I wrote this back in 2016 when this production first opened . It is now in a new production at Garsington with an entirely new cast , reimagined for covid but still remarkably powerful . Seeing a full chorus , and hearing the Philharmonia in full … [Read more...]

This year's installation of Poppies Wave has opened in Lincoln ,after the watery challenge of YSP last year the team, led by Maxwell Malden, had to cope with the extreme slopes of the castle walls. We choose to locate the wave at the lowest part of … [Read more...]

A unique project that has grown from an initial meeting with the director Ajay Chhabra on a 14-18Now research trip to Flanders into part of a 10 hour immersive experience in the garden of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton for Brighton festival. The day … [Read more...]

The first of this year's Poppy installations has opened at St Magnus Cathedral, a beautiful 12th century red stone building slowly being eroded by the winds.It is the the most northerly Cathedral in the country, owned by the people of Orkney. The … [Read more...]

Right in the middle of an exhausting but hopefully rewarding tec period for this Cuban musical in Paris. Based on the workshop from 2014 with 14 cuban dancers, 9 principals, 10 ensemble, 3 children and a 14 piece cuban band on stage it is going to be … [Read more...]

The RSC has set itself quite a challenge with this ambitious project which i have been involved with now for nearly a year , but as it draws closer the full scale is only now really dawning on me. Of course we want to produce a magical moving and … [Read more...]

At last it's open after months of planing and a lot of consultation within the Design Community ! In many ways I was more nervous  of how my fellow designers might respond to how we have chosen to celebrate their work than I am of the Critics' s pen. … [Read more...]

This is the third time i have done this remarkable play, each time with a fine director and always in Scotland! Back in the Eighties I took a student version, directed by Sam Mendes, to the Chaplaincy Centre where we sealed our two young 'oldies' in … [Read more...]

Delighted that Red Velvet is getting yet another outing and finally in a West End setting. In a play that is all about the Theatre and the questions of how far is acceptable for an actor to transform themselves to become their character, it is great … [Read more...]

Strange to think that a year ago today I was standing in the moat of the Tower of London watching as the final Poppy was planted in 'Blood Swept Lands and seas of Red'. At that point we still didn't know if we would be able to save the two sculptural … [Read more...]