“Charlie Cridlan’s deceptively simple set is full of secrets”
About Charlie
Charlie is an imaginative theatre, opera and event designer with a flair for creating vivid, animated sets. Trained at the Old Vic, her background is in scenic art and illustration. She has 18 years experience working in and alongside a variety of companies, venues, scales and disciplines. Her work has a vibrant, illustrative quality and she is a skilled scenic artist.
Passionate about transforming spaces, she uses the possibility of form, fabric, light and colour to tell a story. She has created memorable, thought-provoking backdrops for events, workshops, dinners, photo shoots and launches. Charlie has a reputation for motivating people to create excellent work and she is known for her meticulous attention to detail and tenacity in achieving a shared vision.
Charlie has been nominated for several OFFIEs for best design. Her work has been exhibited at the V&A by The Society of British Theatre Designers. At The Vaults Festival 2016, ‘Orator’ received ‘Pick of the Week’ award. In 2018 ‘Caravan’ received the Audience Choice Award.
“Innovatively staged . . . Allen’s mock-Chandler-esque thrillers set in 1940s New York look impressively chic, thanks to designer Charlie Cridlan…”
“The set mirrors the fractures in the relationships of these four people with a few simple but powerful devices and further credit should rest with Charlie Cridlan’s design, for its effective and flexible use of space.”
“Charlie provided Creation Box London the outlook, experience and flair for ‘InBox’. Working with Charlie on bringing this event to life was a brilliant experience”
“I’ve been amazed at how the place has been transformed by Charlie’s vision and ingenuity. She has a real eye for how to use 3-D space to dramatic effect and brings imagination and great flair to the challenges of the venue.
What’s most amazing is that over the course of the event, she uses lighting, props, clever touches to change the look and feel of the space as the focus and content change.
It feels as if the space we are in, is living and vibrant.”
“I’ve worked with Charlie for many years and its clear she understands the role physical space plays in behaviour. The environments she designs force those who work in them to not just feel different but also to think different, helping them to push aside the everyday which can get in the way of thinking deeply and creatively.”
“Just wanted to say again what an amazing job you did with the venue. It was surprising, playful, beautiful and practical. Perfect. Another top class job done. Lots of the Members commented on it – the venues are definitely an important part of Connect’s magic.”