From the boardroom to the boards – ex-Lehman bankers turn to the stage in London
When Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy a year ago, Neha Jain was among the 4,500 British employees at the investment bank who found themselves with no source of income and shrinking career prospects in a recession-hit industry.
So Ms Jain, 25, who had marketed credit derivatives for the American bank, decided to, along with two other Lehman colleagues, set up a theatre group with hundreds of pounds of their own savings. It has just returned a profit less than a year after being set up. The three bankers, who had regularly worked 18-hour days for Lehman's, set up Aks Performing Arts with two others who had worked in finance. Another five came on board later, most of whom had also suffered in the financial crash, but who were willing to work for free to get their first production on to a London stage.
The troupe has just finished two sell-out shows of 30 Days in September, a play staged at Rudolf Steiner House near Baker Street, London. The play, an intense drama about abuse within a Delhi family, was written by the renowned Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani and has left the company's finances firmly in the black...
Read entire article at Independent (UK)
So Ms Jain, 25, who had marketed credit derivatives for the American bank, decided to, along with two other Lehman colleagues, set up a theatre group with hundreds of pounds of their own savings. It has just returned a profit less than a year after being set up. The three bankers, who had regularly worked 18-hour days for Lehman's, set up Aks Performing Arts with two others who had worked in finance. Another five came on board later, most of whom had also suffered in the financial crash, but who were willing to work for free to get their first production on to a London stage.
The troupe has just finished two sell-out shows of 30 Days in September, a play staged at Rudolf Steiner House near Baker Street, London. The play, an intense drama about abuse within a Delhi family, was written by the renowned Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani and has left the company's finances firmly in the black...