Brian Currah

Brian Currah was born in Plymouth in 1929. After early training as an artist at the Plymouth School of Art, he began his theatrical career in rep designing his first production at Stockton in 1951 and working as a scenic artist for the Caryl Jenner Company at Seaford in 1953.
His extensive career as a scenic and lighting designer included productions at The Belgrade Coventry, Birmingham, Perth, Southampton, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, The Queens Hornchurch, The Lyric Belfast, Farnham, and for the Ludlow, Pitlochry and Edinburgh Festivals. He was Head of Design for the inaugural season of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, and at Leeds Playhouse, and designed the first production of Alan Plater’s Close the Coalhouse Door which played in Newcastle before transferring to The Fortune Theatre in 1968.
A string of major West End productions included The Tenth Man, The Glass Menagerie, I Never Sang for my Father, Sir Noel Coward’s last play, Suite in Three Keys (Queens, 1966), and several of Sir Harold Pinter’s earliest successes: The Caretaker (The Arts/Cambridge, 1960 – and the subsequent Broadway production at New York’s Lyceum Theatre), A Slight Ache (The Arts/Criterion 1961), The Lover and The Dwarfs (The Arts, 1963). Other West End successes included the popular farces Big Bad Mouse (Shaftesbury, 1966) which ran for three years – and Pyjama Tops (Whitehall, 1969) which enjoyed a five-year run. He also designed the Broadway production of After the Rain, which played at the Golden Theatre (1967).
Designs for television included an early Armchair Theatre production, Pictures Don’t Lie (1962)
After a period teaching design at Worthing College of Art, Brian was invited to join the faculty of the Theatre Department at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1979/80. He subsequently designed many productions in Canada, including Old Times, Thieves Carnival, A Streetcar Named Desire, Love For Love and The Birthday Party (for the University of Alberta), and A Flea In Her Ear, at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre. The University conferred an Emeritus Professorship on Brian in 2001.

After his retirement from academic teaching he returned to the UK, designing productions for Clive Perry at Pitlochry, for Joan Knight at Perth and for Patrick Sandford at Southampton.
Brian first settled in Ludlow, moving later back to Cornwall, this time to Truro then, finally to Colchester in Essex. He learned to ride a motorbike in 1969 and enjoyed biking for many years. He also retained his love of the great screen musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, and became a prolific sender of postcards, much welcomed and treasured by their recipients.
Brian died in Colchester on 12^th July 2008 and will always be remembered with the greatest affection for his commitment to the business, his sense of style and, perhaps most of all, his irrepressible sense of humour.

