Song and dance over baby leads to first job share in the West End
42nd Street performer makes history as she wins right to play role part-time while caring for new son
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WHEN Charlene Ford raised the prospect of job sharing her role in the West End hit 42nd Street after giving birth to her first baby she was met with distinct reluctance by theatre management.
But the memory of her father, who had died just two weeks after her son Jenson was born, spurred her to keep fighting for the right to work while still caring for her son.
Ms Ford, 33, became the first stage performer to job-share in the West End last week when it was announced she would be splitting the role with fellow actor Jenny Legg, who had covered for her while she was on maternity leave.
Though the move has been hailed as a triumph for women working in the theatre industry, she has now revealed that it took long discussions over months of meetings before the management of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane could be persuaded to agree to the arrangement.
Ms Ford told The Sunday Telegraph: “There was the initial resistance because of the logistical implications on insuring such a large company. They did not agree in the beginning because of financial things and the logistics.
“We got there in the end, it just took some negotiating and agreement by both management, myself and Jenny.”
Ms Ford – who has been performing in the cast of 42nd Street since January 2017, including in front of the Duchess of Cambridge – said that it was the memory of her father that made her determined to pursue the job share or risk having to hang up her costume and stay at home.
She said: “Two weeks after my little boy was born, my dad passed away. My dad was a huge fighter in life and never believed in giving up at anything.
“He wanted me to keep performing and doing what I love and when I
‘For mums like myself, we have a career that we worked hard to get. Why should we stop doing that?’
thought of doing this job share I had to fight for it. I am doing this for all the mums out there, doing this for myself and for my dad. He gave me the strength to fight.”
Ms Ford said the arrangement will allow her to both pursue her profession at the highest level while still spending time with Jenson.
“I absolutely love my job and performing and it’s something I have studied and trained hard for to get to a position where I am lucky enough to be part of many West End Shows.
“So the idea that it would end after having my little boy wasn’t something I was willing to accept” she said.
“It’s all about getting that balance and being able to juggle, juggle both. I really hope that this is the first of many job sharing, flexible working hours for mums within the industry because there are so many talented women out there, who just because they become mums then they have to stop.”
Ms Ford said that the theatre industry had to become more flexible if it is to help new mothers to carry on per- forming. “The challenge for mums in the performing arts industry is the demanding schedules. You’d never be there for bath time, bedtime. I know lots of friends that are now mothers that aren’t performing anymore.
“To bring flexible working and job share roles to West End is huge.”
Ms Ford, who has also performed in the West End hits including in Cats, Crazy For You and Funny Girl, and continued performing in the show up until just two months before she was due to give birth, added: “Fair enough some mums don’t want to go back to work, but for mums like myself, we have a career that we worked hard to get. Why should we stop doing that?
“And there are ways around it, split your job with someone else, it might be another mum it might not be, but we will be so committed to those working days because we worked hard for it and are passionate and we’ve got the experience behind us.”
The campaign group Parents in Performing Arts has welcomed the jobshare arrangement as a “landmark moment” and called for more production companies to follow suit.