Kickstarting the careers of previous winners such as Es Devlin, Peter Butler and Rose Revitt, the Linbury Prize has been spotlighting the next generation of theatre set design talent since its inception in 1987. The 12 recipients of the 2023 prize are currently showcasing their work in an exhibition at London’s National Theatre (until 30 March 2024), embracing a variety of forms and mixed media, from sketches, production photography and model boxes to costumes, life-sized puppetry and digital stage designs.
‘What excites me most is to see a production in which the set is as alive as the performers,’ says recipient Finlay Jenner. ‘Where you are watching a dialogue between the set and the other mediums of theatre as if acting as a unified organism. I believe that a set design should have a visual dramaturgy and flow.’ Jenner was inspired by the likes of John Baldessari and Viennese Actionism to create work that eschews typical limitations. The design Jenner entered for the Linbury Prize was for a play about decay and isolation, subverting a confined space to feel ominously infinite by creating an endless horizon line. ‘As an audience member, your eyes struggle to focus and your brain begins to make constellations that don’t exist,’ he says.
