SC PRODUCTIONS
“ We had the 1998 European Summit, and Stuart was doing a Stereophonics show in Cardiff Castle,” she says.“ I helped Stuart and his team hide a whole load of infrastructure, because we needed to turn the castle around overnight for the Queen to arrive the next day. That’ s how I met Stuart. In those days running events in the castle was still quite new, and Stuart wanted someone that knew the venue and the city well.”
Says Galbraith,“ From the outset, her efficiency and ability in tackling problems and providing solutions was hugely impressive, and we ' ve worked with her ever since on anything from Sonisphere and Wakestock to multiple stadium shows.”
With an established knowledge of theatre production, Hemsley-Cole’ s first experience of working on festivals precedes her time at Cardiff Council. Having graduated from the Welsh College of Music and Drama, she left the big city for the Blackwood Miners Institute in Caerphilly where she worked as a technical production manager.
“ Back in the‘ 90s, as part of the regeneration programme after the mines had been closed, a lot of the miners’ welfare halls were taken over by the Arts Council and funded as theatres. So, I ended up there with my skinhead and my Dr Martin ' s in this very typical Welsh mining community. They thought I was pretty much an alien. It was a really lovely three years there. I had an absolute ball. We were asked to twin with a town in the Czech Republic, and I helped organise my first festival.”
It’ s been a long and impressive journey since she graduated, but Hemsley-Cole remains closely connected with the Welsh College of Music and Drama to this day, where she helps play a key role in helping to develop fledgling talent. In between managing SCP’ s work on events in venues of all shapes and sizes, from green fields to city centres, Hemsley-Cole somehow finds time to teach at the college and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of her ongoing support of it.
There have been many other accolades along the way, including her becoming
“ THERE ' S LOTS OF DIVERSITY IN THIS INDUSTRY AND THAT’ S SOMETHING WORTH CELEBRATING,”
Jake Warriner and Sarah Hemsley-Cole
only the second woman ever to win the Association of British Theatre’ s Technical Award.
Wonder woman
During her 30-year career, Hemsley- Cole has passionately championed the visibility of women in the live events sector, and in 2013 set up NOWIE( Network of Women in Events) with Zac Fox, who is now the CEO at Kilimanjaro Live.
“ When we first set NOWIE up, we felt it was critical that there was much more exposure for the women in the sector,” she says.“ Zac and I felt strongly that they just weren ' t being asked to be involved in things. When I first started, I didn ' t really think about me being one of very few women working in similar roles; it was people telling me that was the case that really brought it home.”
Fox says she can vividly remember the first time she met Hemsley-Cole, which was at that Stereophonics show at Cardiff Castle back in 1998:“ I went in and asked her where the site manager was, and she had to tell me it was her. I was blown away; I didn ' t know that women were allowed to do any jobs outside of the box office and catering at that point. I was very impressed by Sarah very quickly and made a point of making friends.”
“ I ' m super proud of all of the women I ' ve mentored throughout my career,” says Hemsley-Cole.“ I do think the sector has improved, with women now being recognised. It’ s a pretty young sector and it is not entrenched in archaic maleness by any means.”
“ When I first started working for Sarah, I answered the office phone and someone said,‘ Have I got the right number? There ' s a man answering the phone at
38 accessaa. co. uk