'Not The Normal Network' - Leaders and Storytellers

Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The REP), The Centre for Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership at University of Birmingham Business School and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) have come together in a unique collaboration to host the next in the series of their ‘Not The Normal Network’ events which aim to develop women’s leadership skills.

Following a successful pilot last year, this event will be an opportunity for women to network with influential and inspiring women and explore the issue of gender exclusion and equality. On this occasion they will be joined as guest speaker by renowned local comedian, writer and actress, Janice Connolly.

Janice is a founder member of Women and Theatre and has been the Artistic Director of the company for the past 20 years. In 2017 Janice was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to community arts in the West Midlands. She is also a successful performer in her own right and has featured in series such as Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights (Channel 4) and her recent theatre roles include Tartuffe (The REP). Janice’s alter-ego, Mrs. Barbara Nice is a well loved comedy circuit headliner as well as a Birmingham icon.

These events are designed for women from across the business, arts and cultural sectors and aim to offer a meaningful and innovative alternative to the traditional and stereotypical approach to women’s networking, helping to address the most pressing issues facing female leaders and would-be leaders.

The event will also feature a panel discussion and panellists include Professor Kiran Trehan and REP Associate Director, Tessa Walker. We are offering a special ticket price of £30 which includes the 2:30 matinee showing of Stuff, performed and scripted by Janice Connolly.

Standard rate tickets for the event are £25 and a £5 discount on both ticket options is available to freelance bookers. Please note this is a women only event.

Professor Kiran Trehan from the Business School explained; “In all walks of life there are continued discussions of gender exclusion and the lack of representation of women in senior roles, this spans business, charities, public organisations, and any settings where diversity in leadership is notable for its absence. Despite the growing interest of organisations, the government and individuals who champion gender equality we still seem to be stuck in the doldrums of women being under represented in senior positions.  ‘Not The Normal Network’ provides a unique opportunity to address this challenge. Using organisational storytelling and examining the importance of a strong narrative, our next event will bring a more artistic perspective to leadership practise, in order to influence the future of women’s leadership and inform the development of leadership policy and practice more broadly.”