Anna Bliss Scully—our Fun Palaces designer

Anna grew up in Cardiff. She trained in Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of Art and with the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Her designs for theatre include: Phaedra’s Love, The Country [Nominated for OffWestEnd Best Set Design Award], The Shawl and Victory (all Arcola); Alecky Blythe’s Cruising (Bush) and Do We Look Like Refugees?! (NT Studio/ Rustaveli Theatre, Tblisi) - Winner of Fringe First, The Stage & Fringe Review Awards; Fitzrovia Radio Hour (UK touring, Edinburgh & Ambassadors Theatre); Restitution (King’s Head London); I Was a Beautiful Day and Ours (Finborough/Tron Glasgow); Practice (RSC); Over the Edge and Tales of Mystery & Madness (Bristol Old Vic); Sixteen (Site Specific for SPID); Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith/Warwick Arts Centre); 8 Women (Southwark Playhouse); The Tin Horizon (Theatre 503); The Exquisite Corpse (Wales Millennium Centre, Edinburgh and Southwark Playhouse); Alban, The Opera (Site-specific at St. Alban the Martyr, London); The Container (Site specific tour); The Morals of Modern Day Myths and Buzz (Sherman Cymru); as well as designs for Orange Tree, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, LAMDA, East 15, Trinity School of Music, and Arts Ed.  Anna has also worked as a dramaturge for projects at Young Vic and RSC, and for True/Fiction Theatre (of which she was Joint Artistic Director). Exquisite Corpse, which she also produced, was written by five playwrights including Agent Branwen Davies.

There's more (and pictures) at www.annablissscully.com/

Here's what Anna on her plans for designing our Fun Palace: "I will create a space where members of the public can chance upon a new world; a secret story; a slip in time; a fresh perspective. It might be a car, a shed, a boat, or an area of a building they know well, but within it, the audience will find a new dimension: a space that responds to them, to its surrounding environment, and to the story we tell within it." 

Agent Samantha Ellis says "We're thrilled to be working with Anna, who is hugely talented. I've been following her work for years, and loving her inventiveness, playfulness and flair. Even better, Anna loves and has worked massively with new writing, grew up in Cardiff and is a feminist, so she couldn't be more perfect as the designer of our Fun Palace. I can't wait to see what she comes up with."