Lizzie Clachan is a British theatre designer. She has designed for many theatres in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, including

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which ma ...

, as well as across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Clachan has worked at the National Theatre for several decades and prior to that, worked with the alternative theater company, Shunt.

Career

In 1998, Clachan was a co-founder of the theater company, Shunt, and designed all of their productions including ''The Architects, Money, Tropicana, Amato Saltone, Ether Frolics, Dance Bear Dance, The Ballad of Bobby Francois'' and ''The Tennis Show''. Clachan designed ''

Yerma ''Yerma'' is a Play (theatre), play by the Spain, Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1934 and first performed that same year. García Lorca describes the play as "a Tragedy, tragic poem." The play tells the story of a c ...

'' (2016,

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

), ''The Truth'' (

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat Off-West End theatre, which comprises a bar and theatre offices. It is located at the rear of a former 1870s Menier Chocolate, Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street i ...

/ West End) and ''The Suppliant Woman'' (

Royal Lyceum The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

/ATC). ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised Clachan's set design for the 2013 performance of ''Port'' at the Lyttelton. She created a

Mondrian Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian (, , ), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He was one of the pioneers o ...

-inspired set for the Wyndham Theatre's performance of ''

The Letter The Letter may refer to: Literature * "The Letter" (poem), a poem by Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) * "The Letter", a short story in W. Somerset Maugham's 1926 collection ''The Casuarina Tree'' * "The Letter", 38th sura of the Qur'an * ''The Lette ...

'' in 2007. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called Clachan's set design on ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (2015–16) a "startling coup de théâtre." For ''Yerma'', the ''New York Times'' wrote that the set design, using glass siding, helped convey the themes of "private grief and public exposure." ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' described her set design for ''Ladybird'' (2004) by

Vassily Sigarev Vassily Vladimirovich Sigarev (, born 11 January 1977, Verkhnyaya Salda, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union) is a Russian playwright, screenwriter and film director. His plays ''Plasticine'', ''Black Milk'' and ''Ladybird'' were first produced in t ...

, as "so lifelike you almost believe you could move in." Clachan is known for her collaborations with director

Katie Mitchell Katrina Jane Mitchell (born 23 September 1964) is an English theatre director. Life and career Mitchell was born in Reading, Berkshire, raised in Hermitage, Berkshire, and educated at Oakham School. Upon leaving Oakham, she went up to Mag ...

including ''The Forbidden Zone'' (Salzburg Festival/Schaubühne Berlin), ''A Sorrow Beyond Dreams'' (Burgtheater Vienna), Frank Martin's '' Le Vin herbé'' (Staatsoper im Schiller Berlin), ''The Rings of Saturn'' (Schauspiel Cologne) and ''

Wastwater Wast Water or Wastwater () is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is almost long and more than wide. It is a glacial lake, formed in a glacially 'over-deepened' valley. ...

'' (Royal Court/Vienna Festival). Clachan's work with Mitchell on ''

A Woman Killed With Kindness ''A Woman Killed with Kindness'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a tragedy written by Thomas Heywood. Acted in 1603 and first published in 1607, the play has generally been considered Heywood's masterpiece, and has received the mo ...

'' was considered well done by ''

Daily Variety ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...

'', when the stage was split into parallel sets. Her work on ''The Forbidden Zone'' (2016), was called "haunting" by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Her designs for ''

The Beaux Stratagem ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on 8 March 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have fallen ...

'', were "integral to the Restoration comedy's success," according to '' Exeunt Magazine.'' The set for ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' was convertible, "with many doors and a long and serpentine staircase." In 2011, Clachan won 'Best Design' at the Theatre Awards UK for ''Happy Days'' at

Sheffield Crucible Theatre Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its souther ...

Set and costume design credits

* 2004, Set design, ''Ladybird,''

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

. * 2006, Set design, Woman and Scarecrow, Royal Court Theatre * 2007, Set design, ''

,'' Wyndham Theatre''.'' * 2011, Set design, ''Happy Days,''

''.'' * 2011, Set design, ''

'', Lyttelton. * 2011, Set design and costumes, ''

,'' Royal Court Theater. * 2012, Set design and costumes, ''Die Ringe des Saturn'',

Festival D'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the France, French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by ...

. * 2013, Set design, ''Port'', Lyttelton. * 2013, Set design and costumes, '' Longing'', Hampstead Theater. * 2015, Set design, ''Treasure Island'', Orcas Center. * 2015, Set design, ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'', National Theatre. * 2015, Set design, ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'',

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

. * 2015, Set design, ''

The Beaux' Stratagem ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on 8 March 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have falle ...

'', National's Olivier Theater. * 2015, Set design, ''

The Skriker ''The Skriker'' is a 1994 play by Caryl Churchill that tells the story of an ancient fairy who, during the course of the play, transforms into a plethora of objects and people as it pursues Lily and Josie, two teenage mothers whom it befriends, ma ...

'', Royal Exchange Theatre. * 2015-16, Set design, ''

'',

Young Vic Theatre The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

. * 2016, Set design, ''Yerma'' * 2016, Set design, ''The Forbidden Zone'', Schaubühne Berlin. * 2017, Set design, ''

The Truth The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial cri ...

'',

* 2018, Set design, Cyprus Avenue,

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

* 2020, Set design,

Blindness Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

* 2022, Set design,

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

* 2023, Set design, ''Days of Wine and Roses'' * 2023, Set design, '' The Witches'', National Theatre

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clachan, Lizzie British theatre people Living people Year of birth missing (living people)