The Shitheads - West End Creative Team

NICK BARNES studied drama at Hull University and theatre design at the Slade School of Fine Art and soon after began incorporating puppets into his designs for opera and theatre, nationally and internationally. Until recently he was joint artistic director of the puppetry company Blind Summit Theatre, which he co-founded. With Blind Summit Nick designed puppets for Madame Butterfly (ENO, Metropolitan Opera, Anthony Minghella), A Dog's Heart (ENO/DNO), Shunkin and Master and Margarita (Complicite, Simon McBurney), El Gato Con Botas (Tectonic Theatre, Moises Kaufman), On Emotion (Soho Theatre, Mick Gordon), Faeries (Royal Opera House, Will Tuckett), His Dark Materials (Birmingham ... read more Broadway: American Utopia (2019). Byrne works in a variety of mediums. Born in Dumbarton, Scotland, he grew up in North America and was educated at art schools in Maryland and Rhode Island. Since leaving the Talking Heads, the band he co-founded in the 1970s, Byrne has released nine solo albums, most recently American Utopia (2018). Byrne has been honored with an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy awards, along with Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel and the Theatre World awards for Here Lies Love. Finn is a director, designer and performer; he is co-artistic director of Gyre & Gimble, a theatre company specialising in puppetry. As Gyre & Gimble work as Co-Director/Puppet Designer includes: The Hartlepool Monkey (UK Tour) and The Elephantom (National Theatre & West End). As Puppetry Co-Designer/Director: Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre & Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic). Upcoming work includes co-directing/Puppet Designing The Four Seasons (Globe Theatre). Other work includes Angels in America and The Light Princess (National Theatre); Groundhog Day (Additional Movement - Old Vic & Broadway); Dr. Seuss' The Lorax ... read more