Fancy some FREE theatre design days with industry leaders?

6 May 2025

We're hosting a series of FREE intensives offering artistic and practical deep dives for people interested in a career in Set & Costume Design, Lighting Design, Sound Design & Composition, and Puppetry Design & Direction.

The sessions are for people aged 18+ who are locally rooted to West Yorkshire and the Leeds City Region.

The intensives, generously supported by the Jerwood Foundation, will introduce early career theatre designers to the creation process within their chosen field, exploring referencing and developing ideas, design processes and presentations, and how designs work with and enhance other elements of theatre storytelling.

The four intensives are:

  • Introduction to Lighting Design led by Jai Morjaria, Wed 4 June 10am-4pm
  • Introduction to Puppetry Design & Direction led by Rachael Canning, Fri 20 June, 10am-4pm
  • Introduction to Sound Design and Composition led by Annie May Fletcher, Wed 2 July 10am-4pm
  • Two-day Director & Designer Intensive led by Amy Leach and Hayley Grindle, Wed 9 July, 10am-5pm + Thu 10 July 10am-4pm

Amy Leach, Deputy Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse, said: “Thanks to our funding partner Jerwood, in the last two years we’ve welcomed two year-long Resident Designers, two three-month Scenic Workshop Placements, an eight-week Introduction to Design Course, and now four intensives with industry experts.

“It’s always an absolute privilege to support local theatre designers and I’m constantly amazed by the depth and breadth of talent we have in our region. Scenic and costume design are a critical and under-supported part of the theatre-making process, which is why we’re always so excited to support early career designers.”

There will be a support worker/note taker available at each intensive, and other access requirements can be supported, including the provision of BSL interpreters.

Find out more about

Jerwood Foundation was established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE. The Foundation supports excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK and has to date donated over £110 million. In 2023 the Foundation merged with Jerwood Charity (Jerwood Arts) to create a single UK charity, ensuring maximum impact for beneficiaries and a sustainable future. Alan Grieve, who was Chairman of Jerwood Foundation for 30 years, was appointed Chairman Emeritus and Rupert Tyler appointed Chairman. The organisation is led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee.

Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of Modern and Contemporary art, and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art. Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when opened in 1998. Jerwood Space continues to be one of the best and most sought-after rehearsal spaces for theatre and dance in the country.

To find out more about Jerwood, visit jerwood.org.

Jai Morjaria trained at RADA. Theatre design includes: Barcelona (Duke of York’s Theatre); Why Am I So Single? (Garrick Theatre); The Buddha of Suburbia (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican Theatre); The Secret Garden (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Barnum (Watermill Theatre); Macbeth (Wessex Grove/Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington); Cuckoo, Graceland (Royal Court); Othello (National Theatre); The Trials (Donmar Warehouse); Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Haymarket Theatre/Lyric Hammersmith/Sheffield Theatres); Wuthering Heights (St Ann’s Warehouse/National Theatre/International Tour/Wise Children); My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) (Ambassadors Theatre/Garrick Theatre/Turbine Theatre); Chasing Hares (Young Vic); Lost and Found (Factory International); The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man (Nottingham Playhouse/UK Tour); Birthmarked (Bristol Old Vic/Theatre Royal Stratford East/UK Tour); For Tonight (Adelphi Theatre); Scissors (Sheffield Theatres); Cruise (Duchess Theatre); August in England, House of Ife, Lava (Bush Theatre); Worth (Arcola Theatre/New Earth); The Cherry Orchard (The Yard/HOME/ETT). Film design includes: The Magic Finger (Roald Dahl Company). Awards include Association of Lighting Designer’s ETC Award.

Annie May Fletcher is a Northern-based sound designer. She was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award in 2023 and was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund 2021. She was the 2018/19 LAB Associate Sound Designer at Nuffield Southampton Theatres and she is an Associate Artist with Snapper Theatre company. Annie has recently completed her MA in Dramaturgy at Leeds Conservatoire.

Her theatre credits include: (2025) Punch (Associate) – Young Vic – Adam Penford; Let the Right One In – Leeds City Varieties – Francesca Goodridge; (2024) Pool (No Water) – Manchester School of Theatre – John Deeney; Identical Twins – Extant (Sheffield Theatres + NT Studios) – Benjamin Wilson; Remythed – Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh – Bet ‘N Lev Theatre; Tell Me How It Ends – Liverpool Everyman Theatre – Gitika Buttoo; The Laramie Project – Manchester School of Theatre – Adam Zane; Macbeth (Associate) – Leeds Playhouse – Amy Leach.

Rachael Canning is an award-winning Set, Costume and Puppetry Designer/ Director for theatre, as well as Co-Artistic director of Theatre company The Wrong Crowd. Born in Wales, she studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and graduated with a first-class honours degree. She won the 2014 Best Set and Costume Design Award at the Wales Theatre Awards for The Sleeping Beauties for Sherman Cymru. She has worked extensively throughout the UK including at The Citizen’s Theatre, Regents Park Open Air Theatre, the Royal Opera House, Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and in the West End.

After working across the UK for 15 years as a freelance director and facilitator, Amy Leach joined Leeds Playhouse in 2017 and is Deputy Artistic Director. Amy’s directing credits at Leeds Playhouse include Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Oliver Twist, Don’t You Know It’s Going to be Alright, Hamlet, Road, A Christmas Carol, Talking Heads, Queen of Chapeltown, Romeo & Juliet, Kes, The Night Before Christmas and Little Sure Shot. Amy has also directed work for Hull Truck Theatre, Sherman Theatre Cardiff, National Theatre Wales, National Theatre Studio, Gagglebabble, Wales Millennium Centre, Unicorn Theatre London, Library Theatre Manchester, The Egg Bath, Dukes Lancaster and Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester. Between 2003 & 2011, Amy co-founded and ran en masse, an award-winning touring theatre company which created work for young people and their families.

Hayley Grindle trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (where she was recipient of the Paul Kimpton Prize for Innovation). Hayley is an associate artist of the Sherman Cymru and was named as a stage sensation to watch out for in 2023 by the Guardian. Work in theatre includes: Princess Essex (Shakespeare’s Globe); Romeo and Julie, The Boy with Two Hearts (Wales Millennium Centre) and As You Like It (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch) for the National Theatre; Iphigenia in Splott (Lyric Hammersmith); Sherman (Edinburgh, the National Theatre) and 59E59 (New York); Tales of the Brothers Grimm, A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland (Sherman); Macbeth, Hamlet, Road and Oliver Twist (Ramps on the Moon/UK tour) at Leeds Playhouse; Gin Craze (Royal & Derngate for China Plate and ETT); Romeo and Juliet (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Made in Dagenham (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and New Wolsey, Ipswich); The Tale of Mr Tumble (Manchester International Festival); The Nutcracker, Animal Farm (Theatre Royal Bath); The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Unicorn); All My Sons (Watermill Theatre); Cooking with Elvis (Derby Theatre); Unbelievable (West End).

  • MAJOR FUNDERS

    Arts Council
  • Leeds City Council
  • LTB Foundation
  • Founded by UK government
  • Suppoprted by west Yorkshire
  • Principal Partner

    Caddick Group
  • Principal Access Partner

    Irwin Mitchell