Woman of the Month: Beth House

I am so happy to share with you my fourth Awen Woman of the Month, actor, founder, fundraiser and mother, Beth House, the powerhouse!

Since switching from being a professional actor to set up a theatre company in 2008, Beth's work has been focused on making space for other people to excel. And in her new role (which I'm excited to share very soon), she continues this journey towards a more diverse, inclusive, collaboratively led arts landscape in Wales.

Now, hear from Beth, in her own words, as she shares with us her incredible career in the Arts. Read how she's not afraid to ask difficult questions and participated in uncomfortable necessary discussions within the arts—all while having recently learnt that focusing on her wellbeing is the key to a fulfilled balanced life!

1. Who is Beth?

I grew up in the South East of England. My Mum was a teacher in specialist schools- one of the first wave of teachers who focussed on education and aspiration for learning disabled children, rather than the old medical model of care. My Dad was a community psychiatric nurse, and I remember Dad talking about people with mental illness with so much care and respect, even as a very young child. I would go to picket lines in my wicker basket as a baby- both my parents were the only left-wingers in their families, whose roots were the working-class East end of London!??

At school, I was a total nerd. I was desperate to get homework, studied hard, laughed a huge amount and loved drama and doing skits and impressions with my friends. But, conversely, I also loved a colour coordinated revision timetable- so straddling two worlds! So I joined a local Am Dram company as a teenager and did all the school shows.

I remember being really happy- when I was really young, we lived right out in the countryside in an old ramshackle, cold house, and my parents’ most used saying was “we don’t have 2 Ha’pennies to rub together”! I think all of this has fed into who I am now- I still love a spreadsheet as much as participating in a mask or clowning workshop. And I try to create a happy childhood for my own four children - Finn (22), Sonny (17), Pixie (9) and Bobby (7).

I love being a Mum and weekend trips to the beach or cinema with the little ones are my favourite. I love cooking and often find myself feeding people- Indian and Mexican foods are my absolute favourites- especially street food. I love the countryside, long walks and wild swimming. We recently canoed down the Wye Valley, which was so much fun. But I also love the city- Cardiff’s the best! It’s just so cool to be able to walk into town to the theatre.?

2. What are your personal values, and how do they shine in your work?

This is going to sound hokey, but my absolute number one value is kindness. I believe this is at the heart of everything I do. In work- as in life- that doesn't just mean what many people think; you’re super fluffy and just nice to people all the time and buy them presents. It’s about being honest- with kindness. It is supporting someone who may have made a mistake or need some guidance. It might be about giving someone some tough feedback in a supportive and forward-looking way. It’s about designing policies and working practices for organisations with the people that they will affect at the very heart. A kind organisation will consider that people work best in very different ways and need different support and working patterns.

I also champion inclusivity as one of my other core values.?

Since switching from being a professional actor to setting up Taking Flight- the theatre company I co-founded back in 2008, my work has been about making space for other people to excel. At Taking Flight, we championed Deaf and disabled creative professionals and young people. One of my proudest things was setting up the youth theatre for Deaf children. And in my new role (announcement coming soon), I continue this journey towards a more diverse, inclusive, collaboratively led arts landscape here in Wales.

I urge arts leaders to find opportunities to make space and bring others along with them- especially people who may well have not had opportunity handed to them in the past, for whatever reason, which is where my other value comes in bravery. I have- and strive to do this more- ask difficult questions and participate in uncomfortable discussions within the arts. I hope that I am seen as someone who will not be quiet for the sake of an easy life!

?3. How do you make a positive impact on the lives of women?

I love making connections with women working in the arts and fundraising.? I’ve supported young Deaf and disabled women to gain confidence and further their careers in the creative industry.? Some of those women are now totally bossing it- with roles on TV shows and funding for their own projects- and this has been made easier definitely by all the women- and men- who’ve supported them along the way.?

