s worth understanding in full so grab a cuppa or a glass of something and dive in. Logo Icon About Up About Down Theatre Director 1999 - 2007 Theatre Director “Just before the play was due to start my group refused to go on. We were backstage and you could hear this buzz of expectation from the audience outside. I’d used all the security resources available to put it on and here I was with my actors saying they wouldn’t go through with it” Jo Darby set up Voice in the Room in 2016 but the seeds for the business were planted many years before. As a teenager with a love of acting she attended the National Youth Theatre. “I saw how directors were trying to help us to get the message of the play across and make a connection with the audience. That’s what they facilitated and that was the bit I found really interesting. How do you support people in a really positive way to achieve that? That was the point when I decided I didn’t want to do acting, I wanted to direct. When I later had the opportunity to do that at University, I grabbed it with both hands. Directing was a hobby that became a job.” As a Theatre Director Jo began creating productions in the North East at Northern Stage and the Live Theatre. She went onto launch her own theatre company and travel overseas to direct for the Australian Theatre for Young People before later working at Pilot Theatre Company and Bristol Old Vic. One early experience creating a brand new play with inmates at Northallerton Young Offenders Institute was particularly influential. “I was left on my own with the group to get on with rehearsals when one day things all kicked off, a fight broke out, there were chairs flying, the lot. I never felt threatened. I knew it wasn’t aimed at me and I was able to reassure staff such that we were allowed to continue. I persuaded the governor we should put on the play in front of the whole prison – in the prison chapel. Looking back now this seems unbelievable but it’s true! Just before the play was due to start my group refused to go on. We were backstage and you could hear this buzz of expectation from the audience outside. I’d used all the security resources available to put it on and here I was with my actors saying they wouldn’t go through with it. So I had to give them a big pep talk about how this was their opportunity to be heard and express themselves, remind them that they felt no one ever listened to them and this was their big chance. Eventually, they went out and did it. Everyone cheered and it all turned out fine. I still think now, goodness know’s what would have happened if it hadn’t gone ahead!