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In Pictures: BA Theatre Design students collaborate with Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

Image shows a person in a white dress standing to the right holding their hands in their hair. In the background, there are 3 parts of a set which have legs projected on them.
  • Written byEuan McLaren
  • Published date 25 March 2024
Image shows a person in a white dress standing to the right holding their hands in their hair. In the background, there are 3 parts of a set which have legs projected on them.
Actor performs in Candida, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto

For the 8th consecutive year, third-year students from BA (Hons) Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Arts have teamed up with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre as part of Evolution Festival 2024. The annual collaboration showcases extracts from 4 classic plays, each reimagined and revitalized for contemporary audiences.

The partnership began in 2016 and provides a vital opportunity for emerging directors and designers to collaborate, offering a springboard for young theatre makers to gain industry experience and kickstart their careers. This year, Wimbledon College of Arts BA Theatre Design students have teamed up with early career directors to breathe new life into timeless classics – The Government Inspector and The Birds and Mine Eyes Have Seen and Candida. Following a week of performances at Wimbledon College of Arts, the shows will premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre on 25, 26, 27 and 28 March.

Designers from previous years have gone on to create shows at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, The Vaults, The Bunker Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre and Young Vic. The festival is headlined by the Bill Cashmore Award-winning play Haemosporidian [He·mo·spo·rid·ian], created by Sam Purkis, Ryan Stevens and Wilf Walsworth, directed by Emily Aboud and designed by BA Theatre Design graduate, Emilia Mendez. Emilia returns to the Lyric for a second year, having designed for the Evolution: Labs adaptation of The Father for the festival in 2023.

Glen Neath, Associate Lecturer at Wimbledon College of Arts, said: “The BA Theatre Design course at Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL has worked with the Lyric team to create opportunities for emerging directors and designers to collaborate since 2016, and many lasting collaborations have been forged over the years. This year's 2024 Labs creatives are all incredibly talented theatre-makers and we can't wait to see how they have reworked these classics texts.”

The Evolution Labs 2024 performances feature 4 plays:

Mine Eyes Have Seen
By Alice Dunbar Nelson 
Designed by Junru Chen 
Directed by Matilda Liu 
Actors: Wenjie Cui, Harry Zhang, Bessie Wang, Aoife Cassidy

Candida
By George Bernard Shaw
Designed by Dada Kim
Directed by Segen Yosife
Assistant directed by Dominque Reid
Serim Jung (composer)
Luan Victor (live drummer)
Actors: James Douglas-Quarcoopome, Anna Roy, Tai White, Michael Sookhan

The Government Inspector
By Nikolai Gogol 
Designed by Leonah Alexander-Joseph
Directed by Jordi M. Carter
Actors: Dami Adeyeye, Jessica Enemokwu, Phoebe Cleghorn, Agnes V. Moricz

The Birds
By Aristophanes 
Designed by Amelia Kyriacou
Directed by Prashant Tailor
Actors: Tiarnan Doherty, Jean-Jacques Yebouet, Gloria Akpoke

Image shows a silhouette of a person sitting in front of a large clock with small lit up houses in the background
An actor sits on stage in front of the set design for Mine Eyes Have Seen, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows a person lying down, apparently in pain, while another person holds them. They are wearing brown clothing with ropes wrapping round them both.
Actors perform in The Birds, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows a person dressed in a white suit standing in a theatre with multicoloured doors and a long table with chairs in the background
An actor performs in The Government Inspector, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows a stage with 3 segments of a red apple made from wood and stretched material, each with a chair and blue overhead lighting
The set for Candida, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows 2 people tied together with ropes moving around a stage which features different levels of benches adorned with fabric.
Actors perform in The Birds, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows 2 people standing in front of large wooden frames – one situated on the left-hand side and one on the right-hand side. In the background is a large clock and miniature houses lit up.
Actors perform in Mine Eyes Have Seen, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows a man standing with his fist on his heart. In the background are multicoloured doors and another person can be seen leaning over a table.
An actor performs in the Government Inspector, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto
Image shows a person dressed in a bird costume standing over another person who is on their knees. The person standing appears to be pulling rope from the person kneeling.
Actors performs in The Birds, 2024 BA Theatre Design, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL │ Photography: Martín Del Busto

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