Paul Barrett
Course Director for BA (Hons) Entertainment Design, Senior Lecturer in Scenography
- Email:
- paul.barrett@bcu.ac.uk
Paul is the Course Director for BA (Hons) Entertainment Design, a role he has held since the course's earlier iteration as BA (Hons) Design for Performance: Theatre, Film and Live Events. He has been instrumental in shaping the course’s evolution since 2001, ensuring its continued relevance and ambition in a fast-moving industry.
Areas of Expertise
A practising scenographer, Paul’s professional portfolio includes large-scale theatre productions, outdoor touring shows, corporate events, and festivals. With extensive experience as a freelance designer, company director, and performer, his work is rooted in a deep understanding of the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of entertainment design.
Qualifications
- MA Scenography
- PGCert HE
- BA (Hons) Theatre Design
Memberships
- HEA – Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- PDEC - Steering group member for the Performance Design Educators’ Collective, actively contributing to shaping the national conversation around performance and entertainment design education.
- CHEAD - Subject Associations representative (PDEC) for The Council for Higher Education in Art & Design
Teaching
Paul is an experienced academic who has taught students both nationally and internationally and held a range of academic leadership roles focused on pedagogical development and curriculum innovation.
Research
Paul is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD, exploring the use of found object assemblages as alternative methodologies for generating performance design.
Publications
Conference papers
‘Identifying Essential Ingredients for Future Focused Art and Design Courses’ Preparing the Artist of Tomorrow: ELIA, Teachers Academy, Utrecht/Amsterdam - June 2013
‘Scribe Buddies in Summative Feedback a Report on the Trial’ Scene Change Pedagogy & Practice in Performance Design: ACTD, Symposium, Wimbledon College of Art - September 2012
‘Written feedback for Art and Design students – Valuable exercise or time-consuming academic shield? ‘Scribe Buddies in Summative Feedback a Report on the Trial’ INTER-ACT: ELIA, Teachers Academy, Porto - July 2012
‘Written feedback for Art and Design students – Valuable exercise or time-consuming academic shield? ‘Scribe Buddies in Summative Feedback a Report on the Trial’ Learning & Teaching Symposium: University of Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter - January 2012
‘These are a few of our favourite things’ Addressing the complexities of educating the 21 Century Performance Designer’ Ethics, Employability and Economics: Teaching Theatre Design in the 21st Century: ACTD Conference, Aberystwyth University – July 2009
‘Where do we go from here? – The future of Theatre Design in BIAD’ OISTAT Symposium, Nottingham Trent University September 2005
Publications and Exhibitions
Transformation and Revelation: UK Design For Performance 2007 - 2011 SBTD National Exhibition hosted by The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Collaborators: UK Design For Performance 2003 - 2007 SBTD National Exhibition hosted by Nottingham Trent University and then selected for the works transferred to the Victoria and Albert Museum
Work With Industry
Professional Design Credits
Designer (Set and Costume) Cat and Mouse - Imagineer, Holocaust Memorial Commission, Coventry Belgrade B2
Private Lives, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet - Heartbreak Productions, National Tours
Bring Me Sunshine, The English American - The Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre
Pigtales – Inamorata, National Tour
Go and Play Up Your Own End – Solihull Library Theatre & The Birmingham Hippodrome
The Wild Party - The Mouse People
Assistant Designer As You Like It, Still Time – The Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre
Event Design Back Stage VIP Area - Livenation, ‘Download Festival’
The Birmingham Bullring Re-Launch – 750 seat Charity Dinner themed around the Rat Pack featuring the West End Show
Other commissions and design awards include: Scene painting, set construction, model making, interior design and dressing, mask-making, prop-making, sculptures and paintings for a variety of companies.