Scenography - The Theatre Design Website

Agendas, Agendas, Agendas at the V&A
Exploring Craft and Authenticity in Scenography

With
Jenny Tiramani, Bill Mitchell and Sophie Jump
Chaired by Hilary Baxter / Kate Burnett
Friday 14th March 6.45 - 8.45 pm

This is the second of a series of Agendas events, organised by Wimbledon College of Art in association with Nottingham Trent University, the Society of British Theatre Designers and the V&A. They provide opportunities to debate research issues and questions underpinning the practice of theatre design and including contexts, collaborative relationships and exhibiting this discipline.

The three presentations in this event explore the notion of designer as craftsperson engaged with the authenticity of their material, working with ‘real’ or original life histories, manufacturing methods and skills, places and artefacts – and most importantly – people in other communities, crafts and professions.

Jenny Tiramani
Jenny has worked as a Costume and Stage Designer since 1977. She was Associate Designer at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East 1979-1997, Director of Theatre Design at Shakespeare’s Globe 1997-2005 and is presently Resident Designer of Mark Rylance’s Phoebus Cart Theatre CompanyJenny has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Costume Design – Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 2003 and the Sam Wanamaker Award for contribution to Shakespeare in Performance – co-recipient with Mark Rylance and Claire van Kampen, 2007

As a Dress Historian, publications include Patterns of Fashion Volume 4, on linens c.1540-1660 by the late Janet Arnold (in preparation), Janet Arnold and the Globe Wardrobe COSTUME No. 34, 2000 and The Sanders Portrait COSTUME No. 39, 2005.. Jenny is a member of the Early Modern Dress and Textiles Network – a two-year research project at Queen Mary’s College, University of London funded by the AHRC.

Since its opening in 2000, the permanent Shakespeare’s Globe exhibition, has featured 6 complete costumes designed by Jenny Tiramani and worn in Shakespeare productions at the Globe. Two complete costumes from the 2005 Globe productions The Winter’s Tale and Measure for Measure are currently displayed in the COLLABORATORS Exhibition at the V&A. Jenny is currently creating an exhibition for the Collaborators Temporary Space which will open in July 2008.

Bill Mitchell
Bill has worked as director /designer with Perspectives, Theatre Centre in London, Roundabout Young Peoples Theatre, Walk the Plank and the Young Vic Theatre in London. As a freelance designer he has worked with many theatre companies including Avon Touring, Theatre Foundry, Birmingham Rep, Soho Poly, the Royal National Theatre, The Donmar Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and with The Shaman Company in Budapest

In 1988 Bill moved to Cornwall and became a member of the Kneehigh team. For Kneehigh he devised and directed many productions including ‘Ship of Fools’, ‘Carmen’ and ‘Arabian Nights” He has also designed most of their shows since ‘Tregeagle’ in 1989. Recent design projects include, ‘The Red Shoes’, ‘The Bacchae’, ‘Tristan & Yseult’ ‘Nights at the Circus’ and ‘A Matter Of Life And Death ‘ all directed by Emma Rice, From 1995 until 2005 he was Artistic Director of Kneehigh Theatre. His work has been seen in Europe, USA, China, Syria, Australia and New Zealand.
Over the last 10 years he has created many large site-specific and landscape theatre projects including ‘Ghost Nets’,’ Hells Mouth’ and ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. Inspired by a Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story, this last production was performed to great acclaim in Malta (2003), Cyprus (2004) and Hayle, Cornwall (2005). In 2005 Bill created his own company WILDWORKS to explore a theatre involving place and the people who belong to it as a vital part of the production. The latest journey ‘Souterrain’ has been received to great acclaim in seven different residencies, in France and the UK. Bill’s exhibition – Wildworks – will open in the Collaborators temporary Space on 9 April. For more details see the website atwww.wildworks.biz

Sophie Jump
Sophie works in both theatre and dance and is a founder member and Associate Director of seven sisters group. The company has become well known for its site-specific work and has toured nationally and internationally. A Director of the Society of British Theatre Designers, she is co-editor and designer of the SBTD Blue Pages newsletter. Sophie’s work has been shown in the time+space, 2D>3D and Collaborators SBTD national and touring exhibitions and was selected to represent Britain at the Prague Quadrennial 1999, 2003 and 2007 international exhibitions of theatre design. Sophie is currently writing a book about the London Theatre Studio and Old Vic School. She
has curated an exhibition, When Marcel Met Motley, about the collaboration between Marcel Breuer and the theatre design team Motley in the 1930s, that originated in the Chelsea Arts Space and is scheduled to be shown in the Collaborators temporary exhibition space in autumn 2008.

