Emily Aboud
This Engineering graduate turned esteemed theatre director proves that following one’s passions can pay off. From Edinburgh’s Bedlam Theatre to prestigious stages across the UK, Emily’s journey is nothing short of inspiring.
Name: Emily Aboud
Degree course: BEng Mechanical Engineering
Year of graduation: 2016
At the moment
What is your current role, and how did you get there?
I’m a theatre director. Although I adored the sciences and the practical knowledge of engineering, my heart was always in the theatre. The road was (and is) long to get to this point. I chose to study in Edinburgh specifically to be closer to the Fringe Festival, just to see if there was a future for me in that world. After doing mostly student theatre at Bedlam and with EUSOG – Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group (of which I am a lifetime member) and thankfully, by dumb luck, getting a 2:1 in Engineering, I was accepted to Mountview to do a Masters in Theatre Directing. I started slow – doing some small assistant directing positions and slowly began building a reputation. I took two shows to the Fringe in 2016 that transferred to the Soho Theatre and the Bush Theatre and since then, I’ve been working steadily on larger projects and directing at drama schools across the country.
What inspired your interest in this field?
I cannot stress enough the importance of youth theatre. Trinidad has a company called Lilliput Theatre, that truly has every creed and race of child and teaches them to write and perform or simply, to say their name with confidence. I am autistic and when I joined at 11 years old, the impact of that remains an inspiration. I met lifelong friends and found a community that bridged every gap in the country. I think theatre is perhaps our oldest artform – the act of telling stories to one another in a room. There is nothing like gasping at a kiss or leaning forward in your seat or laughing at joke with a group of people witnessing it with you. I love watching theatre and I love the feeling of community it gives all of us. Getting to make theatre for a living is a dream come true.
Career journey
What were some key milestones in your career journey?
Certainly, winning the Evening Standard Future Theatre Award was a highlight. I was nominated for a play called Pink Lemonade and surprisingly, I won. I adored working on that play regardless of its success though, it was funny, form-breaking and I feel like I really found my voice as a director. Another highlight was getting a 5 star review from The Guardian for a play that I wrote and directed, called SPLINTERED. This play started out so small and it was so personal – we actually premiered it at Bedlam Theatre in Fringe 2019 and it went on to do wonders, transferring to the Soho Mainhouse. But I’m so proud of many productions. Tender at the Bush Theatre, which I directed last year, is perhaps my favourite thing I’ve done. It was thrilling, romantic and horrifying, a perfect mix of genres and the playwright, Eleanor Tindall, is a dear friend. I’m equally proud of Lady Dealer by Martha Watson-Allpress, that we took to my favourite venue at the fringe, the Roundabout in Summerhall! It felt like a full circle moment, having idolized that tent during university. I love musicals, and I got to direct my dream version of Sweet Charity this year. There’s too many to mention!
How did your time at the University shape your professional path?
Other than moving a million miles from my family and culture, University shaped me in many ways. It was no small task doing as much student theatre as I did, in addition to a challenging and time-consuming degree. It might sound bad to say but honestly, getting “stuck in” and learning how to manage work and leisure and friends and passion was perhaps the biggest lesson. And I know this might sound crazy, but an engineering degree has equipped me ahead of my peers in theatre directing. It is very rare that I don’t get the set design that I want because I have the practical skills (and the literal equations) to back me up if I need it. I think my degree has helped my productions stand out because I want to get my hands dirty, I want the design and the lights and the sound to fit together like a machine with a heartbeat.
Can you share a standout achievement or moment you’re proud of?
I mean, I passed my UK driving test with no minors. It’s pretty hard to think of anything that tops that. Career-wise, I’m proud of so much and luckily, more opportunities come up every year that mean I can direct bigger shows by unbelievable playwrights telling wonderful, new stories. There’s not really a standout moment per say, but just the realisation that I am doing what I always wanted to do and that I genuinely wake up every morning, excited to go to work. I only recently realised that some people truly hate their jobs. Every day for me, has purpose and joy.
Industry insights
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in your field right now?
Money, money, money, it’s always money. The arts funding landscape right now is absolutely dire compared to when I first started out. People are going to the theatre less due to the cost-of-living crisis, so now, all the big venues are trying everything to get people to book in. Big musicals with all-star casts, boring revivals etc. Everyone, even the big shots, are struggling to make what they used to make. So everyone’s scrambling to find the thing that will bring audiences back. Is it a new musical? An American transfer from Broadway? Hamlet but with Pedro Pascal? Who knows. But it’s not just theatres. Cinemas and museums and nightclubs and gig venues are all facing similar problems.
What trends or innovations are shaping the future of your industry?
Live cinema is the hot trend now. Filming and simultaneously projected. It’s not brand new technology but it’s come in leaps and bounds in the last few year. I’ve been working on a play that relies on this right now, in fact. There’s a lot of brilliant tricks you can do with superimposing, following an actor and even POV (point-of-view) shots of what they’re seeing. Theatre-makers are always finding new ways to tell a new story or repurposing old ways.
Alumni wisdom
What do you wish you had known at the start of your career?
I wish I knew that there was going to be pandemic that shut down theatre for a year? Apart from that, I guess, to take networking seriously. It’s such a boring thing to say but this industry can be very “who you know” so you really must put yourself out there and invite people to your shows. You have to do a cold email to someone you’ve never met and ask them to get to know you.
What advice would you give to students or alumni looking to enter your field?
Start small and talk big. Make friends and reach out to people you admire. Find the story that you only you can tell and get to work telling it. There are brilliant schemes for emerging makers at many fringe venues, apply to them. Tell people about your work. I’m constantly learning that people want to help you if they can so ask them! There’s nothing to lose.
Are there any books, podcasts, or resources that have influenced you?
Thousands. Strictly as a director my favourite books are Different Every Night by Mike Alfreds and The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan. But I listen Radiolab, which is a science podcast with human stories and they always get me inspired. Or even just watching a new TV show or an old film I love and working out why it’s good or bad. Also, one of my favourite plays remains to be Equus by Peter Shaffer, which I directed as a student in Bedlam in 2015 so I might revisit that once in a while. I adore the books of Marlon James as well. He is a master storyteller!
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