Alex Wardle

Alex provides theatre planning, consultancy on all aspects of theatre design, specialising in the design of stage lighting and technical access systems.

I’m one of Charcoalblue’s “team leaders”, leading our work on projects. I’m the person who needs to get to know the client really well and – if we’re refurbishing an existing building – get to know the building well. I coordinate our work with the design team and present it to the client, making sure we have understood the requirements properly. As a former production manager and lighting designer, I’m keen to design simple, effective systems which make it easy for production teams to put shows on: so the creative team spend the time honing the production, not battling against the building. I go to the theatre often, and love to see the work created in buildings we have helped to design.

What Does Great Design or Experience Mean to You

Designing theatres involves a lot of guesswork. No matter who we talk to during the process, we might design something which never gets used – perhaps the style of production is different to what was envisaged, often the personnel change. So we try to keep things as flexible as possible – and it’s great to see things we’ve designed being used, especially when they’re things which haven’t been done before, and perhaps seem a little crazy!

What We Won’t Learn from Your CV

I’m on the board of our local arts centre. It’s great to be able to support this organisation which operates on really tight budgets, but still manages to deliver a terrific range of productions to diverse audiences. I feel proud taking my family to see shows there, and feel closer to the industry by having this viewpoint.

Cultural Value You Most Identify With

The impact of our work on the environment is really important to me. I’m keen to design systems efficiently: minimising use of materials and energy, and maximising lifespan and future flexibility. It’s not always possible (or right) to convince a client or design team colleague to do things a certain way: but it’s important to share knowledge about solutions which damage the environment less, without compromising on excellence.