The Stage

Linbury Prize winner set for Sadler’s Wells

Published Wednesday 23 November 2005 at 11:15 by Nuala Calvi

Patrick Burnier is the overall winner of this year’s Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design for his proposed staging of Random Dance’s forthcoming production of Origin.

In a ceremony at the National Theatre, acclaimed designer Stefanos Lazaridis presented the award, which consists of £50,000 prize money and commissions split between Burnier and three other recipients.

The additional winners were Phil Brunner, for his proposal for All Quiet on the Western Front at Nottingham Playhouse, Hannah Clarke for The Emperor Jones at the Gate and James Cotterill for Not the End of the World at Bristol Old Vic. An exhibition of their work, and that of eight runners up, can be seen at the National’s Lyttelton Circle Foyer until December 10.

Lazaridis said: “More than 1,000 new designers come out of design schools and universities every year, yet no more than 200 are working at any one time. It’s a very crowded profession. At least this event, thanks to some enlightened people, means we know hopefully there are 12 who are likely to be guaranteed work.”

The Linbury Biennial, founded in 1987 by Anya Sainsbury, is the only prize of its kind in the UK, giving recently graduated stage designers the opportunity to work with professional theatre companies. Previous recipients include Olivier award-winner and Humble Boy designer Tim Hatley, Mary Stuart designer Anthony Ward and Closer designer Vicki Mortimer.

Burnier, aged 31 and originally from Switzerland, will now have his work officially commissioned and made for the production of Origin at Sadler’s Wells in September 2006.

He told The Stage: “The main pleasure of winning this award will be seeing my creation 25 times bigger. But at the end of the day, I want people to talk about the dancers. They are the jewel and my job is to design a nice box for that jewel.”

• For more information see www.linburybiennial.org.uk