The Crescent CEO on Authentic Talent & Belfast Book Festival

Sophie Hayles

The Crescent CEO

Holding Space for Art and Audiences: Sophie Hayles Reflects on Leading Through Uncertainty, Reimagining Accessibility in the Arts, and Welcoming Homegrown Talent Back to Belfast

It’s that lovely time between, a lovely/busy time,” says Sophie Hayes, CEO of The Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast. She’s describing the moment after the launch of their book festival: the energy of promotion, the wait for ticket sales, and the quiet hope that the right people are being reached.

“And so it’s a nice time,” she adds, “because it’s the connection time between the events and audiences and things coming together.”

Despite a tough political and funding landscape, Sophie is driven by what The Crescent represents. “People are coming to join in and participate and be part of something. And I think that’s what a place like The Crescent does—as a building, and as an ethos. It’s about bringing people together.”

“We Take Full Credit for Her Creative Genius”

One of the stories Sophie returns to with fondness involves celebrated book cover designer Anna Morrison.

“She did classes at The Crescent when she was a teenager. She did life drawing here. That’s why we take full credit for her creative genius” Sophie laughs.

Anna has returned to work on an exhibition called Art of Translation, featuring some of her most iconic cover designs. “She’s come back here to work for a bit on the exhibition, and she’s doing different workshops and activity in the festival.”

The exhibition came together serendipitously. “I had a conversation with a writer named Caroline Magennis… she wrote an amazing book – Harpy: A Manifesto for Childfree Women – and I loved her cover. And I said, ‘Caroline, who is the book cover designer?’ And she named Anna. And then I looked Anna up and I said, ‘Anna, please, could we have a chat? I’m not quite sure what it’s about, but I think your work is amazing.’”

“They Recognized Each Other from the School Bus”

Anna’s return was made even more meaningful during a recent media event. “We had Kristian Nairn and Anna Morrison… and Wendy Erskine, she’s a writer,” Sophie recalls.

Then something unexpected happened.

“Anna and Kristian recognized each other from being on the school bus! She was at Victoria College and he was at Methody. So they sort of recognized each other. This was their old stomping ground.”

“That was something,” she adds. “that’s one of the things that we as a festival, and I think particularly this year celebrate. There’s a lot of Belfast-based and Northern Irish creatives who are just amazing.”

“A Place That Was Built by and for Women”

The Crescent is steeped in the legacy of pioneering women. “I feel very rooted in a place that was built by and for women,” Sophie says. “There’s something in the ethos and spirit of this building that is a female-led entrepreneurship.”

She points to Margaret Byers, founder of the original girls’ school on the site, and the inspiration for a new commissioned postcard by tutor Leah Davis. There’s a blue plaque for Byers on the building, as well as one for Helen Lewis MBE, a choreographer and Holocaust survivor.

Inside, the dance studio is named after Lewis, the writing room after poet and theologian Helen Waddell, and the art studio after Mercy Hunter, a renowned teacher and artist – recognised in Belfast as a personality around town walking with her distinctive afghan hounds.

“I feel in the spirit of the place that women have had a very actual and natural ownership of the building. And I think that has continued to flourish.”

“They Always Come Back Here”

The Crescent is also home to a colony of swifts, which inspired writer and illustrator Ruby Free during a mini residency.

“She spent some time in The Crescent, and we asked her to focus on the colony of swifts that calls The Crescent their home,” Sophie says. “She’s done a creative writing response and some sketches.”

“They always come back here,” Sophie reflects. “They travel from Mozambique, the same journey across continents. And they always come back here.”

Delighted to draw a comparison between the swifts and so many creatives coming home to The Crescent – “It’s a really lovely way—swifts—of thinking about what home means. How identities are formed… that kind of mutuality. We provide their accommodation and they come and kind of bless us with their presence.”

“People Want to Invest in Talent and Community”

The Crescent’s “Pay What You Decide” model is more than a pricing strategy – it’s a commitment to accessibility.

“It was a calculated risk, I suppose… It’s also an audience engagement initiative,” Sophie says. “It’s been really interesting seeing donations increase, and the number of repeat customers increase.”

She’s especially proud that the model has challenged assumptions. “Before we did the Pay What You Decide model, I always remember feeling really frustrated that people assumed that poetry events with local authors should be free. People do pay. They want to invest in talent and community.”

“Three Really Powerful, Creative Women”

Sophie lights up talking about another highlight: a panel called Page to Screen, featuring Kathryn Ferguson, Wendy Erskine, and Stacey Gregg.

“They’re collaborating at the moment,” Sophie says, “because one of Wendy’s short stories has been made into a film, directed by Kathryn that Stacey’s done the adaptation for… three really powerful, creative women talking about their craft.”

She challenges the idea that festivals need big-name imports to succeed. “There is so much talent here that people do want to listen to, do want to hear from and will pay for.”

“It Just Gives Me That Sense of Expansiveness”

Sophie commutes daily from Bangor, and says the train ride has become a vital “third space.”

“It’s not work, it’s not home… it’s a place that you can just hang out and be for a bit… I usually read a book and there is nothing more delightful than seeing water beside you and like letting your mind expand with the water and reading a book.”

That sense of in-between, she says, also defines what The Crescent offers: “somewhere where people can be.”