Our Name, Our Story

We wanted to build a different, more thoughtful kind of practice, bringing together people from different sectors. Our focus was on really listening to organisations, taking time to understand their vision and delivering innovative, fresh, uniquely tailored solutions, whatever the scale of the project. So in 2004, ex-chief electrician Andy Hayles and lighting & sound engineer Jon Stevens, joined with architect Gavin Green and production manager Jack Tilbury to become Charcoalblue.

The original Charcoalblue team members pose by a sign. — Our first family photo from 2004 outside of the Young Vic Theatre.

A group of Charcoalblue team members against a brick wall. — By 2007 our team had grown further.

A group of Charcoalblue team members on the street. — Our 2011 family photo outside our then studio on Short Street.

A group of Charcoalblue team members against a red wall. — Our 2013 family photo was taken outside of the National Theatre's Temporary Theatre.

A group of Charcoalblue team members. — The team outside the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre, 2015.

Early on, we were proud to gain a commission from the Royal Shakespeare Company to design a one thousand seat theatre, The Courtyard. Here, speed in construction and design were key in keeping costs to a minimum, a lesson just as relevant today. Subsequent highlights followed – Liverpool Everyman, the National Theatre, the Marlowe Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Hall in Antwerp, the Leys School and Wells Cathedral School.

Since those early days, our work has taken us to all corners of the world. In 2011 Susan Feldman, Artistic Director of St Ann’s Warehouse, wrote to us admiring our work, leading to our first collaboration with a US theatre and our first major acoustical project, led by our own Byron Harrison. Our New York studio followed in 2012, spearheaded by Jon Stevens, delivering award-winning projects for Center Stage Baltimore, the Pratt Institute, Steppenwolf and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. We later launched our Chicago studio, led by Clemeth Abercrombie, following the acclaimed debut of The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Two men in sunglasses stand outside by a door. — Our Chicago Studio Principal Clemeth and our US Partner John outside our Chicago studio in the city's West Loop district.

Chicago skyline. — Our Chicago studio opened in January 2018. (Photo: Diego Delso)

A curved glass exterior wall reflecting a ferris wheel.

In 2015 we opened our Melbourne studio, led by Eric Lawrence, where we immediately started working with the exceptional Sydney Theatre Company, as well as exciting projects in New Zealand and Singapore. We also opened a Bristol studio, led by Steve Roberts, bringing us closer to our clients Hall for Cornwall and Bristol Beracon. We went on to launch our Scottish studio in January 2017, led by Steve Green, housed in the Scottish Youth Theatre building, at the heart of Glasgow’s vibrant arts district.

Our story goes on and we continue to do things differently. Today, that means exploring new territory in virtual and digital scapes as well as extending our work beyond the cultural space into contemporary working environments. In 2016 we launched our digital team to work with technologies to expand audience experience and added a R&D division to look at the future of space, materials, performance and presentation. This team evolved into Charcoalblue Experience, CBX, a dedicated team balancing discovery, design, and delivery; and has now grown into two specialist teams – one offering Experience Design & Strategy, the other spcialist project delivery. This work focusses on great guest experiences for businesses in the workplace, technology, exhibition, and events markets.

Elena, Gary and Ollie discuss a Turnkey project.

Close up of a theatre model. — One of our project models created in-house.

The team discuss a model and samples for a forthcoming project.

Across our team, the services we offer are always evolving too – our turnkey / lead consultant service means we provide a highly personalised and comprehensive ‘single point of responsibility’ design service, from the very earliest ideas right through to opening night – we’ve extraordinary success in delivering complicated projects against challenging backgrounds.

As we look ahead, some things remain unchanged.

We still believe that listening is the beginning of good design.

We still believe that expertise is strongest when shared.

We still believe that every organisation deserves a solution shaped around its own ambitions rather than a formula applied from elsewhere.

And we still believe that every project deserves the same curiosity and care, whatever its scale.

Where does the name ‘Charcoalblue’ come from?

Andy has been a life-long jazz fan and aspiring (but limited!) pianist and organist. In seeking inspiration for our name, the founders had unsuccessfully turned to theatre lighting gel colours. But one night, while writing an early proposal for the Siobhan Davis Dance Centre, Andy was listening to some Wayne Shorter, and the composition ‘Charcoal Blues’ provided the perfect title. It blended the sketchy creativity of charcoal, with the authority of a blueprint. And it swang! Charcoalblue was born.