Leeds Playhouse Offers Paid Residency For Early Career Theatre Designer

Could you be the new Jerwood Resident Designer at Leeds Playhouse? This year-long paid placement, supported by the Jerwood Foundation and run in partnership with Leeds-based theatre company Tutti Frutti Productions, is an exciting chance for an early career Yorkshire-based theatre designer to take their creativity to the next level.

 

This is the third career-changing residency offered by the trio of arts organisations. In 2020/21, they joined forces to create a year-long Resident Designer role via the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme, which was awarded to Bradford-based designer Warda Abbasi. Last year, West Yorkshire theatre designer Delicia Sorhaindo was made Jerwood Resident Designer as part of a raft of new opportunities funded by Jerwood Foundation that included two consecutive one-year placements, two short-term placements and two Introduction to Design training courses for locally-based artists.

 

As Delicia's successful 12 months in the role draws to a close, the Playhouse is now looking for its 2024/25 Jerwood Resident Designer. The placement begins in July and the deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 13 May.

 

Amy Leach, Deputy Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse, said: “We feel absolutely blessed to have been able to work with Delicia and Warda – both brilliant designers who brought so much to the role and who, I have no doubt, will have stellar careers in the industry.  

 

“We're thrilled to be working with Jerwood Foundation and Tutti Frutti again to support local theatre designers and to ensure our workforce is representative of our vibrant city. I'm constantly amazed by the depth and breadth of talent we have in our region and can't wait to meet a whole new group of artists.”   

 

Wendy Harris, Artistic Director of Tutti Frutti Productions, said: “Over the past two years we have loved working with local designers Warda and Delicia, who we have offered professional design work with us on completion of their residencies. So, we are incredibly pleased to be part of the programme for a third time to support and work with a new creative artist, who we will help to develop their skills and career in the theatre industry.”

 

Jerwood Foundation is a grant-making organisation dedicated to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the UK. Since 1991, it has donated over £110 million to support the arts and education.

 

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee of Jerwood Foundation, said: “We are proud to be able to support Leeds Playhouse and Tutti Frutti to create a new Jerwood Resident Designer placement. The successful candidate will have the invaluable opportunity to grow their skills and fulfil their potential with the support of two brilliant teams. Scenic and costume design are a critical and under-supported part of the theatre-making process, which is why we're so excited to support early career designers, enabling them to learn from experts in their field in world-class organisations.”    

 

The ideal candidate for the Jerwood Resident Designer role will be a Set & Costume Designer in the early stages of their career, aged 18+, based in West Yorkshire. This is a unique opportunity for a locally rooted artist to work in a supportive environment surrounded by a wealth of expertise; to build invaluable relationships across a range of departments; to develop skills and create work at a larger scale than they have before; and to learn from highly experienced designers and technicians.   

 

Click here for more information or to apply for the role. The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 13 May.

 

Locally-based designers and theatre-makers are also encouraged to join Furnace, the Playhouse's free network for artists, which gives them access to career-enhancing workshops, rehearsal space, discounted tickets and regular newsletters filled with placement and development opportunities at the Playhouse and across the region.

 

In addition to the Jerwood Resident Designer role, the Playhouse is also currently working with a number of other early career artists on paid placements, including: Neelam Majumder, Jerwood Scenic Workshop Trainee; Kirsty Taylor, Kay Mellor Fellow supported by Rollem, Leeds City Council and the BBC; Beth Clenton, Deputy Head of Props supported by Theatre Artist Fund; Sophie Slater, Assistant Production Manager supported by Theatre Artist Fund; Josh Cartmell, Costume Making Trainee supported by Cameron Mackintosh Foundation; and Akinsola Famakin, Theatre Intern supported by Thomas Pocklington Trust.

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