Ruth Mackenzie OBE, General Director Manchester International Festival, lists those who have inspired her.
Rachel Feldberg and Pip Broughton
I started off working with two amazing women who I met as students and who gave me the passion to aim as high as possible. With Rachel I co-founded Moving Parts Theatre Company which morphed into Red Ladder doing innovative work with and for young people; with Pip I ran Nottingham Playhouse and started a great journey of international work and world tours.
Martin Duncan
Martin took over from Pip at Nottingham Playhouse and, with the irreplaceable and much-loved Steven Pimlott, we also ran Chichester Festival Theatre, carrying on the adventure of international innovation. I turn to Martin to tell me when my instinct for innovation is taking the organisation too far he and Steven are the boldest artistic directors I ever met; so if they said its too risky, it was.
Sir Brian McMaster
Brian is the other guru who I can absolutely trust to tell me when Im wrong. He has been unstintingly generous from Scottish Opera days onward and has always been there to advise.
Chris Smith (The Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury)
Chris took a huge risk in appointing me as a Special Advisor for the Government when I clearly had no idea what a special advisor did, let alone experience of working in government. I learnt on the job as fast as possible and his patience and support were a model I wish I was as great a boss as he is.
Alex Poots
Alex asked me to help as an interim for a few months and here I am a year later his ideas are so brave and brilliant, I just couldnt resist joining in with the excitement of his first Manchester International Festival. Crazy innovation I fall for it every time come and see how we cope.
Marie Zimmerman
So why are so many of my gurus men? Marie was wonderful at the Vienna Festival and she was just about to start as Director of the prestigious Ruhr Festival in Germany. Tragically, she died last month.
My love and thanks as ever to the memories of Marie and Steven and to my other long suffering gurus.
Manchester International Festival runs
28 June 15 July
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w: http://www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com