Henry's World On Stage | 5 mins with Set Designer Hayley Grindle

"What would Henry do?" was the motto Set Designer Hayley Grindle followed when coming up with the larger-than-life world currently onstage for our latest production How To Win Against History 

How's the process been for you Hayley?
Designing How To Win Against History has been a delightful task. The brief was to design a show previously created and devised by an original team. To be revised, revamped and brought to life on two different scales of theatre - once for the beautiful Bristol Old Vic, and then scaling it down for Norwich Playhouse and Edinburgh runs later this summer.

The script and players are vibrant and courageous, I’ve felt my job is here is to serve and enhance those attributes. This piece of Theatre is fun, its sad, empathy is created, it is wild and silly, fabulous, it pulls at your heart and filled with Joy. 

Where do you start?!
Design wise, the set is a tool kit for all the creative team and the actors and musicians to be playful with. The designs aims enable us to keep delivering surprises or transform the space from a small theatre to a boat for example through tricks rather than big pieces of set that come on and off stage so we can move swiftly through the show, and conjure the ideas of alternative spaces rather than deliver them literally. We're inviting the audience to use their imaginations.

The launch pad for the design is that we are resurrecting Henry from the dead. Henry is a person who was written out of history; most stories and ideas of him have been burned to the ground. This production is a celebration of Henry and my first design question to myself is what is this version of the space in 2025 ? Henry’s is back and what would he surround himself with?

Was Henry quite present on this journey with you?
At every decision I have asked myself: What would Henry do? What would Henry have? Henry tore down their family Chapel and built a theatre there instead. The image of this theatre has been a huge inspiration for me. I love how over the top it is.. the tropical plants the statues. It a great insight into Henry’s mind.

This process has been hugely collaborative; sharing, listening and being really playful. Just generally enjoying each others' creativity and spirit as been at its heart.