The Star: November 15, 2018

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Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday November 15 2018
Our People
The Star
Barbara George
Balancing new role at Court Theatre
It’s been two weeks
since Barbara George
took over the helm at
the Court Theatre. She
talks to Julia Evans
about life managing the
arts and her favourite
television show The
Chase
Have you always been
interested in the arts?
I grew up in New Plymouth
and music and singing were
always my thing. I went to high
school in New Plymouth when
I was a kid I had singing lessons
and singing competitions forever.
Then I went to university and
did a Bachelor of Music and
singing at Victoria. After that I
won a scholarship and went to
London for a couple of years. It
was there that I realised being a
professional singer was not for
me for a variety of reasons.
How did your career bring
you to becoming chief executive
of the Court Theatre?
At school I took subjects such
as shorthand typing and bookkeeping,
which I know sounds
really old fashioned but it meant
that I could type at 100 words
a minute. I could always work.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Barbara George has been in her new role as chief executive of the
Court Theatre for two weeks.
So I worked my way through
university in London as a legal
executive. Then I came back and
started working at the Auckland
Philharmonia. I didn’t know
much about it, but I’m the sort
of person that if I see something
that needs doing, I just do it. I
never waited for anyone to give
me permission to do anything,
I just did it. That has somewhat
characterised my entire career
and even this role. I’ve always
specialised in arts management.
So Auckland Phil was my first
job for two years and after that
I got my first chief executive
role, which was at the Canberra
Symphony Orchestra. I did six
years in Canberra then I did four
years in the United States with an
orchestra in Seattle and a ballet
company in Nevada. I came
back to New Zealand to work
for the New Zealand Symphony
Orchestra. I headed marketing
and comms at the New Zealand
Symphony Orchestra. From there
I took on the New Zealand Youth
Choir and Voices New Zealand
and did that for a couple of
years, then went to the Adelaide
Symphony Orchestra as chief
executive there. I was there for
three years and that was one
of the major performing arts
companies of Australia. That was
my first fairly big gig that I was in
charge of. My husband, son and I
decided after three years that we
really did want to come back to
New Zealand. A job opened up in
my home town of New Plymouth,
which was the head of the
Polytech there. That’s what I’ve
been doing for the last five years.
I had a five-year contract at the
Western Institute of Technology
at Taranaki and that finished
at the end of October. I had the
weekend off and on the Monday,
I started here. So this is my sixth
chief executive role, all of them
being in the arts except the last
one, which was Government. It’s
interesting. I’ve gone from quite
a large organisation with more
than 300 staff to the Court. But
I’m back in the arts and that’s
wonderful. It’s a home-coming.
Merivale Retirement Village - when only the best is good enough.
MERIVALE
RETIREMENT VILLAGE
MARKET DAY
Saturday 24th November, 10am-3pm
You are warmly invited to attend our Village Market Day
Come along with your family and friends for a day of fun and entertainment at Merivale
Retirement Village. Our village green will be transformed into a magical market place.
Stalls will include:
Elsie’s Coffee Stop, Bouncy Castle, Face Painting, Sausage Sizzle, Vintage
Kitchenware, Campbell Candle Co, JG Beauty Soaps and more local stalls.
Come along and enjoy the fun.
Be at home in the heart of Merivale
60 Browns Road, Merivale
375 4117 | www.merivaleretirement.co.nz