The ‘big sister’ approach to leadership
Valerie after a ToTGM performance | Photograph by Alex Kwong
My mother taught me some of my earliest lessons in what leadership could look like, but it took me many years to recognise them – and value them – for what they were.
I was 14 years old when we moved to Australia, and my mother spent the weeks and months before we came over systematically finding ways to link us to society here by connecting with families with children our age, looking into activities we could do and school teams we could join. She strategically set out to create an environment in which her family could thrive by identifying opportunities and building networks, and most importantly, by embedding us in community.
As a young adult, I wanted to be the opposite of my mother. I saw women like her as housewives trapped within the patriarchy and reliant on a man to provide for them. I imagined that to be in that role was to be stripped of independence and agency, and trapped by familial responsibilities. I didn’t want that for myself. As I got older though, I understood her better, and could see that women like my mother had learned how to survive in a world that did not empower migrant women and that they had to find ways to protect their children and themselves that weren’t obvious or confrontational.
For a long time, I carried in my body the sense that I was an imposter; always just one step away from being dismissed, discounted or derided. A friend uses a metaphor that always resonates with me. They say we all carry a suitcase, and when you arrive at a job interview you unpack it. Each of us has a different thing inside but mine holds these things that set me apart: I am queer, a woman, a migrant, and an artist. In the wrong room, one (or all) these things might be held against me.
Opening doors, building platforms
When ActNow Theatre asked me to come in and lead the Theatre of the Global Majority (ToTGM), I realised all the baggage I was carrying around in my suitcase actually made me particularly qualified for this role. I had assisted Yasmin Gurreeboo, our current Artistic Director, on the program before, so I knew how valuable ToTGM is. A free program for people from non-white culturally diverse backgrounds, it focuses on crafting a fertile, exciting, and supportive environment for artists to make work and develop skills.
In our workshops, I could see a room full of faces carrying suitcases like mine.
I knew opportunities existed, and more would come for people like us - we still had to feel confident enough to step up and step in. We had to feel like there were platforms where we could tell our stories, and people waiting to hear them; that we would have the skills to shape and realise our artistic ambitions. This wasn’t always easy.
As migrants, as people of colour, as those whose mother tongues are not English, we’re taught that it's safest to try to blend in, to not attract attention or put ourselves out there. It's why many could use a group like this when they start out, a safe space in which to begin to try and fail or to try and succeed, with the support of a community that understands.
Through ToTGM, our participants have had extraordinary opportunities to learn from some of the leading practitioners in this field – not just actors, but screenwriters, musicians, filmmakers and puppeteers - and to watch and discuss a range of exciting contemporary productions.
They’ve become creators themselves, writing and appearing in productions like This is My True Story and DECAMERON 2.0. A number of actors got a start in ToTGM and went on to appear in our award-winning anti-racism programs Responding to Racism, Generation of Change, Like Me, Like You and جُمعَة Jumu’ah (Friday Prayers). Our upcoming production Bilal has also been informed by workshops and collaborations supported by ToTGM.
By this point, I’ve spent 30 years in this industry, and I can see what it means for young Bla(c)k, Indigenous & People of Colour (BIPOC) to see themselves represented on stage, to hear their stories being told, by people who look like them and to see others like them thriving in different fields in this industry.
When the group recently watched Amphibian, which starred Rami Saaid, a stalwart of ToTGM, one of our young participants said to me that she had never seen a performance like that, where her kind of people were on stage in a mainstream show. I can see the impact that had on her, and it’s such a source of joy for me.
I know not everyone who attends our workshops will be interested in building a career in the arts, but I believe that they nevertheless leave with a new feeling of belonging and being able to access these seemingly elite cultural spaces. By disarming the guards at the gate, we’re doing what we can to ensure that not only do we have new artists and creators but that we have a larger, more engaged audience for the theatre we so love. I believe this will keep our industry growing, keep it exciting and relevant, and above all, allow it to hold up a true reflection of Australia’s brilliant, multicultural identity.
Leading through community building
The Theatre of the Global Majority recognises non-white people make up the biggest population of people in the world – and the Australian arts scene needs to hold up their voices. In Adelaide, ToTGM is unique, and though efforts like this exist elsewhere, I can see there’s much work still to be done. We have serious ambitions for this program and hope to see it evolve and generate more opportunities for growth and representation.
On a more personal note, for me this is an opportunity to move beyond cliches and stereotypes of what a leader looks like and redefine it for myself. I know there are more opportunities than ever before, and yet the challenges remain - even though they may not be as stark or visible.
There is a version of a glass ceiling that still filters BIPOC folks out of the highest levels of decision-making, including the boards and management of art institutions and organisations.
Navigating this industry has meant applying another lesson from my mother and that is to take the winding road. I’ve been comfortable knowing that my career path might not be a straight arrow but I’ll find ways to step sideways and choose unconventional opportunities - and still create a body of work that feels strong and reflective of who I am.
People like Yasmin have been such a huge part of why I am where I am, they’ve given me that push I needed to try something new. Knowing that makes me happy to embrace the role of the pushy big sister with my ToTGM family – really being invested in individuals so that I can intuit what they most want or need, and working out how I can push and support them to the next level where they could and should be.
Yasmin’s vision for ToTGM has been about empowering BIPOC artists and carving out spaces for them. That’s a vision I can really get behind. Enabling other artists is something that runs parallel to my own growth, fuelling my work and giving me a sense of purpose.
When I started in this industry, I had no idea where it would lead and if there was even truly room for someone like me. Now, to any young BIPOC person asking whether they have a future in this industry, I can finally say: ‘I’m still here. The opportunities exist. Together, we’re going to create more of them.’
Valerie Berry is an Associate Artist at ActNow Theatre and the leader of the Theatre of the Global Majority program.