Behind the Scenes on Animal Farm with Set and Costume Designer Carl Davies

Carl Davies has worked closely with The Courtyard for several years, designing costumes and sets for some of The Courtyard’s productions, including Lord of the Flies, Great Expectations and Jane Eyre, to name a few. We asked Carl about his experience designing and creating the set for Animal Farm and the challenges that came with building this rugged and savage landscape.

“The process for this project has been very interesting as it’s a dark, messy, brutal rural design with lots of textiles and harsh exteriors. This is how I like to work, I like working in layers and colours and mixing dyes to build a final result, so this was an interesting project for me to work on, but also, it’s very simple in its form and staging.

One of the challenges I faced was how to make a human an animal, but there is also a lot of fun to be had in pulling what we call everyday objects and clothing to represent and characterise an animal. It was also a rewarding experience to be able to let my imagination run away and see where I land with this project. A different dynamic for me was working with blood, and how that looks and interacts on stage, but we’ve done it before, and I’m sure it will be a messy delight.”

Originally from Bromyard, Carl’s training and development into theatre started in the Conquest Youth Theatre. Having developed an interest in theatre and scenic painting, he decided to check out “the city,” so he enrolled in the Art and Design course at Hereford College of Arts.

Carl later enrolled on a course in Theatre Design at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Since graduating, Carl has worked with The Courtyard on numerous occasions.

Book your tickets for our Senior Youth Theatre’s adaptation of Animal Farm!

Animal Farm

Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 July 2025
Tickets: £14 – £12

Courtyard Card Members – get your tickets for £5!

Friends & Patrons – get 20% off tickets!