Cyprus from the village to the corporation – Theatre Director

Kerry Kyriacos Michael, a Cypriot, is a leader in London threatre.

Democratising the workplace and building motivated teams is a fundamental part of Cyprus 4.0. Kerry Kyriacos Michael, one of the most celebrated theatre managers in the UK, explains how Cyprus stands out for these values.

 

“Cypriots are brilliant at community, family collectiveness,” says Kerry Kyriacos Michael, MBE,  a second generation North London Cypriot who has achieved significant distinction as  former Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Stratford East (TRSE) for 13 years.

For Michael, these values support innovation and creativity in business and the arts.

“For me, the Cypriot lifestyle has all to do with the village, people coming together, having the big table in the courtyard and all the families bringing plates. I know it sounds romanticised but that’s what Cypriot life was, as I understood it, as a child returning to the motherland. Everyone was connected to everyone else.”

For Michael, that sense of coming together has been really important in working in theatre “because that’s all about a group of lots of different people, with different skills, coming together, and only by coming together, can they do something that is extra special.”

“They can’t do it by themselves. They could only make it as a collective of different kinds of people. To make a piece of theatre you need a writer, a director, actors, someone who can make costumes, someone who engineer  scenery, a composer, someone who understand electricity and lights. You need everyone else to make a piece of work. And I often think of a village coming together to make something. And I think I see a lot of my Cypriot side in these things. As opposed to my British side which is all about the individual.”

Michael sees building this team as fundamental to his efforts.

I think the phrase “you’re only as good as your weakest link” is true. And I think also if I could give myself some advice looking back it would have the confidence to employ people that are more intelligent than yourself. Because you want to build on everybody’s abilities to grow. So absolutely, the collective, standing on each other’s shoulders is how to be a good leader. It brings the best out of people. I often feel that being a CEO is about enabling everyone around you to be brilliant and you have to help them in whatever way they need because then we’ll all succeed.”

Technology is definitely part of that collective effort. “It is part of how we structure that effort, and how we interact with the art. It’s helping us unlock our potential in ways we didn’t even realise were possible pre-pandemic. There has been huge innovation in creative industries in lockdown, both in getting the Art to people in different ways, but also how the platforms have evolved the Art and the structure of the storytelling.

You also have to look at the way that gaming is developing popular culture. And then you’ve got to look at all the other things that we’re using like AI to make our world more effective. There’s a huge amount of stuff that AI will be able to second-guess and expand that world.”

Michaels believes that innovation comes from diversity, and that Cyprus should value its roots in the Middle East.

“I think this is important for the island. I absolutely believe excellence comes from a diversity of people. You put 20 diverse people in the room, you’ll get 20 different opinions to achieve the best. 20 people all with the same opinion limit your possibilities. But to have that diversity of opinion, you have to be confident that people around you may not look, sound, or have the same taste as you.  We’re part of a geographical collective, which is the Middle-East.  And our future is in that diversity of people. We have more in common, than not, with the Arab nations, and the north-Africans.  And our relationship with Lebanon, Israel and Egypt is really important. What we’ve got to try and do is celebrate those connections and get the most out of them.  Its naïve to think we can ignore who is next door to us.  We have to be proactive to build bridges and, of course, a united Island. ”

Michael is very much a Cypriot, a second-generation immigrant, whose parents came over from Cyprus in the great wave of the 1960’s.

“I was born here in the UK. English is my second language. And I have lots of family in Cyprus, just outside Larnaca, in Alethriko  and I go often. For Cypriots, there’s a lot going on here in London at the church, the community centres, and all that is still part of my life. I also have worked a lot with the Theatro Technis, the Greek theatre in Camden, and I support what they do.”

Forging a career in the British theatre as a Cypriot was not easy, Michael notes.

“I could see no role models. So it was quite tough. I think as immigrants, we are very good at being multifaceted. We are good at being chameleons. There were times where we were Cypriot, and times where I’ve had to put my Cypriot to one side to me and try to hide my ‘otherness’ and navigate the environment because I couldn’t see how I would be accepted by the white establishment.”

Nonetheless, for 13 years, Michael managed a  commitment to develop new work and provide a platform for voices under-represented. In 2007 TRSE was nominated for an Olivier Award for ‘a powerful season of provocative work that reaches new audiences.’ In March 2018 Kerry won Artistic Director Of The Year at the OFF WEST END Awards, and in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Arts.

Michael has worked tirelessly to support creative artists from around the world, and has been instrumental in the creation of both the International Festival for Emerging Artists and MENA Arts UK, a lobby and network for UK based artists connected to the Middle East, North Africa and surrounding area.

“Cyprus must not only look west towards the Mediterranean but also it must  absolutely look towards the Middle-East and understands where it sits in that bit of its geography. That has to be its future,” Michael insists.