Fi Russell
Graduate
Gallery Images
Biography
Fi is a London based young Theatre Designer.
Fi’s training includes a first class honours degree in Scenography and Drama from The University of Wales Aberystwyth and a Post Graduate Diploma in Theatre Design from LAMDA (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art).
Since graduating from LAMDA in 2009 Fi has designed over 30 productions. Highlights of which include:
- Fi (if Google is to be believed) has become the youngest ever production manager on a feature film set for general release. Being Production Designer on Run For Your Wife directed by Ray Cooney was an honour a brilliant oportunity.
• Fi’s set design for High Society at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, December 2009 to January 2010, was nominated for the Award for Best Set Design at the OFFIES (Off West End Theatre Awards).
• ‘Selling Clive’, for which Fi was the set and costume designer, won the Lost Theatre Company’s One Act Play Festival award for Best Overall Production. Fi has since designed for the company’s world premier of ‘A Butcher of Distinction’ at The Kings Head and Cock Tavern.
• Being repeatedly asked back to LAMDA to design for their Linbury Studio a wonderfully versatile space.
• Designing for the exciting new company Fourth Monkey on their continuing tour of ‘A Clockwork Orange’.
• Branching into designing for contemporary dance with the virtuoso dance company Dora Frankel Dance on their North East England Tour of ‘Bitter Sweet and Dark’.
Fi is also honoured to have assisted great designers such as: Richard Bullwinkle, Dora Schweitzer, Sara Perks, Phil Engleheart and Simon Banham.
Testimonial Provided by Penny Cherns:
Fiona Russell was my designer for New England at the Linbury Studio at LAMDA. She has a terrific eye for balance and detail and managed to create a strong visual impact with limited resources. The set was also extremely practical and absolutely served the needs of the production. She is wonderful to work with , creative and focused; she is easy and accessible to discuss ideas with and then she returns with a strong and clear idea based on those discussions. She is reliable and supportive and an intelligent addition to the creative team. Moreover she works well with actors and with technical crews. She is also just a very energetic and lively person who is a joy to have on board. I cannot recommend her highly enough and would be happy to provide further references if needed. Penny Cherns (director and Head of Classical Acting course at Lamda)
Testimonial Provided by Designer Sara Perks:
I found Fiona to be diligent, hardworking and generally pleasant all round to work with. She was particular in attention to detail, and could quite happily be left alone to fulfill a short brief for a specific part of a production. For example researching and sourcing original film footage from the 1910s, and getting it into a usable format; dealing with and organising a series giant scannachromed Hogarth images - in a variety of crops; to interpreting costume briefs and pulling garments with taste and precision. I always felt secure that she would deliver the goods with a high spec and good grace. Invaluable and dependable, with a good critical eye!
20/04/10
Testimonial from Director Stephen Jameson.
I collaborated with Fiona on Roy Williams Days of significance for which she created a wonderful minimal design which facilitated the play extraordinarily well. the play is a tricky ask in that it is moves from British City Centre [ With functioning burger van.]to Iraq to a Church Hall Wedding which requires multiple settings. Her answers were simple, effective, within budget and truly effective in serving the play. She also scouted and facilitated the filmed sequences which required liaison and seduction of the Chelsea Army Museum. She is hard working, dedicated and has a natural empathetic relationship with both other creatives and the company. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
23/04/10
Testimonial from Designer Richard Bullwinkle:
Fiona Russell assisted me on three productions and I found her sharp eye and imaginative solution to design problems faultless. She is very dependable and hard working and also understands the need to work within budget. She has proved this too in her own design work that I have seen which is exciting and well thought through.
This is also the opinion of the directors she has worked with and so I would highly recommend her for any theatre design project.
Richard Bullwinkle
23/04/10
Testimonial from Freelance Designer Philip Engleheart:
Fi assisted me on a new musical, a highly detailed project, and showed a thorough approach to the research and process. Her organisation and preparation underpins the creative work she relishes. She has a rigorous eye for detail and has a very practical understanding of the work involved. I highly recommend her for future design work.
30/04/10
Testimonial from Choreographer Dora Frankel:
Fi Russell designed scenography and costumes for 2 of the contemporary dance works Trio and Swathes of Sweet Time in the performance Bitter, Sweet and Dark, touring 2010.
Fi's imagination seems endless and on a small budget she produced quite beautiful work which integrated well into my ideas. She is also an incredibly hard worker! www.dorafrankeldance.co.uk
07/05/10
