"Every performance brings different challenges in the way it is staged"

Hometown
I was born in Walsall, West Midlands and spend my formative years in Trinidad and Tobago. I came back to England in 1992 and lived in London, then moved Utrecht in the Netherlands for a few years, and I now live in Nottingham.

What do you do?
I work as a self-employed theatre designer, and I am currently designing the set and costumes for The Theatre Centre’s production of Romeo in the City, written by Amber Lone

I am also working with Lift (London International Festival of Theatre) as part of a team of international curators (or seekers) who are central to the development of The Lift’s A New Parliament, contributing to its design, protocols and programme for 2008.

I also work regularly as lecturer on undergraduate courses in theatre design, multimedia and design for film and television at Nottingham Trent University.

How long have you been at it?
I been working as a theatre designer since 1998 and lecturer at Nottingham Trent University since 2005

What was your very first role in theatre?
Whilst studying at Wimbledon College of Art, I did placement with Lift for the production of UTSHOB, a spectacular event inside and outside the historic Trinity Buoy Wharf, on the River Thames. I was part of a small design team and I designed four four-metre arches for the event.

What else have you done in theatre?
Set designer, Corcadorca Theatre Company, The Tempest, a large scale site-specific theatre production staged on a pond at Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork, Ireland. The production was chosen for the Republic of Ireland’s theatre design exhibition at Prague Quadrennial, the international exhibition of scenography, June 2007.

Set & projection designer, Kompany Malakhi, Bristol. A Hip Hopstory was a dance performance that toured to regional theatres.

Set designer, Corcadorca Theatre Company & City of Culture, Ireland,
The Merchant of Venice. It was a modern dress, site-specific promenade production, taking place at different locations throughout Cork City. It was nominated for best production in the Irish Times Theatre award. The designs were exhibited in Collaborators, an exhibition of UK design for performance, Waverley Building, Nottingham and will be at the V&A, London, November 2007-2008.

Video projection artist, The Library Theatre, Manchester, Merlin and the Cave of Dreams and The Real Thing.

Have you got qualifications?
* Masters degree (a second, higher-level degree) in scenography, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
* A first degree in set design for stage and screen, Wimbledon School of Art
* Foundation course in art and design, Morley College, London.

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I worked as a mediation instructor and workshop facilitator in Trinidad and Jamaica. When I came back to England I did a few temp jobs.

How did you make the move to theatre?
I needed to develop a good portfolio to get in to art college, I had done A-level art but that was years ago, so I started life drawing classes at Morley College in 1993.

Then I decided to enrol on their foundation course in art and design. Morley College is an adult education college in central London, this suited me as I was a mature student. On the course we explored a wide variety of areas, from printmaking to theatre design.

I initially began looking at theatre design after my tutors’ encouragement; they felt that the artwork I was making best suited this profession. I was then offered a place at Wimbledon School of Art on the set design for stage and screen degree.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A visual artist–a painter

What do you do all day?
This is difficult question as it really depends on the project, the theatre company I am working with and the stage I am at in the project. In all jobs I first meet the director, we discuss the proposed play and then I usually read the script, make notes and drawings about what I feel about space. I continue to meet the director and communicate through email a few times before the completed designs. I usually bring to the meetings images, research and simple 3D computer model of ideas I have been developing. If it is a site-specific performance, that takes place outside a theatre space, I definitely would visit the space at the first stage, because a space can often trigger ideas and is integral in the interpretation of the piece.

The next stage is to begin making a scale model of the stage and set designs, or refine the 3D computer model; some directors are fine with working with the computer model and other prefer the physical scale model.

After the model is shown to the theatre company and it is approved and falls within the estimated budget, I begin working with a production manager, to produce the CAD technical drawing for the set builders and images and references for the scenic painters.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Making theatre! It is wonderful to be part of this collaborative process that brings together a team of creative people. Every performance brings different challenges in the way it is staged, the script, the space, the people and that’s what makes this job fulfilling and exciting. When the creative team works together and end up with a good quality and innovative production, there is really nothing better.

And the worst?
Working with badly written and non-inspiring scripts; the long hours; and when there are tensions in the team relationship, then joy in theatre-making goes out off the window.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
To form my own theatre company and have the time to research and experiment with making new forms of theatre. I am really interested in exploring how digital technologies can be used by the scenographer.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Go for it! It is hard work, you need lots of patience and perseverance but if you don’t give up then half your battles are over.

Find other designers by joining associations like the Society of British Theatre Designers, so you can find out what happening. This profession is a small one and jobs are rarely advertised, so you need to develop good networking skills.

A job as a theatre designer has much to offer, the skills you gain allow you to work in other cross disciplinary art forms. I have done work in dance, site-specific theatre, art direction for film, digital stage projections and installation art.

Roma Patel’s website