Another Linbury win for Royal Welsh College

Jean Chan is one of the winners of the Linbury Prize 2009. Jean, who graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2008, won the Royal Shakespeare Company’s award for Trainee Designer last year.

Jean Chan

Four winners are selected out of the 12 finalists. Each winner gains a professional commission with one of four companies and a cash prize. This year commissions are with Birmingham Opera Company, Royal & Derngate, Sound & Fury for Fuel and Unicorn Theatre. Jean will be designing the Garbage King with the Unicorn theatre.

Since 2001 Royal Welsh College students have consistently been among the award’s finalists: in 2007 Tom Scutt and Rhys Jarman were among the four winners. Tom Scutt also won the Jocelyn Herbert Award and finalist Sophie Mosburger won a Royal Opera House Bursary.

The Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design is the UK’s most prestigious award for stage design. The seven month-long competition is the only prize of its kind, giving recently graduated stage designers an unparalleled opportunity to work with professional theatre companies and collaborate with writers, directors and technical teams at this crucial stage in their career.

Previous Linbury Success for the RWCMD:

  • 2009 – Jean Chan (Theatre Design, 2008)
  • 2007 – Rhys Jarman (Theatre Design, 2006) won the prize for his work with the the Opera Group. More recently Rhys has designed The Moon The Moon for Unlimited Theatre, Catalysta at the Oval House Theatre and Feet First for a tour by Boxclever Theatre. Rhys is currently working as a designer for Doctor Who.
  • 2007 - Tom Scutt (Theatre Design, 2006) won the prize for his work with Headlong Theatre. Since winning the award Tom has gone onto design Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jack and the Beanstalk for the Lyric Hammersmith, The Internationalist for the Gate and After Miss Julie for the Salisbury Playhouse to name a few.
  • 2003 - Adam Wiltshire (Theatre Design, 2003) became a group winner of the Linbury Biennial Prize and has since been designing for such companies as the Royal Ballet, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Opera North.
  • 2003 - Crista Noel Smith (Theatre Design, 2002) began designing for the West Yorkshire Place House immediately after winning the Linbury Prize in 2003.
  • 2001 – Max Jones (Theatre Design, 2001) won the prize in 2001 and has since continued to design for productions across the UK. He has worked extensively with Clwyd Theatr Cymru, where he is Associate Artist. Currently, Max is also working with the Costume Department on the new Robin Hood film which stars Russell Crowe.

Read the 60 Second Interview with Jean Chan.

For more information see the Linbury Prize website.