I have a big thing around crediting people for their work and allowing people to take credit and be proud of themselves. So often in the arts, we see leaders and influencers jumping in and expecting credit for the artists’ work within the project. I say, let these artists have the credit! So much of the work we see in the theatre comes from the brains of the individual artists, but they often don’t get a shout out. Even if it is the case that you supported them or came up with some of the ideas too - you already have a position of considerable privilege, so do you need to take this? Or, could you just… let that person take ownership and the career boost that comes from that?

?4. Why do you think it is important to create equal opportunities?

We do ourselves an absolute disservice if we hear the same stories from the same mouths, ad infinitum. Suppose we don’t harness the richness of diverse experience and reflect that in the arts, we’re not only curtailing the development and employment opportunities for a whole swathe of people. In that case, we’re also making the same theatre or artists experiences over and over again… like sharing an in-joke on repeat. Snore!

5. What have you chosen to challenge???

I’m not sure how to put this into words. I hate unfairness. If something seems unjust, unbalanced or unfair, it must be challenged. It seems like we’ve become a bit apathetic here in the UK, and we can just witness injustice and do that Victoria Wood thing- the rolling of the eyes and “tut”.? I guess I try and find ways to challenge the injustices I see in the arts- my little slice of the world and where I can impact. I think that’s important too… sometimes we don’t act because it can all seem too big, too mountainous, too impossible. We can all ask ourselves, right, what can I do? What is in my control? What little patch of land can I dig over and have an impact on? It might seem like small stuff and inconsequential, but added together with everyone else’s small stuff... BOOM.. we can make a change!

?6. How do you look after yourself while busy with your business and career?

Haha. For years I didn’t do this. I would work all day, long days, and then get the computer back out when the kids were in bed, drive to Anglesey and back in a day to put posters in random village halls all over the place… everything and anything. Especially in the early years of founding a charity. It was relentless, but because I loved it, I thought it was OK to do that. My Mum used to warn me about burning out and I, of course, was like... Yeah, whatever, I’m fine. I have to say as well, I?was so, so lucky to have my Mum around then, as without her and my partner, it would absolutely NOT have been possible to do all we did.

When Covid struck, I was furloughed, and in some ways, it was like seeing the light. I learnt what a day felt like when you could water the plants, go for a little walk, bake a loaf of bread and actually listen to your family for once instead of trying to mould their lives around my schedule.?

I learnt big lessons. I hope I won’t go back to that. That’s not to say I won’t be passionate about and committed to my work. But in burning out, we serve no one. And in championing and celebrating exhaustion and busyness, we hurt other women who feel they have to replicate this to be truly good at their jobs or be valued or recognised. No, no, no, I say.

Now, I plan something nice every weekend- a swim in the sea, a picnic, something fun. I put my phone away in the evenings (unless I am playing wordblitz!), and I am definitely more emotionally available to my family. I go to an amazing dance class twice a week- Turn’d Up fitness, founded by Cardiff based actor Shekira Johnson. It’s a class designed to be just utter fun, celebrate and give confidence to women and their amazing bodies. We just basically pretend to be Beyonce!! My dance teacher is amazing. Gemma has contributed to changing my self-belief and my outlook on life.?

If you’re someone who finds themselves feeling guilty if you’re not in back to back meetings or working all the time, remind yourself that making space within your day for other things makes you more productive and can provide much-needed reflection space for the grey matter!

?7. Where can people find out more about you and your work?

I am on Linkedin as Beth Hous e and on Twitter @bethhouse12 , and I’d love to hear from people in the arts or fundraising who may have had an alternative or tricky road in and want to tell me about their work. I’ve just started a new role which I can’t talk about yet- but suffice to say, I’d love to hear from underrepresented creatives working in or around the theatre!

Thank you, Beth! What an absolute pleasure it has been to get to know you over the last year. I feel honoured to be your coach. As you mention in your article, the pandemic has been an opportunity to see the light for so many (myself included). You have explained your reality of this so honestly and beautifully. Thank you.

You have inspired and helped so many through your performances and founding Taking Flight, and I am so excited to watch you flourish in your next role!

To the reader, if you have an inspiring woman in mind whom you think deserves to have her story heard, pop me a message, and I'll do my best to feature them!

Thank you.

Bethany, Founder?| Awen Coaching