Laura Turner is a British versatile artist whose expertise ranges from poetry, screenwriting, playwright and fictional or non-fictional narrative. After having received a B.A degree in English literature, she rolled up her sleeves and immersed herself into work. Her CV boasts of plenty of theatre plays, followed by screen scripts and a self-produced short film “The Empty Throne”.
Laura joined our team in June, and a month later, we had the opportunity to watch the online premier of “Lexi in Lockdown”, produced by her company, “The Fury Theatre”. The performance was to take place on stage, but was showcased on an online platform due to the pandemic. The show was a displace of outstanding creativity and the ability to adapt
This, however, is not the only reason the British artist is a significant source of inspiration. Indeed, her work advocates female representation by casting women in the limelight. For having undertaken a significant social challenge and her literary talent, which is a solid base in her works, she is a shortlisted candidate of the “Women of the Future Awards”. This is an initiative whose aim is to encourage young women, offer inspirational insights and act as a platform for young artists
We, at the ECP-FG had the pleasure of interviewing Laura — take a closer look at the artist overcoming challenges in lockdown and her accomplishment thus far.
In a rather difficult situation for artists and cultural professionals, you managed to find inspiration,
reinvent yourself and achieve outstanding results. What do you think could be the explanation, from both your professional and personal points of view?
I think having a positive mindset is absolutely crucial. I've definitely found that has helped me this year in particular to keep motivated and to keep looking forwards even when there are setbacks or things feel difficult. Trying to remember that every little thing you do that has a positive impact will reap results and rewards really does help on those hard days. Also, I do believe that challenges, both personal and professional, very much inspire and promote us to find new ways of working and new sources of inspiration that can lead to unexpected discoveries and a new path. For me, it was the personal challenge of lockdown and various things that have happened in my personal life this year that helped me to reach the point where I felt ready to launch my own theatre company, Fury Theatre. The challenges I'd experienced led me to a place where I was able to harness those emotions and use them for something positive and creative, and to unify my work as a creative under the banner of "female stories told with fire". In that respect, the current global situation did encourage me to think deeper about my practice as a creative and to allow myself to have a stronger emotional engagement with the work I was creating, and the world around me, which I think is the most crucial thing we can bring to our creative work: a genuine expression and evocation of the complexities of the human condition.
The “Women of the Future Programme” is a prestigious initiative and has the goal of establishing an informal community of talented and influential women in the UK. Generally speaking, which are in your opinion the major benefits of such an initiative?
I think initiatives such as Women of the Future have so many benefits for us as a society, as a culture and as individuals. On the level of individuals, there is a huge positive impact here for women like myself who are able to engage through the initiative with a global network of empowered and talented women to share ideas and become part of a larger national and international conversation. As an artist and a creative, this is also deeply important for me as Women of the Future brings together women from all disciplines and areas of life, allowing us to have a cross-curricular discussion. Keeping the arts in conversation with the rest of the issues and areas of life we experience as human beings has always been important to me and I'm thrilled to be part of an enterprise that puts that diverse community of women at its heart. I know as well that the experience of being part of Women of the Future will enable me to also spread the word about positive, empowering schemes such as this; I teach at the University of Lincoln and mentor young writers in the theatre industry, many of whom (male and female alike) will be so receptive to hearing more about the brilliant work that initiatives like this do, and spreading the word, engaging with the programme and the awards and contributing, I hope, to their own creative futures.
What does it mean for you to be a finalist of the “Woman of the Future Awards” and what do you expect it will bring for your career in the future?
It is an absolute honour to be a finalist in the Women of the Future Awards. It still feels quite unreal to be honest as it is such a privilege to be selected alongside so many incredible women in the arts and all sectors. The network that has already been established between the finalists has been a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and have inspiring conversations - something that is especially important at the moment as we enter a second lockdown and many other avenues might be harder to reach for some time. I'd love for my inclusion in the programme and the awards to pave the way for more conversations with like-minded individuals who also have big ambitions, and it's wonderful to have the chance to share my work with the programme and to advocate for the brilliant work they are doing to the next generation of brilliant young women.
As a female artist and a woman engaged in the issue of gender equality and women empowerment, do you have the feeling of having faced and facing major difficulties in your professional rise compared to your male counterparts?
I think it's a really interesting question to consider how our individual experiences affect how we see ourselves and our role within the industry. Undoubtedly, there have been times where, like many people, I have felt a sense of there being obstacles in my way in terms of pursuing my chosen career. These haven't always been solely concerned with gender - at times it has felt problematic to be young, or to be from a rural, regional area rather than a city as has been my experience. I've also felt how internal obstacles can hold us back as individuals and creatives, such as imposter syndrome and the very human fears of something going wrong or not being good enough. I think ultimately what I believe the most is that we must take responsibility for the things we can in our lives, however seemingly small or insignificant they might feel at times. These positive choices then grow and I believe that by doing this on an individual level, whilst also opening up a more honest conversation about the representation of women creatively, and the actuality of female experience in the world, we can contribute to a more open and empowered future. Personally I think it's crucial that this is a conversation that people of all genders are involved in so that we can move forward with understanding, compassion and proactivity.
Last time that we spoke, you said that you wanted to pursue the idea of resetting ancient or older plays in present times, as you did with “Lexi in Lockdown” and “Violet Delights”. Much of your inspiration comes from your British background. How do you feel your origin and country’s culture influences your art and what can it offer to a European perspective?
My personal life experience of growing up in a rural part of the UK has certainly been important to my creative process and the journey I have been on to find the kinds of stories and characters I feel passionate about exploring. I do believe this is something that I will continue to be interested in bringing to my artistic work, but the opportunity to have more conversations on a European level is something that holds an enormous appeal to me at the moment. As a theatre and film practitioner, I have always admired and respected the work of European creatives and whilst the setting of my work is often inspired by my home life and formative experiences, in terms of form, structure and genre, I am particularly interested in taking influences from further afield. I believe that work that is in conversation with many cultural and social references is not only exciting and unique, but also engages a wider audience, which is one of my key aims with my work. For example, at the moment I am working on a new feature film which takes inspiration from many European filmmakers including Celine Sciamma, Lars von Trier, Wim Wenders and Sofia Coppola amongst others and I admire many theatre companies making innovative work in Europe today, such as Vertebra Arts. It's my ambition to collaborate internationally in the future to compare and contrast the way we see ourselves in relation to our individual backgrounds, and how together we can explore different elements of the human condition.
How would you see the concept of “Women of the Future Programme” transposed at a European level? From your perspective, do you see more challenges or opportunities?
I think Women of the Future would be an excellent concept to bring to a European level as it offers so many opportunities to kick-start innovative, empowering conversations between young women across different sectors. At the moment, the project's UK-focused conversation is fascinating and engaging, but the idea of taking this to a European level and facilitating those conversations across borders is something that could be very exciting and offer amazing opportunities for women across Europe to come together and share their ideas and passions in an inspirational environment.
Photos Source Women of the Future Awards Website