Elina Saksala’s recently published Tuottajan käsikirja (‘The producer’s handbook’) states that the producer doesn’t produce art themselves but “creates favourable conditions and eliminates obstacles”. This has been the case in all the work I have done. Working in a cultural team is rewarding in that you get to follow creative processes and the stages a work of art goes through, and do your best to ensure that the working conditions are as good as possible. A successful outcome is to be savoured whether it’s a book or a theatre performance.

Theatre encompasses a vast array of knowledge and professional skills, and as such the differences between people has to be taken account of. The work is practically round the clock. It’s especially fascinating to think that within the same walls you have the entire life cycle of the performance, often from the drafting stage to practice and technical run-throughs, and the first night to the end of a production run of dozens of performances.

Most important in terms of my career have been the supportive bosses, who have also handed me responsibility. If taking on some new task has filled me with horror, it has been encouraging to think that if I am trusted with this why wouldn’t I trust myself? The example set by good bosses has been the best managerial school for me.