Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson is a freelance artist, production designer and theatre maker with experience of working in performance, art, education and film settings. She trained in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University, followed by an MA at University of the Arts London.
Professionally she has designed and produced puppets, sets and costumes for a broad range of projects. Awards and nominations include winner of Best Visual at the Limelight Awards, for Hands Up if you are Lost, a puppetry based music video and Best Production Design nomination, at the Raindance Independent Series Awards for The First Musketeer.
Amy is the Creative Director of HandMade Theatre which she co founded with performer Suzy Gunn, together they create interactive devised performances for families.
Image credit: Tom Walsh
Featured Work
The Twelve Birds of Christmas
The Twelve Birds of Christmas was created through a unique collaboration with Cast Theatre in Doncaster. The remit was for an interactive piece presented in their studio space, offering an alternative to the Christmas pantomime and particularly for younger audiences.
HandMade Theatre used their 2014 touring show Flying The Nest as a starting point. Developing, reusing and reworking the original sets, costumes and characters to create a completely distinctive show.
The audience entered a magical theatre environment, featuring giant willow nests and handcrafted stools as seating. The bird house was developed in collaboration with craftsman Ben Thomas for the original show and a large tree, scattered with embroidered leaves, was a sculptural addition.
We are working at a time when funding is tight and sustainability high on the agenda, so this model of working was exciting, practical and highly successful in design and performance.
