The artistic director of Birmingham Rep, Joe Murphy, reveals how he got his lucky break in the world of theatre while earning money moving furniture – and why he’s looking forward to staging a festive cracker with Peter Pan

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

I was essentially a lonely kid with an overactive imagination, so my family packed me off to youth theatre as a way of solving both problems. I loved the creativeness of it, pretending to be other people, and I really found a sense of tribe and belonging there. After I finished my director training, I had no money, so I agreed to move furniture for someone who turned out to be Josie Rourke, who had just become the artistic director of the Bush Theatre in London, and she gave me my first assistant job. I also ran nabokov, a new writing theatre company, working with writers like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, James Graham, Nick Payne and Ella Hickson. I’ve also been associate director at Soho Theatre and the Old Vic, then artistic director of Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, and now I’m artistic director at the Rep here in Birmingham.

IT’S WHAT I DO

I look after the artistic strategy, values and vision of the Rep, choosing the shows we do and the actors and artists we work with. Together with our brilliant team we find ways to engage with the widest possible audience, whether that’s people coming to see our shows, or out in the community and schools of Birmingham.

BIGGEST SUCCESS

Aside from getting the job at the Rep, it would be directing Sweeney Todd which ran here over the summer. It represented a coming together of a lot of my ambitions: to create something homegrown made by the craftspeople at the Rep, whilst also attracting world-class actors. I’m directing Peter Pan next as our festive show – so no pressure!

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

‘It’s not about me’ is my biggest lesson. Because I’m the Rep’s artistic director it would be easy to get a misguided sense that it’s all about me. And it’s not. I hold a very privileged position, but I see myself as a custodian of the Rep making sure our audiences have a great time.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

My ambition for the Rep is for it to be the best theatre in the world! I want to bring the best shows here, but also create productions that we can then take out into the wider world. I want to ensure that theatre continues to be a way of bringing people together. The Rep is a place where people should be able to see their own lives on stage, and also get to see other people’s stories.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM

It’s the people. Walking in Birmingham is like walking through nowhere else in the world – the different cultures, the different life experiences. The people are from every corner of every socio-economic, ethnic, religious and philosophical background.

DOWNTIME

I’m not sure if I ever switch off, but I do enjoy running and watching movies at the cinema.