Meet Our New Marketing and Development Coordinator!

We’re very excited to welcome Smriti Daniel to the ActNow Theatre team!

Smriti joins us in the office in her first week as our new Marketing and Development Coordinator. She’s a communication consultant and award-winning journalist, who writes about topics ranging from the arts and architecture to science and health news. Caitlin, our outgoing Marketing and Development Coordinator, had a quick Q&A with Smriti… Read on to get to know her more!

How did you first find out about ActNow Theatre?

I first heard about ActNow on social media, and later saw an opening advertised on Ethical Jobs. ActNow appealed to me, because it was clear that there was a deep curiosity about the world, and an authentic willingness to engage with diverse lived experiences, which I’ve found can be quite rare. I was also struck by how the company’s gut response to the pandemic was to come together and build community and connection (through projects like DECAMERON 2.0) at a time when we were all feeling quite isolated and alone. You can see that creating a platform where people can talk about what matters to them, and holding that space in which we listen with respect and genuine curiosity, can be a radical, beautiful thing.

What is something people should know about you?

I love experimenting with different formats, and my chequered past means my CV is a mess, but really it all boils down to a love of story-telling and connecting people.

Image Description: A photo of Smriti. She is on the right side of the image, with an open mouthed smile and bright expression on her face. She is looking up and to the left. Behind her is a blurry background of green.

Last time you were moved by art? 

I’m in a moment of transition myself, and I’ve been drawn to people asking (and attempting to answer big questions.) I’ve been recommending Lulu Miller’s book Why Fish Don’t Exist to everyone – it’s one of those strange and wonderful books that’s quite hard to pin down. In part, it’s a biography of the celebrated biologist David Starr Jordan and the ways in which he both contributed to and horribly distorted science; in part, it’s a memoir drawing on Lulu’s own history, and a bold exploration of all the messiness and ambiguity of life. But I love how it becomes a conversation between these two unlikely protagonists, wrestling with how meaning and purpose can seem illusory, how chaos and absurdity dogs us all, what value we place on a life and ultimately, of how we can learn to be open to it all and really live.

What do you do when you’re not at ActNow? 

I’m new to Adelaide and much looking forward to making my way through every stall in the Central Markets, climbing Mount Lofty to enjoy my first view of autumn leaves, finding the best coffee in town and becoming a member of a local library, where I plan to read obsessively every chance I get.

What are you looking forward to the most about working with us? 

Being part of this exciting moment in this company’s history, where you’re actively expanding your reach, telling new stories, connecting with new communities. Since Yasmin has only recently taken over as artistic director, it feels like this will be a natural moment in which to take stock, think of what’s worked well and push out from there. And there are so many exciting projects in the pipeline!

We can’t wait to see what Smriti does with us and for you to get to know her more!