Award-Winning Director Makes Theatre Women Centric

Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, an award-winning director is breaking stereotypes and is working towards making theatre, women centric. The director of Mojo Juju says she has often, in her career, been one of the few women on set.

She recently did Clumsy Love that comprised of 18 women and two men, and described the process of recruiting female crew members as 'totally difficult'. "As soon as I found any women, for example the gaffer that I work with a lot now, I just said I want to work with you all the time. I know you are still on the journey up, but I want you to be my lead gaffer."

Dalimore has managed to build a group of women who regularly crew her shoots and this includes hair stylists, makeup artists, sound recordists and camera women. And since Clumsy Love, every music, she has made has had a majority female crew. "The majority of men that I do work with are incredibly aware of themselves and their behavior and the environments that they are walking into. But when I have to work with men maybe of an older generation of filmmaking, there can be much more tension." Dalimore reveals that there's 'comfort' and 'absolute freedom' in the room with a majority female crew. "Generally, working with all women there is something that changes in the communication and I think that's really subtle, how you speak about everything and how you are able to do anything, automatically changes."

The female director attributes the industry's gender problem to a 'real lack of confidence and self-assurance from a young age in your own capabilities'. Dalimore said that if one doesn't have any confidence, she can just be shut down.