Boozy lunches and proofs: the role of the editor is not what it used to be
Being the editor of a website is not easy. Back in the golden days of Fleet Street, when the internet was a glint in the eye of Tim Berners-Lee, the majority of their time was spent on long boozy lunches and reading proofs. Not so now – now it’s hands on, lightning quick and an absolute team effort. Luckily Indhu Rubasingham has fitted in to her new role perfectly.
When the possibility of having an occasional guest editor on WhatsOnStage was floated, I thought it a perfect idea. Offering theatre creatives the chance to curate, edit and commission their own content for the site was really refreshing and I think it absolutely spoke to the WOS raison d’etre. We are all about being informed, balanced, supportive and representing the myriad of voices, shows, people and talents that make up the theatre industry. And we do all that while having a really strong connection with theatregoers themselves, helping them make decisions on what shows they book for.
Indhu was patient, understanding and she had a really strong vision
Working with Indhu has genuinely been fun. She knows what being busy is like, that’s for sure. You might think that the fact that the Tricycle Theatre has closed for the capital project would give her a bit of free time, but no, as her hardworking PA Sonia Jalaly will testify – her diary is jam-packed.
That meant we had to work much further in advance than we might normally, but there’s no doubt that this week was pulled off because of the fact that Indhu really wanted to be involved on every level. She was patient, understanding, she had a vision and she really enjoyed working on the pieces.
Having Indhu as guest editor pushed us to lift our game and think outside the box
Her ideas were also exciting. I loved watching her interview James Graham, Noma Dumezweni and Lucian Msamati. She set up the interview I did with Ayad Akhtar who is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever interviewed. A playwright with astounding knowledge of the financial markets is such an exciting prospect. Money is all around us, it dictates a lot in this world – Indhu is absolutely right that his work is supremely relevant.
Though Indhu has embraced the role of the editor wholeheartedly, the editorial team at WOS – me included – definitely haven’t been able to take a holiday. But we loved every minute of it. It pushed us to lift our game, think outside the box and do things we might never have done. We hope you enjoy reading and watching all the pieces Indhu has in store for us this week as much as we did working on them.
