It was so hard picking a top 10 photo from this absolute romp of a production! Can't believe its already been a month since these @leedsdrama_ clowns took over the @cityvarieties !
One Man, Two Guvnors
by Richard Bean
Director : @erincarter30
Design: Brad Caleb Lee
Lighting: Tim Skelly
Clowning/Movement Director: Dylan Read
Sound: Tom Smith
Music Direction: Julian Schwarz
SM: Annette Evans, Elise Frost
And HUGE THANK YOU to the ABSOLUTE LEGENDS that are production manager Matt Young and costume supervisor Lynsey Bardwich, and for making my 1960s musical hall dreams a reality!
#comedy #theatre #theatredesign #vaudeville #setdesign #costumedesign #visualdramaturgy #commedia #clowning #1960s #brighton #musichall
What an incredible weekend - so busy having a laugh when with friends that I didn’t take many pictures then- so here is some from my walks exploring this gorgeous creative little place!
Today definitely deserves its permanent spot on the grid - I’m officially a dual citizen / citizen of the UK! Was a lovely ceremony this morning at @templeofpeacewales - followed by a sun filled day of joy! So lucky to have @emilycarabutler and @hsrodgers along as support squad for my aptly styled coronation and they organized for us to have a lush afternoon tea @theparkgatehotel ! 💙🏴👑🇬🇧🫖🇺🇸
Also so much gratitude and love to the village of friends, family, and colleagues who have supported me on this journey as the little boy from Alabama continues to take on this big ol world!! Diolch!!!
A big throwback!
Today I start co-teaching the opera design project on the MA Design for Performance course @rwcmd@designstudiosrwcmd (my 6th year co-teaching and 3rd year as a conceptual director).
So I thought I would share my own opera project from 2014, Massanet's Don Quichotte concieved for the Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millenium Centre with the brilliant director Ben Davis. We framed it as an exploration of the masculine identity crisis in the 20th century - blending contemporary images and traditional Spanish costumes. Though we replaced the windmills with billboards, we paid a little homage in the 3rd act bandit's lair with a large broken windmill shaft.
I was such a wee little baby theatre maker at the time and I still love this project while also feeling really proud of how far my work has continued to grow over the last 12 years!
#massanet #opera #donquichotte #tiltingatwindmills #theatre #design #costume #set #1:25model #masculineidentity
I couldn't let the year end without these drawings getting a spot on the grid! Costume renders for an all-female Julius Caesar at @leedsdrama_ directed by the iconic @gallypattagher ! Violence can be beautiful (in almost 60 costumes 😅😅)!
#costumedesign #costume #caesar #shakespeare #theatredesigner #theatre #performance #designer
Set Design Renders for @theatretusc 's 2025 production of Scrooge! The Musical Book, Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and directed by @uamattdavis ! I always love being able to make work a bit closer to home, especially around the holidays!
#theatre #musical #christmascarol #scenedesign #scenicart
✨ PQ Stories: Mustard, Mint, and Macaroons
Three flavors that memories of PQ 2015 will always taste like.
For Brad Caleb Lee, performance designer, director, curator, and storyteller, his first Prague Quadrennial was a whirlwind of design, collaboration, laughter, and treats. Days filled with art, connection, and the simple joys that make PQ unforgettable. ✨
Thanks to Brad for sharing his personal photos from his time with us! 🫶🙏
🤷♀️ What flavor represents PQ for you?
I had the ABSOLUTE JOY of spending time with @teentathequeen and @adamclicks in the @theatretusc Green Room recording an episode of their Brewing Theatre podcast! So if you miss the sound of my voice and want to hear more about what I’ve been up to, my time in Chicago, with @praguequadrennial , how I’m getting on in my new role as resident designer @walesmillenniumcentre , my work @npuchicago on the york Mystery Plays- and how excited I am to be working on Scrooge The Musical with @uamattdavis and resident costume queen Jeanette Waterman - have a listen wherever you get your podcast fix!
Just a few more chances to catch The Nutrcracker (an Alternative Cabaret) at @thecentre_yganolfan ! Here are design sketches of some of the glorious looks created by the amazing team working with me on the project! Visit Le Crack to celebrate a Merry Queermas while you can!
The Sugar Plum Fairy
Cockroach, Moth, Ellie D,
The Rat King, Fly, Nutcracker,
Papa Pigeon, Spider
Photos from the UK/EU premier of Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper's punk rock musical "That Bloody Woman" at @leedsdrama_ performed by their brilliant group of 3rd year Actor Musicians!
This really was an absolute dream of a project with a stellar group of creatives and support team - felt so many great feels being in the room with them and celebrating the power of hope deferred!
Director: @bobskibee
Music Direction: @ljmcintosh712
Movement: @lucie_lu82
Set & Costume Design: Me!
Lighting Designer: @studio.jet.ltd
Sound Designer: @tomsmiththeatre
Production Manager: @jonny_jellis
Costume Supervisor: Lynsey Barwick
Company Manager: Eve Machin-Johnson
Deputy Stage Manager: captainmorgandy
Assistant Stage Manager: @mercedesmolejones
Production Photographs: @cianscameras
And big thanks to @erincarter30 for inviting me to come and play!
Also super proud that a high percentage of what you saw on stage is second hand or reused! #sustainabledesign
#musical #theatredesign #stagedesign #visualdramaturgy #collaboration #suffrage #suffragette #rideon #hopedeferred #enough #fightforwhatsright #setdesign #costumedesign
What a press night for second Xmas show to design at @thecentre_yganolfan ! So thankful to these and other lovely humans who worked to help make the world of Le Crack come into glorious existence!! Merry Queermas to everyone!!
#theatre #cabaret #music #drag #aerial #burlesque #theatredesign #performancedesign #visualdramaturgy #setdesign #costumedesign #pressnight #wales #friends #queer
Coming to the end of tech week and seeing more layers of textures developing in the set for Nutcracker ( An Alternative Cabaret) at @thecentre_yganolfan ! Big thanks to production manager Tom Naylor and the whole WMC team!
As part of their 20th birthday celebrations, WMC are offering 20% off standard price tickets on all NUTCRACKER performances from 5 – 31 December. Use the code CABARET20 before midnight on Tuesday 3 December (choosing Web Offer to enter code)!
#theatre #theatredesign #visualdramturgy #setdesign #textures #xmas #xmasshow #gig #circus #drag #burlesque #setdressing #textures #foundobjects #techweek #regency #baroque #interwar #cabaret
