How I broke into playwriting and directing alongside my full-time job

For the past 20 years, I have worked in and around Westminster — primarily in communications for think tanks and latterly also as a political consultant and journalist.I've written comment and analysis pieces for UK national newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, and The Telegraph and was the contributing editor of an online political-news outlet, LabourList, for five years.While I was brought up to be politically minded, this wasn't what I always wanted to do. I even had a lead role in a new young person's opera in a prestigious London venue.But as I grew up, I realized Hollywood wasn't a realistic goal, and my theatrical dreams faded as my interest in politics grew.My love of theater never disappeared, and a few years ago I found that I could write as a critic and get to see shows several nights a week for free as a result.As I watched more theater — and thought more about the mechanics of its writing and direction — my desire to be involved was rekindled. After the next project, I will take more time off to decompress.As it turns out, a job history as diverse as telesales representative, political consultant, campaigner, and journalist sets a really good foundation for starting a new life in the theater.