Mark Helyar, Class of 1984

After leaving Trinity, Mark studied music and English at Birmingham University, followed by a postgraduate diploma in theatre directing.

Mark is part-time Director of Theatre and has worked for Take Art since 2009. He is also a freelance director, musician, writer, and university lecturer. He has been artistic director of two touring companies and worked extensively as a musical director, composing musical scores for ten shows.

His passion for development work in India, inspired him to write Rising from the Dust: India’s Hidden Voices and he has been employed as an arts project manager, facilitator and trainer in the public, corporate and voluntary sectors.

How did your experience at Trinity shape your career path and influence your choices?

I was far from the model Trinity pupil and often near the bottom of the class in many subjects! The one area I really wanted to study – drama – wasn’t introduced to the curriculum until several years after I left. But I threw myself fully into the musical life of the school, performed with Trinity Boys’ Choir and led the Concert Band.

I particularly enjoyed music and English, which I eventually went on to study at Birmingham University, followed by a postgrad diploma in theatre directing.

Were there any teachers at school who made a particular impact on you and your development?

Yes, definitely: Wally Swan nurtured my interest in writing and theatre, and David de Warrenne taught me piano and composition. I found him particularly inspiring.

What challenges have you faced in your career so far and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge is one I face daily: where to direct my energy. I love focusing on many different disciplines: directing, writing, composing, performing, lecturing, business planning, the list goes on. People talk about work/life balance. For me, I’m not sure it exists; everything is interconnected.

So, my greatest challenge is learning to be productive and content with the one life I have, which often means making hard choices.

Of course, I’ve experienced the challenges familiar to many of us working in the arts: running a company; the endless pursuit of

Dealing with these is about getting your head down, being resilient and maintaining a cheery disposition! And when things go wrong, I try to ask: what can I learn from this?

What are some of the highlights of your career as a freelance director, musician, writer, and university lecturer?

There are so many: being Artistic Director of two successful touring theatre companies, Proteus and West 28th Street, the latter being the first company in residency at

I love working with my university students and always get a warm glow inside when I’m able to award them a first.

The scariest highlight must be the time I travelled to a volatile situation under police protection in the jungle of Odissa, south India. I was on a writing commission for Resurgence magazine to interview the Khondas’ tribal chiefs about a controversial mining project that threatened their cultural and spiritual rights.Header 

Can you tell us about your book, Rising from the Dust: India’s Hidden Voices, and how your passion for development work in India led to its creation?

Although I loved my work in the theatre, in 2004 I made a dangerous decision: driven by a desire to see more of the world, I quit Proteus (the company I was running at the time), sold my house and travelled to India. For several years I’d sponsored a young girl, Lakshmi, who lived in an orphanage in Andhra Pradesh. Through the charity I supported, I was offered the opportunity to visit her.

One thing led to another and my quest for adventure soon turned into a labour of love as I lived with street kids, became embroiled in a post-tsunami orphanage intrigue and was the first English person to visit some of the remote villages of the Garhwal region in the Himalayan foothills. Six months later, I returned to the UK and, encouraged by friends and the local newspaper I’d been corresponding with, wrote Rising from the Dust about the extraordinary people I encountered

How do you balance your work as a part-time Director of Theatre and your freelance work in directing, writing, and composing?

It’s all about juggling multiple priorities: balancing the financial imperative to pay the mortgage, for example, with the creative drive to sit and play the piano all day! I frequently get frustrated, then remind myself that I could be in a regular nine-to-five job and how much I’d hate it. That gets me back on track again.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in the arts and entertainment industry?

I recollect one of my theatre directing lecturers saying that “if theatre isn’t a matter of life and death, you should get out!” I’m not sure I entirely subscribe to that point of view. But I would say that, unless you’re passionate about what you want to do, perhaps a career in the arts isn’t for you. There are many rewarding ways to enjoy creativity in your life without necessarily making it your job!

That said, if you know you wouldn’t be happy doing anything else and nurture an enquiring mind, be tenacious, make the most of every opportunity and, if you can, develop several strings to your bow.

How do you stay current and continue to learn and grow as an artist and professional in the industry?

I try to keep an eye on the bigger picture, continually scanning the horizon for new opportunities where my work can be meaningful and relevant. It’s not always in the

obvious places. I’m particularly passionate about Cultivate, for example, a programme I manage that brings local food, arts and rural communities together in south Somerset. The current global food system is pretty much broken; many people have become disconnected from local food, its provenance, and the substantial benefits it offers. By producing events, workshops and festivals, I’m seeing that the arts are terrific at enabling people to appreciate and experience the relationship of local, nature-friendly food to our health, the local economy and the environment.

What impact do you hope to make with your work in the arts and entertainment industry?

I’ve always been driven by the notion that the arts are a potent force for change and action.

I’m most fulfilled when I can make a positive difference in a person’s life, whether that’s someone feeling uplifted by a production I’ve directed or more confident in managing their mental health after participating in a project I’ve run. And, if in the case of Cultivate, I’m able to inspire others to act and make a difference themselves, all the better!

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or plans for the future?

I’ve had long Covid for the past 18 months, which has an impact on what I’m able to do. Pacing and managing my energy levels has become a priority. So, apart from focusing on the essentials, other projects are on the back-burner. But I’m working on an idea for a musical and have another nonfiction book in the pipeline, both of which I will tackle once I get my energy back.