In conversation with Joe Hufton
Joe Hufton outside the Wallaw in Blyth
At Novo Theatre, we don't just work with freelancers.
We value them, champion them and recognise that they are essential to the future of our industry.
Our Artistic Director and CEO, Joe Hufton, knows first-hand the realities of freelance life. Alongside his part-time role at Novo Theatre, Joe works internationally as a freelance Creative/Artistic Director, delivering large-scale immersive theatre experiences and creative shows.
Alongside the work at Novo Theatre, some of Joe’s recent productions have included:
The CBeebies Rainbow Adventure at Westfield London – an immersive theatrical experience for children aged 0-6, featuring beloved characters from Bluey, Hey Duggee, Mr Tumble, JoJo & Gran Gran and more.
Taskmaster: The Live Experience, produced by Avalon – an official interactive experience with a cast of over 100 people, where audiences competed in absurd challenges inspired by the hit TV show.
An immersive R&D project with Les Enfants Terribles, which is currently in the development and fundraising stages.
Joe is currently working on a major new production for a fashion house...
Stepping away from a small theatre company inevitably has an impact on the rest of the team. But these experiences also create a range of opportunities and benefits for Novo Theatre.
Joe’s freelance work gives Joe the chance to test ambitious creative ideas, explore new ways of working and build relationships with and learn from world-class creative teams. The learnings are then brought back into Novo Theatre, helping us think bigger, work smarter and create even more exciting opportunities for artists, freelancers and audiences in Northumberland.
Perhaps most importantly, alongside the rest of the team, Joe's freelance life has helped to shape Novo Theatre's approach to supporting freelancers.
At Novo Theatre we understand both sides of the relationship and the importance of:
Clear and fair contracts
Respectful conversations around fees and budgets
Transparent expectations
Valuing people's time
Building genuine, long-term relationships
Because when you've experienced freelance life yourself, you understand the pressures that come with it.
Championing North East Talent
Wherever Joe’s work takes him, he actively champions talent from the North East.
Actors and performers from the region have featured in productions such as Taskmaster: The Live Experience and The CBeebies Rainbow Adventure, while freelance creatives, producers and technical support from the North East regularly join wider production teams across the country.
And it isn’t by chance that Joe has probably contracted around 250 freelancers across various productions in recent years.
Freelancers are the creative lifeblood of our industry. They bring fresh perspectives, challenge established ways of working and carry ideas between organisations. That cross-pollination of skills and ideas is what drives innovation.
The more we work with freelancers, the stronger our work becomes.
At Novo Theatre, our organisation expands and contracts depending on the needs of each project, but it never feels like there's a distinction between a "core team" and everyone else.
Artists, technicians, producers and creatives are all part of the same team.
That's what makes the work special.
Supporting the next generation of cultural freelancers
Joe also believes passionately in creating opportunities for new freelancers at the start of their careers. He rarely works with exactly the same people and actively seeks out new collaborators.
And Joe’s advice for freelancers starting out… no meeting is ever wasted. You never know where a conversation might lead or who might remember you two years later when the perfect opportunity arises.
The people we meet stay in our consciousness. And that's often how careers are built.
Celebrating off-stage talent
One thing that continues to amaze Joe is reconnecting with a freelancer you worked with years earlier and discover the incredible range of projects they've worked on since.
The depth and quality of the freelance community on our doorstep is extraordinary.
As a sector, we need to do more to celebrate the people behind the scenes in the same way we celebrate performers on stage.
Because without freelancers, we lose the ability to create the boldest, most ambitious and exciting work possible.