BA First Class (Hons) Theatre Design, Nottingham Trent University, UK (2004)
MA Theatre Consultancy (with Merit), University of Warwick, UK (2012)
Michael began his career as a design assistant and model-maker for established theatre designers. As a prop maker he spent three seasons at the Glyndebourne Opera House in East Sussex, working on a wide range of new productions and revivals for the 2005 – 2007 festivals. He also designed sets and costumes for shows with the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton youth and education department.
In 2007, Michael designed and managed a series of exhibitions by the Society of British Theatre Designers (SBTD) showcasing the work of over 150 set, costume and lighting designers, theatre consultants, and architects. A selection of this work formed the UK national exhibit in the Prague Quadrennial and subsequently toured galleries in the UK before remounting at the V&A Museum, London for nine months.
Since joining the team of theatre specialists at AMPC (now known as SSV) in 2008, Michael has worked on a large number and variety of projects in the UK and worldwide. He has successfully project-managed a number of new venues from design through construction. Completed projects include: Friends House – a 1,000 seat conference space and headquarters of the Quaker organisation in London; The Ruddock Performing Arts Centre for King Edward’s School in Birmingham which includes a 500-seat concert hall and studio theatre; and, The Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts for the University of Sussex, a high-value-for-low-cost venue achieved through his strong collaboration with the client and the overseeing of numerous specialist subcontractors.
Michael has been responsible for developing accommodation briefs, theatre planning, seating layouts, and auditorium design on projects including Dubai Opera House; Zorlu Center, Istanbul; St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich; and, and Hornsey Town Hall, London. Michael has also worked on a number of competitions for new concert halls in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Other international projects include an opera house within a museum in in Doha, Qatar, working with two separate architects in different countries. Michael has also worked on a number of smaller scale feasibility projects for education and performing arts companies including Applecart and South London Theatre. He is currently leading the SSV team on the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls in Croydon and a new space for Nevill Holt Opera.
In 2012 Michael completed a Master’s degree in Theatre Consulting with the University of Warwick and Society of Theatre Consultants. Early essays explored the role of set designers on theatre architecture, the role of the audience and digital technology in live performance and the value of the arts. His final dissertation explored the use of water in performance, from the flooding of ancient Roman amphitheatres, to large spectaculars in Las Vegas and Macau.
At SSV, Michael takes an active lead on sustainability policies within the SSV office and in wider strategies informed by industry seminars and in discussion with clients and building engineers.