Andy began in London’s West End in the early 90s as a stage carpenter/theatre technician. He had the good fortune to work on productions lead by some of the era’s great influencers including Harold Pinter, Jonathen Kent, and David Hare to name just a few. Inspired by this environment his drive and evident ability were soon noticed and he was managing builds for major shows and touring by the time he was 21.
Drawn to design (excuse the pun!) Andy trained in theatrical design at the prestigious Nottingham Trent University. Graduating with honours in 1999 he was selected to showcase his work at that years New Designers exhibition in London and soon enjoyed the opportunity to work with respected industry leaders including Les Brotherstone, Tom Pye and Paul Brown on projects ranging from opera, ballet and drama to art department rolls in film and TV with companies including Film4, the BBC and Central Television.
The combination of hands-on skills and design insight gave Andy a unique ability to straddle design and production. Following an intense and varied period of freelance work he took on the role of Master Carpenter at London’s world famous Old Vic Theatre, from where he proceeded to take lead rolls with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre and Matthew Bourne’s company New Adventures, developing shows and touring internationally.
In 2005 Andy set up his own staging production company “Weird Scenery”. The company quickly established a reputation for inventive work and was appointed to produce scenery for the industry’s most prestigious clients, including The National Theatre, The Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Court Theatre, as well as internationally for the likes of Ravenna Festival Theatre in Italy, the LG Arts Centre in Korea and multiple venues in the US.
Andy brought his significant talents to the UAE in 2009, attracted by the opportunity to work on the “larger than life” productions so popular here. Quickly recognised as a rare talent he landed projects delivering spectacular and challenging productions and permanent installations.
Andy’s work in the UAE has included design and production for the original Mother of The Nation Festival, multiple UAE National Day Shows, The Happiness Festival, Dubai Parks and Resorts Grand Opening, Ferrari World Grand Opening, World Skills, multiple World Future Energy Summits, several national NYE events and DWC Opening Ceremonies, as well as the ITU Plenipotentiary World Congress and much, much more (see portfolio for highlights).
In 2023 Andy co-founded D4-Pro (Design 4 Production) with Libby Johnson focusing on production design and project management. Their work with international teams producing world class events and installations continues to receive critical acclaim.
Discover D4-Pro here…