Sean Crowley – Project Leader
Raised in Port Talbot, South Wales, Sean combined his love of performance and art and studied theatre design at Wimbledon School of Art, graduating in 1985. He then worked across the design spectrum, as a designer and assistant designer, in Opera, Dance, Theatre, film and television. In 1993, he left London and returned to Wales to live in Swansea with his wife and four children. Over the past 18 years, he has designed over 150 productions for companies across UK and Europe. Including Wales Theatre Company, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Grand Theatre, Swansea, Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, Sherman Theatre Cardiff, Theatr Y Byd, Theatr Nanog, Script Cymru, Hampstead Theatre London, Soho Theatre London, Birmingham Stage Company, Northampton Theatre Royal, St. Pauli Theater Hamburg, Hamburger Kammerspieler Theater am Kurfürstendamm, Berlin, Békéscsabai Jókai Theatre,Hungary and Danish Royal Opera. He became Head of Design at The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) in 1999. (where he subsequently became Director of Drama In 2008). He has led a staff team within the Theatre Design department over the last 13 years that have succeeded in significantly enhancing the quality and profile of design training at RWCMD. As Chair of the Association of Theatre Design Courses and Vice Chair of the OISTAT Education Commission until 2009 his association with both organsiations raised his profile in an international context and led to his appointment as Project Leader for the Prague Quadrennial Scenofest in 2007. During the intensive 3 year period planning for PQ2007 he was responsible for leading the team of creative collaborators and developing the Scenofest into the huge interactive festival it became, occupying the very heart of the PQ exhibition. The work in Prague laid the foundations for him to propose RWCMD and Cardiff as hosts for World Stage Design 2013 the opportunity to commit his energy towards a major event in his Country became a driving ambition. As preparation for this, Sean offered to host the Society of British Theatre Designers (SBTD) national exhibition Transformation & Revelation in March 2011 and support the subsequent exhibition in the V&A and subsequent tour of the UK, during this period he became Chair of the Society of British Theatre Designers. Between 2011 and 2013 he led a combined team of OISTAT, SBTD and RWCMD members to create World Stage Design 2013. Their combined energy and innovation made WSD2013 a truly memorable celebration of the world of Performance Design.