Julia Asher - Friends Manager

Julia Asher is Friends Manager here at Chichester Festival Theatre. Working within the Development Department for the last 4 years, Julia has become a favourite with our Friends and works very hard to see that each and every one feels cared for and appreciated.

Hello Julia, How has your day been so far?

I'm pleased to say extremely busy since Friends priority booking began.

Are you working on any exciting projects at the moment?

At the moment I am making sure all our new Friends receive their priority booking forms and finalising the next edition of Theatre Matters - the Friend tri-annual newsletter.

Working within a theatre must be a varied and exciting job which requires a passion for the arts. What would you say are the best 3 things about your job?

I like the direct contact with people, working with my colleagues and Heather, our Development Co-ordinator making tea in the afternoon.

Just to get an overview of your day to day - can you give us a run down of some facts and figures about the Friends?

There are just over 8,000 Friends of Chichester Festival Theatre and with the new season coming onsale we have gained more than 400 Friends in just three months. Being a Friend offers lots of benefits - not just discounts and priority booking but access to exclusive events and a quarterly newsletter amongst others. We're hoping to create a community within our Friends and are always looking for ideas and feedback to make the service even better!

Have you had the chance to meet any of the famous faces that have graced our stages during your role? Where and when?

As the Friends sponsored the production of Nicholas Nickleby last Festival season, we held a Meet the Cast event for our Friends.  It was great to chat to a few of the actors prior to that evening's performance and mingle with our Friends.

Is there something about you the people in your office don't know? A hidden talent or skill?

I used to be in a Latin American Formation Ballroom Dancing Team!

What are your favourite things to do outside the office or at the weekend?

Reading - I belong to a Book Group and seeing my friends. Most recently we read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which we all enjoyed and would recommend.

What was your job prior to working here at CFT?

When I was living in Surrey, I worked in London as the National Administrator for the fundraising department of the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Do you have a favourite haunt in the area? E.g. Pub, restaurant, coffeehouse?

I recently went for the first time to West Stoke House restaurant, West Stoke for my anniversary.  We celebrated with champagne and it's certainly going on my list for future visits.

And finally a quick fire round of questions to get to know the real you...

1st play I ever saw was...

When I moved to Chichester, I saw Cabaret in Festival 2002 starring Alexandra Jay.

Movie heaven is...

Harrison Ford

Comfort eating is...

Toast

When I was a child I wanted to be...

A ballerina

I wish I'd never worn...

No regrets.................

Thank you so much for being our Tea breaker for March.

If you would like more information about becoming one of our Friends click here