Some initial Panto research for 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at The Georgian Theatre Royal

This year our panto will be set in a circus!!

Peepshow model theatre

Finished the peepshow box model auditorium

Total of 500 seats!

Barbican: Magnificent Obsessions family day - Classification Station

Classification Station at the Barbican

An interactive game of sorting and classification.

Mufti Games at the Barbican this Saturday!

I've recently been working with Mufti games, on a new collectors game commissioned by the Barbican as part of their Magnificent Collectors family day.

We have been creating a new game that responds to their current exhibition 

'Magnificent Obsessions'

Classification station badges: 

The badge design is meant to look like crossed magnifying glasses, similar to the crossed keys design in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and also suggests a face with glasses and a moustache.

Info on this Saturdays event:

I'll be there all day Saturday so come and say hi if you pop in!

Bristol Blues exchange graphic design

We are back with this years Bristol Blues Exchange!

I've just finished the designs for the website, poster and flyer:

Tickets available soon!

Finished design for the European Blues Invasion Flyers, posters and t-shirt design

Here is the front and back design for the EBI Flyers, and  black and white T-shirt screen print design:

Peepshow auditorium model

Last week I worked on the inside of the Peepshow box that I designed last year. For the design of the auditorium I combined elements of the Bristol Old Vic and The Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond.

NYE Tobacco Factory Speakeasy

Working with the Food and Theatre company I recently designed and made the decor for the Tobacco factory's NYE Speakeasy bar. 

It was based around the concept of 'Frank's' bar, with brewed Frank's corn whiskey. Fran was the original architect for the Tobacco factory, and was part of the Wills family who owned it. The Frank's tobacco logo that I used was based on the original trade mark that W.D & H.O Wills used on their Tobacco products.

Granny chicken costumes

Granny chickens!

I've just finished making three granny chickens for a walkabout show.

The chicken costumes are made with three layers of fabric, a lining, wadding and fur.

Costumes were made for Jagprops, I was assisted by Victoria Wells and Jane Alison Price.

Chicken heads were made in advance by Lizzie Watts

SBTD exhibition - Make/Believe Nottingham

 My display at the SBTD exhibition in Nottingham, on until the 31st January.

More info here:
Link to SBTD website

I am exhibiting:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf - Tutti Frutti

The Raree Man Peepshow - Prom Prom Productions

Cinderella - Georgian Theatre Royal

Catalogue page:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf modelbox

I made the scale figures using a wire armature, Supersculpy for the figure, Das for the clothes and paint to finish.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf opens at the Lawrence Batley

The Boy Who Cried Wolf opens at the Lawrence Batley in Huddersfield, adapted for a larger thrust stage, with a new cast.

Puss in Boots - model box and show

Below shows the model box and the finished design.

Puss in Boots - show photos

Here are photos from each scene.

Walkdown props

I designed a sign for 'Whiskers' Milk Bar', using a mixture of hand drawn images and photoshop. 

Once the sign was painted lights were installed.

I made matching menus that sit on the tables in the walkdown scene.

The Windmill

There is a lot of dressing inside Ada's windmill, including shelving and cake wallpaper. 

The bottom left picture is of the scale model.

Roseville costume fitting

Costume fitting with Gwenny - it fits!

Design for Mon Santo's flour and corn sacks

I created the logo for the flour and corn sacks found in the Windmill, these were laser cut into stencils and sprayed onto the sacks.

Roseville dress finished

Finally finished the carpet wedding dress for 'Roseville'.

I have used old wedding photos for detail with fringing and lights on both the dress and the tiara veil.

Panto rockets

For Puss in Boots I designed a rocket built from old windmill sails and baking trays from the Windmill. This is built on stage to their version of 'Greased Lightning'. We replicated this in a smaller scale as well, which is seen during the UV ballet scene showing their journey through space. 

Both had red flashing lights installed.

Small rocket made by Victoria Wells

Giant space squid puppet

This is the giant space squid puppet made for Puss in Boots at the Georgian Theatre Royal.

It had to pack down as flat as possible and rise up from the pit to its full size.

There were also two roach poles that extended out attached to two 5m long tentacles that could reach out into the boxes.

This is the original design sketch for the puppet, I changed it a little due to the materials used to make it, so it had more of a space robot look to it.

Roseville dress construction progress

Stages of construction:

 The actress is exactly the same measurements as me, which was great for trying it on and checking movement and shape.

Front cloth is finished and borders just need glitter!

Front cloth and legs progress

Front cloth and legs are nearly finished, lots of glitter and stars to add!

Assisted by Victoria wells and Tashi Gregorska.

Lake cloth painting

Painting the lake cloth.

Ply wood moon

Moon Cloth painting

Painting the moon cloth, each cloth is 4.5m x 5m.

Assisted by: Victoria Wells, Chloe Dunscombe.

Panto cloth designs

To create the designs I used a combination of hand drawing on a light box, and photoshop to create flat bold shapes. The scale images have black outlines but the painted cloths won't.

Panto design

Puss in Boots Set and cloths design

The design is influenced by 1950s fabric prints, illustration and adverts, particularly travel posters. 

I have used block colours with sharp edges and no black outlines.

Link to The Georgian Thetare Royal Website

Panto set and props sketches

Here are some sketches for a few bits from the Panto design for this year's 'Puss in Boots'