Theatre with a Conscience: My Path to Diverse City by Caro Boss, Communications Manager
I always knew I wanted to work in theatre. Even as a child, I loved stories, music, and the magic of performance. I was fortunate to grow up in a family of performers, and spent a lot of time in shows myself.
When I left home my world opened. For the first time, I met people who had lived lives very different from mine. I heard new perspectives and began to see a less rose-tinted version of the world. I started getting involved in various social justice campaigns.
I’d been working in commercial theatre for 5 years when I saw a job advertised at Clean Break, a company working with women affected by the criminal justice system. I didn’t know it then, but this was the moment my life would change. I joined Clean Break, and my understanding of theatre changed forever.
I saw how powerfully theatre could be used to tell stories that never get heard. I saw the bravery of women who stood on stage and shared their truths. I saw how broken our systems were, and how vital it was to challenge those systems through art. I realised how few voices are truly represented in our theatres—on stage, behind the scenes, and in leadership.
It lit a fire beneath me.
From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I couldn’t go back to theatre that only aims to entertain. I wanted to support theatre that was doing something. Theatre that asks questions and shifts power. I wanted to help make space for more voices and help change who gets listened to.
Eventually, my family and I left London, but I couldn’t leave this work behind. I spent a year commuting—tiring, long, expensive days—because I couldn’t bring myself to take a job that didn’t feel just as urgent.
Then I found Diverse City.
When I read about what the company was doing, that fire lit again. Here was a team working every day to challenge what theatre looks like. Who it’s for. Who gets to lead it. Diverse City was asking bold questions and making space for a broader range of answers.
Working here means everything to me. I don’t dread small talk at parties. I can’t wait to tell people where I work! I get to be part of something that matters. I use my skills to support artists, producers, and thinkers who are reshaping the future of theatre.
I believe everyone deserves to see themselves reflected on stage – that every voice matters. At Diverse City, I get to turn those beliefs into action.
