About
Max Johns is a designer for live performance and film based in London. He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School with an MA in Theatre Design and a BA in Drama and German from Bristol University. He was the recipient of a BBC Performing Arts Fellowship Award in 2015.
Recent work in the UK has included productions at The Royal Court, Almeida, Young Vic, RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe, the West End, National Theatre Scotland, Edinburgh Lyceum, Manchester Royal Exchange, Birmingham Rep, The Bush, Leeds Playhouse, Royal Festival Hall, V&A, and Bristol Old Vic.
Max lived for a number of years in Germany where he worked for companies including Maxim Gorki Theater, HAU, Kampnagel, Radialsystem, Ballhaus Ost, and WLB Esslingen.
Alongside his freelance practice Max is a lecturer in Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Arts. He is a contributor to the Theatre Green Book, is carbon literate, and has worked as a consultant with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to improve sustainability in teaching environments.
Current and upcoming work: Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew at The Bush and Pelléas et Mélisande, Wahnfried and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Longborough Festival Opera.
ANTI-RACISM IN THEATRE DESIGN
Click here to read the framework Max created on anti-racist practice in theatre design
SUSTAINABLE AND GREENER PRACTICE IN THEATRE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Click here to read the framework Max created on sustainable practice in theatre design
CV
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
MA Theatre Design, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School 2014
BA (1st Class Hons) in German and Drama, University of Bristol 2009
AWARDS
BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellowship with Bristol Old Vic 2015
PREVIOUS SET AND COSTUME DESIGN
WHY AM I SO SINGLE? Garrick Theatre (dir Lucy Moss) 2024
THE DUCHESS [OF MALFI] Trafalgar Theatre (dir Zinnie Harris) (co-design with Tom Piper) 2024
CHOIR BOY Bristol OId Vic (dir Nancy Medina) 2023
AS YOU LIKE IT Shakespeare’s Globe (dir Ellen McDougall) (costume design) 2023
THE CHERRY ORCHARD Bristol School of Acting / Tobacco Factory (dir Stuart Wood) 2023
LORD OF THE FLIES Leeds Playhouse Quarry Theatre / UK tour (dir Amy Leach) 2023
SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs (dir Debbie Hannan) (co-design with Rosie Elnile) 2023
CASH MONEY NOW The Big House (dir Bel Parker) (set design) 2022
THE P WORD The Bush (dir Anthony Simpson Pike) 2022 (Winner: Oliver Award for outstanding achievement in an affiliate theatre)
THE CLIMBERS Theatre by the Lake (dir Guy Jones) 2022
BIRTHMARKED Bristol Old Vic / MAYK (dir Sally Cookson) 2022-23
THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART Manchester Royal Exchange (dir Debbie Hannan) 2021
ONCE UPON A TIME IN NAZI OCCUPIED TUNISIA Almeida (dir Eleanor Rhode) 2021
OVERFLOW The Bush (dir Debbie Hannan) 2020-21
HEARTBREAKIN’ - DIE BIENE UND DER KURT WLB Esslingen, Germany (dir Christine Gnann) 2020
URINETOWN Central School of Speech and Drama (dir Chelsea Walker) (co-design with Rosanna Vize) 2020
KING JOHN RSC Swan Theatre (dir Eleanor Rhode) 2019-20
NICCE: AFTERS set design for winter collection launch event at NICCE showroom (dir Andrew Whyment) 2019
THE PANOPTICON National Theatre Scotland / Traverse Theatre (dir Debbie Hannan) 2019
RUST The Bush / Hightide (dir Eleanor Rhode) 2019
STRANGE FRUIT The Bush (dir Nancy Medina) 2019
THE HALF GOD OF RAINFALL Fuel / Kiln / Birmingham Rep (dir Nancy Medina) 2019
RANDOM Leeds Playhouse Pop-up Theatre (dir Gbolahan Obisesan) 2019
KES Leeds Playhouse Pop-up Theatre (dir Amy Leach / Martin Leonard) 2019
WENDY & PETER PAN Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh (dir Eleanor Rhode) 2018
UTILITY The Orange Tree (Dir Caitlin McLeod) 2018
BUGGY BABY The Yard (Dir Ned Bennett) 2018
BADDIES Synergy Theatre Project at HMP YOI ISIS (Dir Ned Bennett) 2017
YELLOWMAN The Young Vic (Dir Nancy Medina) 2017
ENRON The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath (Dir John East) 2017
TWELFTH NIGHT The Orange Tree / schools tour (Dir Alex Thorpe) 2017
FIDELIO London Philharmonic Orchestra / Royal Festival Hall (Dir Daniel Slater) 2017
THERE SHALL BE FIREWORKS The Plasticine Men / UK tour (Dir Simon Day) 2016
UNDER A CARDBOARD SEA Bristol Old Vic (Dir Lisa Gregan / Matt Grinter) 2016
BUCKET LIST Theatre Ad Infinitum / UK tour (Dir Nir Paldi) 2016
KES West Yorkshire Playhouse Courtyard Theatre / local tour (Dir Amy Leach) 2016
HAMLET / ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory / UK and European tour (Dir Andrew Hilton) 2016
KID CARPET'S NOISY NATIVITY Tobacco Factory Theatres (Dir Kid Carpet) 2015
OUR TOWN The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath (Dir Nik Partridge) 2015
THE SPOOKY SHIP Bristol Old Vic and SS Great Britain (Dir Lisa Gregan) 2015
DOGTAG Theatre West (Dir Nancy Medina) 2015
LIFE RAFT Bristol Old Vic (Dir Melly Still) 2015
MEDUSA Bristol Old Vic Studio / schools tour (Dir Toby Hulse) 2015
THE LIGHT BURNS BLUE Bristol Old Vic Studio (Dir Lisa Gregan) 2015
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Old Red Lion Theatre (Dir Gus Miller) 2014
THE ELEVENTH HOUR The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath (Dir John East / Hannah Joss) 2014
INFINITY POOL Theatre West / TFT / UK tour (Dir Deirdre Mullins / Nik Partridge) 2014
AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN Poonamallee Productions / UK tour (Dir Simon Reade) 2014 (set design)
STRAWBERRY & CHOCOLATE Tobacco Factory Theatres (Dir Nancy Medina) 2014
LONDON ROAD Bristol Old Vic Studio (Dir Nicholas Bone) (set design) 2014
DUTCHMAN Tobacco Factory Theatres (Dir Nancy Medina) 2014
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR Redgrave Theatre (Dir John Hartoch) (costume design) 2014
THE MERRY OWLS: SHAKESPEARE TRIBES V&A Museum / Wilderness Festival (Dir Max Johns / Elly Hopkins) 2014
DIE RICHTIGE ZEIT, DER RICHTIGE ORT Das Weite Theater, Berlin (Dir Kalma Streun / Tilla Kratochwil) 2012
TACHELEß! Theater unter der Dauseck (Dir Christine Gnann) (co-design with Judith Philipp) 2012
HERZ - SO KALT Theater unter der Dauseck (Dir Christine Gnann) (co-design with Judith Philipp) 2011
TEACHING
Lecturer in theatre design at Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL) 2023 - present
Visiting lecturer in theatre design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Leeds University, 2016 - present
Associate lecturer in production design at Bristol University 2015