Jake Daniel Smith: 'I believe in the importance of representation through a place and its people'

The first job that propelled me into the role of an artistic director of a regional theatre was as trainee director at Chichester Festival Theatre. One of my best friends from university, Joshua Beaumont (now a producer in his own right), encouraged me to apply after sending me the application. I was 22 years old when I began the position and worked with Chichester for two and a half years to understand how a regional theatre operated. I was able to work as assistant director to some of the best directors and honed and developed my understanding of producing and directing at scale.

I think the reason I got the job was that I threw myself into the application and spoke from the heart. I looked at their mission and values and compared them to my own to find a common thread. Once in the role, I was more excited than nervous. It was a level I had never worked on before and, of course, Chichester had such a reputation for ambition, quality and excellence. I just asked questions when I didn’t understand and was fortunate the first director I assisted at Chichester was Jamie Glover. A measured and reflective rehearsal process gave me the confidence to push myself out of my comfort zone.

The one thing I might do differently based on what I know now is to have spent more time in finance and definitely to have probed more information on budgets and funding on a deeper level. Producers are amazing people and working with finance is a huge part of the creative process to allow great work to happen. I also wish I had spent more time around a board table of an organisation.

My role at Chichester sadly now isn’t there, but there are multiple opportunities created from it to offer open calls for assistant directors to work alongside productions.
I think OpenHire is hugely important and transparency of opportunity in any organisation is vital. I wanted to be an artistic director because I think the role allows you to create the change you want to see. I passionately believe theatre can be a vehicle for social change, and I believe in the importance of representation through a place and its people.

CV

Age: 31
Training: University of Hull, Chichester Festival Theatre, National Theatre
Theatre includes: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (UK tour); The Hound of the Baskervilles (Northern Stage); A Christmas Carol (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Last Ship (Northern Stage and UK tour)
Agent: Bronia Buchanan at BBA Management