Set/Costume Design Biographies

Patrick Connellan

Patrick is currently working on Amongst Friends at the Hampstead Theatre. Other recent work includes the revival of One Night in November at the Belgrade Coventry; Robin Soan’s Life After Scandal (Hampstead & Theatre Royal Plymouth); Meet The Mukherjees (Bolton Octagon) and Taking Care Of Baby (Hampstead/The Door, Birmingham).

You may also have seen: Nathan The Wise, Osama The Hero & A Single Act, The Maths Tutor and When The Night Begins (all Hampstead Theatre); Abigail’s Party (on which he was director and designer, at the New Vic, Stoke); Broken Glass (Bolton Octagon and York Theatre Royal); BLAME (co-production Sphinx and York Theatre Royal); Into The Woods (Derby Playhouse, TMA Best Musical nomination); I Have Been Here Before (Watford Palace Theatre); The Bat (based on Die Fledermaus, New Vic Theatre, Stoke); Arturo UI (Mercury Theatre Colchester); Twelfth Night, Little Malcolm, The Weir and The Hypochondriac (Bolton Octagon); Popcorn (at Bolton and also directed & designed by Patrick); This Lime Tree Bower (at Belgrade and Edinburgh and also directed & designed by Patrick); Saint Joan (Birmingham Rep) and Edward II at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Patrick is also a senior lecturer in theatre design at Nottingham Trent University.

Phil Eddolls

Phil’s career in technical theatre began at the West Yorkshire playhouse where he specialised in the technical design of more than 300 in house productions and events as Technical Manager. Phil’s freelance design career began with a collaboration with Improbable, touring globally with Shockheaded Peter, then Sticky, The Hanging Man (TMA award 2003, best design with Julian Crouch). Design credits include: Thick by Rick Bland; The Coventry Mysteries 2006 for Imagineer; Gilgamesh by Derrek Hines and Angelmoth for Ballet Lorent (2008 tour).

Phil has worked on the Commonwealth Games and the opening ceremonies for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Phil also performs in Opera, as an ensemble actor. His recent credits include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Royal Opera House and Satyagraha at E N O. More diverse work includes 6 months working on the final stages of Lord of the rings in New Zealand, flying actors around, crashing Val Kilmer down a cliff, creating 9M Catherine wheels and lifting tonnes of fireworks on cranes for The World Famous Pyrotechnicians. Recent work includes realising Carnival Messiah in a big top; adapting garden sheds to become theatres; Chasing Fate, a contemporary musical at the Birmingham Hippodrome; Alex live on stage with and Robert Bathurst and Angelmoth (both currently running in West End). Phil is also currently part of a team designing the Metropolitan Opera 125th Gala in New York.

Phil prefers to be known as Phleds.

Sarah Burton

After training in the UK as a Theatre Designer, Sarah worked as a Scenic Artist for many years working in Theatre, TV and Exhibitions. For the last five years she has concentrated on designing set and costumes. Credits include: The Tweenies: A Christmas Present and No Sleep ‘Til Bedtime; Cbeebies Live! ’05; Fantasy Circus ’06; Wonderlands ’07 and Treasure ’08 (Arena tours); The Tweenies theatre tour of The Enchanted Toy Shop and Top of the Tots and costume design for the national Tour of Cbeebies Live at the Theatre. All of these shows were produced by BBC Worldwide.

Other shows Sarah has designed set and costumes for include a national tour of Fun Song Factory for Tell-Tale Productions; Present Laughter, Dick Whittington and Jack and the Beanstalk for The Mercury Theatre, Colchester; Absurd Person Singular for The Coliseum Theatre, Oldham; The Devil at Coventry, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington, Aladdin and Cinderella all for The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry; Bob the Builder live at the Science Museum, an interactive educational show for pre-school children for The Science Museum, London and Wish Films; Bob the Builder world theatre tour of Spud’s Big Mess for IP Live; Thomas the Tank Engine world tour of Thomas Saves The Day; costume design for the world tour of Scooby Doo and the Pirate Ghost, both for AEG ThemeStar and Zig Zag Ao Vivo, a children’s theatre and arena show in Portugal for Lemon Entertainment.

Sarah lives in the UK. She has and two young children who are her greatest critics and helpful consultants.