Mark Finbow is the new Creative Director of The Garage centre for performing arts in Norwich. Here, Mark explains how the new programme of classes is ‘ambitious, inclusive and varied’
Who are you and what do you do?
Mark Finbow, Creative Director at The Garage in Norwich. I’m a theatre and filmmaker by background. I trained as an actor at LAMDA and with the National Youth Theatre, and I’ve spent the last twenty years making work across East Anglia. At The Garage, I oversee our creative programme, from classes and participation through to professional performances, artist development and the work we make ourselves.
How long have you been in the role and what does the job entail?
I joined The Garage in February, so I’m still relatively new to the role. It’s an incredibly varied job. One minute I might be developing a new theatre production, the next I’m looking at our programme of classes, supporting an emerging artist or programming work for our theatre. Essentially, my job is to think about how all those different strands connect and how The Garage can create opportunities for people at every stage of their creative journey.
For those not in the know, what goes on at The Garage?
We’re an arts venue in the centre of Norwich, but we’re also home to one of the largest participation programmes in the region. We have hundreds of people coming through the building every week to take part in dance, theatre, music, musical theatre, filmmaking, comedy and more. We also present professional performances, support artists to develop new work and run projects specifically designed for people who might otherwise face barriers to accessing the arts.
I originally came across The Garage as a young man, performing as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival – which we still host – and then years later when I was invited to develop professional theatre work at the venue with my Theatre Company The Keeper’s Daughter. The Garage was hugely impactful on my early theatre career – and continues to be a decade on!
How would you describe the new programme of classes?
Ambitious, inclusive and varied. One of the things I’ve wanted to do is create much clearer pathways through the programme. You might first come to The Garage as a baby with your parent or carer, discover theatre or dance as a child, develop your technique as a teenager and eventually join one of our performance companies or start exploring the realities of a professional career in the arts.
We’ve added even more experienced tutors across our classes this year and have increased ambition to make the highest quality participation experiences in the region. We’ve added new classes in film making, comedy performance and making your own theatre from scratch. And we’re increasing cohesion between our class programme of work and the visiting professionals making work at our theatre. Participants on our class programme really will get the opportunity to work with some of the best professional creatives in the country.
But it’s absolutely not just about young people or becoming a professional artist. We have classes for adults too, and you can come because you want to learn something new, meet people, build confidence, keep active or simply because being creative makes you happy. There should be a way into The Garage for everyone.
How can people find out more about them?
The easiest thing is to visit The Garage website, where you can explore the full programme and find the right class for your age and interests. Or just come in and talk to us. If you’ve always fancied trying something but aren’t quite sure where to start, we’d love to help you find your way in.
Visit The Garage Norwich.
Featured image of Mark Finbow – supplied
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