News Story
Christina Elliot – Head of Programming & Producing at The Place – shares about her role overseeing programmes, supporting artists and developing new projects.
What’s your role at The Place, and what does a typical day look like for you?
I’m Head of Programming & Producing at The Place. One of the joys of my role is that no two days are alike. Typically, I spend time in meetings with colleagues at The Place and other partner organisations, and artists, planning the programmes we deliver. I oversee The Place’s Theatre, Artist Development and Producing & Touring departments and I’m often moving between thinking about an immediate moment (such as an issue in the theatre that evening) and planning longer term. For example, I’m currently planning a new touring project which will run from 2026 to 2029. I travel around the UK and internationally to meet new partners and research potential shows for our theatre programme, and I also spend as much time as I can with artists in the studio, watching sharings and understanding their work and how The Place can best support them.
How did you find your way to The Place?
I started out in theatre — my first jobs were assistant producing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and working as a Marketing Officer at a theatre in Cambridge. I then spent eight years developing my practice as a producer at Fuel, an independent producing organisation which was then based at Battersea Arts Centre. When I joined The Place as Artist Development Producer in 2014, I had produced some dance, but it was really wonderful to immerse myself in the sector and meet so many incredible artists whose work I didn’t then know but have now become trusted colleagues and friends.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy imagining the possibilities of the art form — hearing artists bring us ideas that really expand how we understand the world and then working out how those ideas can reach and resonate with people across the world. I find The Place a very proactive organisation to work for — we see the change we can make, and we try our best to do that well and with care.
What’s one part of your job that people might be surprised to learn about?
Perhaps the number of dance performances that I watch live and on film each year to inform our programmes — it’s hundreds. When I travel to a festival, it’s not uncommon to watch up to ten performances or sharings in a day, and when I’m reading and watching applications for a programme like Choreodrome each person on the panel will be working through up to 150 examples of artists’ work to make sure we make as informed a decision as possible.
Has there been a favourite project or standout memory during your time here?
There have been many. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done on Requardt & Rosenberg’s Future Cargo over more than seven years. We produced the show against the odds during COVID and have stuck with it, finding new opportunities to tour it in ways that offer new models for international touring and partnership. This year we worked with Greek National Opera to co-produce a new version which toured rural locations across the Peloponnese (including Ancient Olympia!).
Which skills do you use most often in your role?
I have to plan my time very carefully to make sure that I take care of what’s urgent as well as what’s important. I also think good written communication skills have helped me — I have to write many persuasive emails and funding applications and find ways to communicate difficult messages (in person and by email).
