A group of leading theatre designers have joined forces to form #scenechange, a community that brings designers together to tackle the challenge of navigating a way out of the Covid-19 crisis. What began as a small email exchange between a group of set and costume designers has grown into a community of over 700 members in all disciplines and at all levels in the theatre design profession. The group will provide a platform for, and raise the voice of, those involved in theatre design, including freelance creatives from all theatre disciplines. Zoom meetings are being held to discuss and share experiences.
As many as 40 areas of the theatre industry depend on design work, and #scenechange will advocate for workers in these areas to ensure their roles within the industry are recognised as plans for the future are drawn up. The group will engage with buildings, directors and producers nationwide, to support and inform the process back to production. A spokesperson said “This is a moment of reset in our industry and we believe the design community can be an essential part of the transformation that will see theatre buildings being reopened and the ways in which theatre can be reimagined. As shapers of theatrical space through the use of people and place, our work is pivotal in connecting an entire ecosystem within the theatre industry. We are ideally positioned to be at the heart of any discussions about how theatre operates in the future.”