Hilary Baxter
Educated at Central Saint.Martins College of Art and Design. she is a Practitioner/Researcher in Costume Design with considerable experience of set and costume for Theatre. Hilary Is Pathway Leader in Costume Design and Costume Interpretation at Wimbledon College of Art.

Kate Burnett
Kate is a Theatre Designer and Educator, Honorary Secretary to The SBTD (Society of British Theatre Designers) and Reader in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University. She is project director and curator of the Collaborators: UK Design for Performance national exhibition project.

To attend this event please book your place by contacting Claire Foss in the Research Centre on 0207 514 9706

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in association with
OISTAT present Jean-Guy Lecat’s “The Essential Performance Space: An exploration of space, design and performance”

A workshop for performance creators, examines the dynamics of space, performance and inter-disciplinary collaboration within theatre. The workshop explores the dynamics of the audience performer relationship, the essential simplicity of design and the collaborative ethos.

Ideal for:

• Actors
• Architects
• Directors
• Lighting designers
• Set and costume designers
• Sound designers
• Theatre Technicians

Supported by Sean Crowley and Ian Evans of RWCMD Co-designers of the PQ Scenofest stage. Jean-Guy’s workshop allows international participants to share in a journey that will reveal the full potential of working to create performance, within a truly focussed environment, that refines spatial design to its essential purity.

The workshop is designed for 40 to 50 participants, working in 4 to 5 groups over 5 days.

The workshop is supported by a series of lecture presentations and visits to performance spaces that explore the theories that Jean-Guy has applied throughout his career.

Photograph by Jerome Maeckelbergh

On the final day, all participants will be taken to the Gower Peninsula, one of the United Kingdom’s areas of outstanding natural beauty for an informal celebration of the workshop, barbeque and beach party.

The workshop provides:

• Residential accommodation for the week
• A midday meal
• All materials and equipment
• Final celebration

Fee:
£528 .75 inclusive of VAT

Arrival date: 10thJuly 2008 Departure: 17th July 2008

Contact: Sean Crowley

Location:
The College is located in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales and within the grounds of Cardiff Castle. Easily accessible by road or rail, Cardiff is situated just 2 hours from the centre of London. Cardiff also has its own International Airport which is only a 20 minute drive from the College. With low cost airlines offering excellent deals to Europe, Cardiff is an ideal base from which to visit other countries in the EU.

This workshop is presented in co-ordination with OISTAT, The International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (www.oistat.org ) and a portion of the funds raised by the workshop will fund future OISTAT projects and scholarships.

Dates:
11th of July to 16th of July 2008

Registration:

Closes May 31st, 2008.

Barbizon Capitol has organized a regional Lighting Expo designed to provide you with first-hand experience, as well as the opportunity to meet manufacturers, other professionals and industry leaders. Over 40 lighting manufacturers will be demonstrating their latest products and offering advice on the right equipment for your specific needs. Additionally, the Barbizon Expo will provide you with educational opportunities to increase your knowledge of products and techniques. During the course of the day there will be instructional lighting sessions led by industry professionals covering television, film, and theatrical lighting.

“Information may be the most valuable commodity in the decision making process. Barbizon continually provides our customers with valuable information on the products and services we offer—on our website, through printed materials, and with our knowledgeable sales staff. Although reading a webpage or brochure can give you a wealth of information, nothing beats the “hands on” experience of a trade show.”

