A warm and open-armed welcome to Sara Chezari, Surface Area Dance Theatre’s General Manager
Sara Chezari journeyed to Newcastle with her family from Tehran, Iran, in 2000. She graduated from Loughborough University with a BA Hons in History and Politics. She has since worked in several organisations in diverse roles, including light and sound technician, teaching English as a foreign language, helping run and grow an independent café and setting up her own Persian Supper Club.
Before joining Surface Area Dance Theatre as General Manager, Sara supported local voluntary and community organisations to build resilience, instil good governance and improve equity, diversity, and inclusion. She has conducted extensive governance reviews on organisations, completed comprehensive options appraisals and supported organisations to review and implement effective policies and procedures. She has designed, developed, and delivered Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and other values-based training sessions. She uses her lived experience and knowledge of culture, inequalities, and intersectionality to support organisations to work more inclusively with marginalised communities. Sara enjoys creating inclusive and safe spaces for people to learn, laugh and connect.
At Surface Area Dance Theatre, Sara is responsible for the administrative operations and managing the company’s artistic and strategic activities. She works closely with Executive Director Nicole Vivien Watson to deliver strategic aims, build relationships, and support the company’s diverse artists and communities.