“There’s a real Sussex type. They have a hunger for making stuff happen”
As Development Manager in the University of Sussex’s Development and Alumni Relations team, Mary Connolly spends much of her time persuading Sussex graduates back to campus.
I came here in 2010 as a legacy officer for maternity cover, but with my background of working in the arts and with artists, I knew I could contribute in other ways to the team.
People have a misconception that we just ring around and ask for money. But what’s really important is to get alumni to come back and engage with students, such as the women in arts leadership panel we organised for International Women’s Day this year, or our new mentoring forum. It’s about closing the circle, and they are very happy to give back in that sense.
One of my first projects was as a fundraiser for the Attenborough Centre [while it was still being refurbished]. It was just an amazing opportunity. I worked with Michael Attenborough to galvanise donations. That’s when we conceived the portrait appeal [asking people to pledge money to create a portrait of Lord Attenborough out of names]. It was the ride of my life.
Richard Attenborough had so many admirers in the industry, not just in the film industry but across all arenas. The challenge was finding contact details for people. I literally just trawled Google, to go through their agent or PR — to get to the likes of Robert Downey-Junior.
I’m most proud of getting Denzel Washington, who starred in Attenborough’s Cry Freedom. It was clear from my approach that this was a legitimate appeal. There was an 18-month period when I never stopped looking at my emails at home or weekend. When Denzel replied with, ‘Yeah, what is it you want me to do?’, I think I was making my children’s tea.
I started off determined to be an actor, and did A levels in theatre studies and set design at school in Birmingham. I wanted to work for the BBC but didn’t go to the right university. In fact, I didn’t finish University [Leicester] — unfortunately, I missed my boyfriend at the time too much.
What changed my life was moving to London and working in Samuel French’s Theatre Bookshop — an iconic bookshop that just sold play texts and film scripts. It also published plays and represented the rights of plays. It was brilliant. I worked there for two years and then I then became a play agent.
I was working in London when theatre was at its height, so I represented the works of Sam Shephard, Arthur Miller, Lucy Gannon and Paul Abbot. Then I worked for a literary agency, representing the playwrights themselves.
I learned a lot about negotiating with difficult people, but I wasn’t happy there. In 1996 my husband and I moved to Brighton. I still wanted to work in theatre and the creative arts, so I did arts PR and marketing and became a director of Komedia in Brighton. It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s a brilliant project and venue, and has really helped to keep Brighton’s arts scene thriving. The original directors are all still there.
Although I went off the idea of being an actor, we have lots of lovely creative performers among our Sussex alumni, such as Ophelia Lovibond [from BBC’s W1A] and Bertie Carvel [Doctor Foster and Les Miserables]. I’m in touch with them and we’re hoping to do more with them in the future.
Beyond the comedians and performers, those who work in business and industry are equally interesting and feisty. Young people seem very kettled now; they have to know where they are going. What I love about meeting people from Sussex is that they never felt like that. They always felt like anything was possible, and their degree was just an aspect to who they were.
There’s a real Sussex type. They have a hunger for making stuff happen. Like a stick of rock, they have Sussex stamped through them.
Interview by Jacqui Bealing
This profile is part of our This Sussex Life series.
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