Visit the Expo’s website for updates on session times and specific topics. The Barbizon Lighting Expo is being held at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center on Thursday, June 12, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Expo is open to anyone interested in broadcast, entertainment, architectural, theatrical, and museum lighting products and services. Admission to the Expo and the informational sessions is free for all attendees.

For more information about the Barbizon Lighting Expo, or to register to attend, please visit:
www.barbizonexpo.com, or contact Justin Lang at 202-340-6988.

From pantomime and drama to opera and dance, in the UK and abroad, this display will bring together the work of over 100 of Britain’s most creative theatre designers recognised worldwide for their skills and innovative designs.

On display will be designs by three of the most internationally acclaimed set designers of recent years - Paul Brown, Richard Hudson and Ralph Koltai - including Brown’s surreal designs for La Traviata at the 25,000-seat Arena di Verona (2004). There will also be Es Devlin’s 2006 Laurence Olivier Award-winning costume designs for the RSC’s production of Dog in a Manger and designs for Orestes 2.0 by recent Linbury prize winner Becs Andrews.

Dates: 21 November 2007 - 18 November 2008

Admission: Free

Photo: “The White Album” Nottingham Playhouse 2006, Scenography by Liam Doona, photograph by Nathan Rose

Collaborators at Nottingham Trent January 2007

23 October 2007, London: The Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design, the national search for the country’s most talented young stage designers, culminates in a two month long exhibition at the National Theatre, it was announced today. Four winners will go on to share around £66,000 in prize money and a production commission.

• Exhibition Dates: 10 November 2007 – 5 January 2008
• Private View: Wednesday 15 November 2007 1800hrs – 2000hrs
• Winners Announcement: Wednesday 15 November 1830hrs

This year the prize celebrates 20 years of discovering, supporting and promoting young stage designers, many of whom have gone on to become internationally recognised in their field and receiving numerous awards. These include Tim Hatley, winner of an Olivier award and a Tony for Humble Boy and Private Lives; Anthony Ward, designer for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, My Fair Lady and Rupert Goold’s Macbeth; Vicki Mortimer, designer for Closer and Jumpers for The National Theatre and currently working on Much Ado about Nothing; Es Devlin, designer for ENO’s current production of Carmen and Kanye West’s recent US Tour and Adam Wiltshire whose work has twice been used by Royal Ballet choreographer Alastair Marriott at the Royal Opera House.

The Linbury Biennial Exhibition at The National Theatre showcases the work of 12 young stage designers chosen from over 100 applicants to the competition. Since July they have been working with four of some of the UK’s leading theatre and opera companies preparing their models and designs for forthcoming productions. The four Linbury Prize winners will be announced on 15 November and will receive a commission to realise their designs on stage, as well as a generous financial reward. This year the participating companies are Headlong, Tricycle Theatre, Hampstead Theatre and The Opera Group.

The National Theatre exhibition attracts leading figures from the theatre industry looking for new stage design talent making it an extraordinary opportunity for exposure and recognition at an early stage in the designers’ careers. Many previous finalists have gone on to win commissions from contacts made at the exhibition, and to forge highly successful careers, some receiving major awards for their work in stage design.  These include Anthony Ward, Vicki Mortimer and Colin Richmond.

Nicholas Hytner, Artistic Director, National Theatre, said: “It is always an enormous pleasure to host the Linbury Biennial exhibition and I look forward with excitement to seeing what the new generation of stage designers are up to. The Linbury Biennial has consistently discovered and encouraged the best young designers and has become absolutely indispensable to the future of British theatre, opera and dance”.

The Linbury Biennial, founded in 1987 by Anya Sainsbury, is the only prize of its kind and gives recently graduated stage designers an unparalleled opportunity to work with professional theatre companies and collaborate with writers, directors, choreographers and technical teams at a crucial stage in their careers.

Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design Platform

13 December, 6pm (45 minutes), Cottesloe £3.50/£2.50
A discussion featuring contributions from major figures from the world of theatre design to coincide with this unique award and exhibition.

Tickets: 020 7452 3000 / www.nationaltheatre.org.uk