Creative Producer
Freelancer
Facilitator

 

Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing a few of our members.  Hopefully this will give you an idea of who we are, what we do, what we like and most importantly, why we’ve decided to take part in What Next? Cardiff.  First up, one of our founder members – Laura Drane.

Tell us a bit about what you do.

I’m an independent creative producer, consultant and facilitator, mainly working in the performing arts and festivals. I am a Fellow of the RSA, and a board member for Theatr Iolo and for Agencia, a Manchester-based international charity that harnesses creativity to make change. With others, I chair and convene the WN? chapter in Cardiff.

Pick a show, book, film, exhibition, album, etc has changed your life and tell us about it.

I think I’m impacted by almost all “great art” be that popular music or an amazing novel or an entrancing exhibition or mind-blowing show. Most recently, I’d say Colum McCann’s novel Let The Great World Spin which is an intimate and epic tale of intertwined lives of eight strangers in 1970s New York.

What’s your ambition for the arts and culture? And how do you think WN? is going to help achieve that? 

Arts and culture are the thing that help me understand how to be more fully human. And understanding more about ourselves means we can make a leap to understanding more about others. Simple maybe, easy definitely not, but worth striving for. WN? helps me connect with people and ideas to form actions which make small steps toward that possible.

How would you describe a WN? meeting to someone to encourage them to attend? 

A very friendly informal group of people who meet because they are committed to seeing a change in the way the arts and culture are valued in our country. It’s about ideas and action, and I never fail to leave inspired and energised!