Lucy Kerbel

Lucy Kerbel

Founder and Director

Lucy is the Founder and Director of Tonic, which has worked across the arts and cultural sector since 2011 helping organisations build workforces that are diverse, resilient and adaptable. Over this time, Lucy has led the company’s work driving change across hundreds of theatres, dance companies, opera houses, museums, galleries and other cultural organisations across the UK and Europe.

At Tonic, she designs and leads change programmes that generate widespread shifts by enlisting the entire spectrum of organisations from the biggest (National Theatre, Royal Ballet & Opera, Sadler’s Wells) through to those at grass roots level, and the impact of Tonic’s work is just as likely to be seen in a school drama studio as it is on the stages of the West End. Since 2018, Tonic’s work has also encompassed Higher Education via its Participate programme which works annually with thousands of students preparing for careers in performing arts, supporting their personal, inter-personal and professional development.

Lucy is the author of two books: 100 Great Plays for Women and All Change Please – A Practical Guide to Achieving Gender Equality in Theatre, both published by Nick Hern Books. Prior to founding Tonic, she worked as a theatre director. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018.

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What does your role at Tonic involve?

Trying to understand what people working in the arts need in order to make change and then working out how Tonic can provide that! This involves a balancing act: I spend a lot of time looking at the big picture of what’s going on in society in order to understand how this is impacting levels of access and opportunity within the arts. But I’m also on the ground within the sector, doing lots of listening so I can understand on a granular level what challenges people are facing. Then it’s down to me and the team to design a range of solutions that respond to this.

In addition to setting the direction for the organisation and leading the team, I still get to spend lots of time working directly on a one-to-one basis with organisations. This is great as it means I’m still ‘on the shop floor’.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Tonic?

It’s a privilege to be in a job that is about making a difference. I can see the positive impact that Tonic has had over the last decade and this is hugely motivating. 

Beyond this, I love the variety of my job and the space it gives me to be creative. Innovation is a huge part of what we do here at Tonic and it inevitably that means things stay interesting. Even when there is a lot on, or it feels difficult, it’s never boring! Also, the team here is amazing and I get so much from working alongside such clever, committed and interesting people.

What book/podcast/documentary/etc inspires you the most?

I read really widely in an effort to understand what’s going on in our world and how different people experience it. I actively look for stuff that will not only expand my knowledge but help me see new perspectives and also challenge my existing perceptions. In recent years a few books that have stood out include Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by Francis Fukuyama, Black and British by David Olusoga and Talking to my Daughter: a Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis. In terms of podcasts, the RSA’s Bridges to the Future series has sparked so many interesting ideas for me.

What 3 words would you use to describe Tonic?

Integrity. Thoughtfulness. Positivity.

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