Creativity in the Workplace: Lessons in Thinking Differently - An in-conversation event with theatre director Lyndsey Turner and Prof. Rob Swain
When:
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Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
We are delighted to launch our next event of “The Birkbeck Edge” professional development event series, designed exclusively for alumni who have graduated between now and a decade ago and are keen to enhance their skills in the workplace.
In this next instalment, we will explore the power of creativity in the workplace and ask: how can creative thinking transform the way we work, lead and collaborate?
In this in-conversation event, Rob Swain, programme director of Birkbeck’s renowned Theatre Directing MFA, sits down with acclaimed theatre director and Birkbeck alumna Lyndsey Turner to unpack the lessons that creative practice can offer today’s workplace. Their conversation will offer an inspiring look at how creative habits can elevate your professional life, no matter your field.
Drawing on Lyndsey’s extensive experience directing productions on some of the UK’s most prestigious stages, this discussion will reveal how approaches from the rehearsal room—collaboration, vision-setting, problem-solving under pressure and experimenting with new ideas—translate into practical strategies for any sector.
Together, Lyndsey and Rob will explore:
- How to think differently when tackling complex challenges
- What creative leadership looks like—and how to practise it with integrity
- Ways to avoid getting stuck in old patterns and encourage innovation within teams
- How to balance imagination with structure to keep projects on track
- Why creativity is becoming an essential skill for navigating the future of work
The conversation between Lyndsey and Rob will conclude with a Q&A. This will then be followed by post-event drinks - a chance to re-connect with our wider alumni community.
Alumni Guest Speaker
Lyndsey Turner graduated with an MFA in Theatre Directing from Birkbeck in 2007. She is known for directing plays in the West End, the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Broadway. In 2014 she won the Olivier Award for Best Director for her West End production of Chimerica. She has been an associate of the National Theatre, where she has directed Coriolanus; The Witches; The Crucible; Under Milk Wood; Top Girls; Light Shining in Buckinghamshire.
Her latest production, 1536, which previously had a sold out run at the Almeida, will open in the West End on May 2nd. Lyndsey’s other productions include The Treatment; Chimerica (Almeida); After the End (Theatre Royal Stratford East); A Number (The Old Vic); Far Away; Faith Healer; Fathers and Sons (Donmar Warehouse); Hamlet (Barbican); Girls & Boys; Posh; Contractions (Royal Court).
Contact name: Ann Moroney
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