Max Johns

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.

Alongside his freelance practice Max is an Associate 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 sustainability consultant with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Turner Works Architects.

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.

His most recent UK productions include WHY AM I SO SINGLE? at the Garrick Theatre (costume design), THE DUCHESS [OF MALFI] (co-design with Tom Piper) at The Trafalgar Theatre, AS YOU LIKE IT at Shakespeare’s Globe, WAHNFRIED, PÉLLEAS & MÉLISANDE and THE BARBER OF SEVILLE for Longborough Festival Opera, SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND (co-design with Rosie Elnile) at the Royal Court, CHOIR BOY and BIRTHMARKED for Bristol Old Vic, THE CLIMBERS for Theatre by the Lake, LAVENDER HYACINTH VIOLET YEW, THE P WORD, OVERFLOW, STRANGE FRUIT and RUST for the Bush, THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART for Manchester Royal Exchange, ONCE UPON A TIME IN NAZI OCCUPIED TUNISIA for the Almeida, KING JOHN for the Royal Shakespeare Company, THE PANOPTICON for National Theatre Scotland, LORD OF THE FLIES, KES and RANDOM for Leeds Playhouse, HEARTBREAKIN’ for WLB Esslingen (Germany), BUGGY BABY for the Yard Theatre, YELLOWMAN for the Young Vic, THE HALF GOD OF RAINFALL for Kiln/Birmingham Rep/Fuel, URINETOWN for Central School of Speech and Drama, WENDY AND PETER PAN for The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, UTILITY and TWELFTH NIGHT for the Orange Tree Theatre, FIDELIO for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, ENRON and OUR TOWN for the Egg, LIFE RAFT, MEDUSA, THE LIGHT BURNS BLUE and UNDER A CARDBOARD SEA for Bristol Old Vic, and HAMLET and ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL for Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory.

For a full portfolio please see Max’s website.