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In Pictures: BA Theatre Design and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre collaboration

Image shows 3 people standing on a 1970s rug with a large circular orange fringe lampshade hanging above a brown square seat. Two people in the foreground can be seen embracing with one person in the background, on the left hand side, interjecting in the apparent conversation.
  • Written byEuan McLaren
  • Published date 21 March 2023
Image shows 3 people standing on a 1970s rug with a large circular orange fringe lampshade hanging above a brown square seat. Two people in the foreground can be seen embracing with one person in the background, on the left hand side, interjecting in the apparent conversation.
The Father designed by BA Theatre Design student Emilia Mendez
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023

For the 7th year running, third-year students from BA Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Arts have joined forces with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre as part of Evolution Festival 2023, presenting extracts from 4 classic plays, reimagined and restaged for a contemporary audience.

The collaboration, which has been running since 2016, creates opportunities for emerging directors and designers to work together on projects, providing a platform for young theatre makers to launch their careers.

This year, Wimbledon BA Theatre Design students have worked with early career directors to co-create new productions of classic works - The Master Builder and Pygmalion and The Father and The Clouds. After a week of sold-out performances at Wimbledon College of Arts, the plays hit the stage at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre on 21, 22, 23 and 24 March.

The collaboration is a key part of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre's Evolution Festival, which provides a vital pathway for young theatre makers breaking into the industry and offers professional opportunities for young emerging talent. Artists from previous years have gone on to create shows at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, The Vaults, The Bunker theatre, Battersea Arts Centre and the Young Vic. Also part of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s Evolution Festival is Wasted, designed by Wimbledon BA Theatre Design alum, Sonya Smullen, who featured as one of the designers at Evolution Festival 2022.

Speaking about her involvement in the process, third-year BA Theatre Design student Emilia Mendez reflects:

“Working with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and collaborating on The Father with director Lyse Marcelle has been incredibly inspiring and completely invaluable to my design and creative process, as well as deepening my understanding of the theatre industry and preparing me to enter the world of live performance.”

The Evolution Labs 2023 performances feature 4 plays:

The Master Builder

Designer: Andrew Yu, BA Theatre Design

Director: Ellis Patrick

Lighting Designer: Scarlett Bryan

Actors: Kit Shirley, Angus Lindsay

Pygmalion

Designer: Shahaf Beer, BA Theatre Design

Director: Ashen Gupta

Lighting Designer: Scarlett Bryan

Actors: Sahana Rackal, Flinn Andreae, Sam Hegedus

The Father

Director: Lyse Marcelle

Designer: Emilia Mendez, BA Theatre Design

Lighting Designer: Jocelyn Fu

Actors: Ronay Poole, Kofi Jordan, Chifaa Khelfaoui, Daniela Lucinda Santos

The Clouds

Designer: Agnes Yeung, BA Theatre Design

Director: Lorraine Bitmead

Lighting Designer: Jocelyn Fu

Actors: Emmanuel Simon, Ozzy Algar, Julia Stowski, Michael Sookhan

Image shows the model set design for 'The Master Builder', showing a green piece of fabric overlapping with a smaller grey piece of fabric. 2 wooden structures sit on either side of the design, with 2 model people standing on either side and 2 chairs placed on either side.
Model set design for The Master Builder designed by BA Theatre Design student Andrew Yu
| Photograph: Photo by Euan McLaren 2023
Image shows a person in a painting lab with a mask on spray painting carpet to create a 1970s inspired rug. The person is wearing all black with their hair tied up and light windows sit behind them.
BA Theatre design student, Emilia Mendez, working on a set piece for The Father
BA (Hons) Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Photo by Euan McLaren 2023
Image shows 2 hands flicking through the pages of a workbook with a sketch of costumes and a red rose. In the background, you can see a model set for the play Pygmalion.
BA Theatre Design student, Shahaf Beer, shows his designs for Pygmalion
BA (Hons) Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Photo by Euan McLaren 2023
Image shows 2 people in a set designed to look like the United Kingdom's House of Commons. It is green with benches on either side. 1 person is holding a large mace and swinging it towards another person who can be seen sitting down on the right hand side bench. Small placards can be seen on the ground reading 'Tax Loopholes' and 'Universal Credit'.
The Clouds designed by BA Theatre Design student Agnes Yeung
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023
Image shows 2 large wooden structures with different angled planks of light wood sitting on top of multiple overlapping squares of carpet. 2 people can be seen conversing centre stage and a large lamp sits on the right hand side.
The Master Builder designed by BA Theatre Design student Andrew Yu
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023
Image shows a birds eye view of the set for 'The Father'. From this view, a circular 1970s inspired rug can be seen with a large circular orange fringed lampshade hanging over brown square seating. An actor can be seen lying beneath the light on the seating and audience members can be seen taking their seats in the background.
The Father designed by BA Theatre Design student Emilia Mendez
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023
Image shows 3 people standing on stage with 1 person standing on 3 pink doors that are lying horizontally on the ground. The other 2 people stand on either side of the doors.
Pygmalion designed by BA Theatre Design student Shahaf Beer
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023
Image shows 2 people in a set designed to look like the United Kingdom's House of Commons. It is green with benches on either side. 1 person can be seen sitting on the bench facing the other person and pointing in an accusatory manner.
The Clouds designed by BA Theatre Design student Agnes Yeung
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023
Image shows a large circular orange fringed lampshade with a white light inside. A person can be seen sitting in the middle of the orange fringe, on top of a square brown seat. A 1970s style rug sits across the floor and another person looks on from the right hand side.
The Father designed by BA Theatre Design student Emilia Mendez
| Photograph: Photo by Andrea Capello, 2023

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