Past productions

Designer, Absurd Person Singular 1977 – 1978, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
Designer, A Bit Between the Teeth, Windsor Theatre Company 23^rd November – 11^th December 1976, Theatre Royal, Windsor.
Designer, A Bit Between the Teeth, John Gale for Volcano Productions Ltd and Ray Cooney Productions Ltd 21^st June – 25^th September 1976, The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare.
Setting and Lighting, Pyjama Tops, Paul Raymond 22^nd September 1969 – 3^rd May 1975, Whitehall Theatre, London (now Trafalgar Theatre, London).
Designer, A Bit Between the Teeth, Brian Rix Enterprises 11^th April 1974 – 22^nd November 1975, Cambridge Theatre, London, Theatre Royal, Brighton, and other locations.
Setting by, Pyjama Tops, Paul Raymond 17^th September – 1^st December 1973, Bristol Hippodrome, Theatre Royal, Nottingham, and other locations.
Designer, The Letter, Watford Civic Theatre Trust 20^th June – 7^th July 1973, Watford Palace Theatre.
Designer, Night Watch, Ray Cooney Productions Ltd 30^th October – 18^th November 1972, Theatre Royal, York, Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, and other locations.
Designer, Vivat! Vivat Regina! 27^th September – 21^st October 1972, Liverpool Playhouse.
Designer, A Doll’s House, Forum Theatre Billingham and Paul Elliott and Duncan C Weldon for Triumph Theatre Productions 26^th February – 8^th April 1972, Forum Theatre, Billingham, Rex Theatre, Wilmslow, and other locations.
Designer, Simon Says…, Leeds Playhouse Company started 17^th September 1970, Leeds Playhouse.
Settings and Lighting by, Henry IV, Leeds Theatre Trust 24^th August – 10^th October 1970, Nottingham Playhouse, Leeds Playhouse, and other locations.
Designer, I Never Sang for My Father, Julie C Daugherty and Marvin Liebman started 21^st April 1970, Duke of York’s Theatre, London and Theatre Royal, Brighton.
Designer, Man with a Load of Mischief, Sherwood and Reid Ltd 14^th October 1968 – January 1969, Comedy Theatre, London (now Harold Pinter Theatre, London) and Opera House, Jersey.
Setting and Lighting, It’s All in the Mind, Hampstead Theatre Club started 7^th October 1968, Hampstead Theatre, London.
Set and Lighting designed by, Dear Charles, John Gale for Volcano Productions Ltd and Talus Productions Ltd 23^rd September – 30^th November 1968, Duke of York’s Theatre, London, Opera House, Manchester, and other locations.
Designer, Close the Coalhouse Door 9^th April 1968 – 19^th April 1969, Newcastle Playhouse, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle Playhouse, Newcastle upon Tyne, and other locations.
Designer, After the Rain 9^th October – 2^nd December 1967, John Golden Theatre (1937 – present), New York.
Designer, First Day of a New Season started 9^th May 1967, Theatre Royal, Brighton, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, and other locations.
Decor, Horizontal Hold, H M Tennent Ltd and John Counsell Ltd 20^th March – 17^th June 1967, Comedy Theatre, London (now Harold Pinter Theatre, London), Theatre Royal, Windsor, and other locations.
Designer, The Sacred Flame 2^nd February – March 1967, Duke of York’s Theatre, London.
Designer, Big Bad Mouse 19^th September 1966 – 27^th April 1968, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London 1963 – Present Day and Palace Theatre, Manchester.
Designer, A Song at Twilight, H M Tennent Ltd 14^th April – 30^th July 1966, Queen’s Theatre, (Shaftesbury Ave) London (now Sondheim Theatre, London).
Designer, The Dance of Death, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 21^st June – 2^nd July 1966, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
Designer, Suite in Three Keys started 14^th April 1966, Queen’s Theatre, (Shaftesbury Ave) London (now Sondheim Theatre, London).
Head of Design, The Rose and the Ring , Stage Sixty 21^st December 1965 – 22^nd January 1966, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
Designer, The Glass Menagerie, Tennent Productions Ltd and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 5^th October 1965 – 8^th January 1966, Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, and other locations.
Settings designed by, Thark, Cooney Productions & Enterprises Ltd 13^th July – 16^th October 1965, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and Garrick Theatre, London.
Lighting, Doctor Faustus, Farnham Repertory Company 24^th April – 9^th May 1964, Castle Theatre, Farnham.
Designer, The Lover / The Dwarfs started 18^th September 1963, New Arts Theatre (now Arts Theatre), London.
Lighting, Pygmalion, Farnham Repertory Company 26^th August – 7^th September 1963, Castle Theatre, Farnham.
Designer/Lighting Designer, A Cheap Bunch of Nice Flowers started 20^th November 1962, New Arts Theatre (now Arts Theatre), London.
Scenic Design, The Caretaker, Frederick Brisson, Gilbert Miller, and Roger L Stevens 4^th October 1961 – 24^th February 1962, Lyceum Theatre, New York City.
Designer, Big Soft Nellie, Michael Codron 28^th November – December 1961, Theatre Royal, Stratford East.
Designer, Big Soft Nellie, Prospect Productions Ltd 18^th – 30^th September 1961, Oxford Playhouse and Cambridge Arts Theatre.
Designer & Lighting, Stop It, Whoever You Are started 15^th February 1961, Arts Theatre, London.
Designer & Lighting, Lunch Hour started 18^th January 1961, Arts Theatre, London.
Designer & Lighting, A Slight Ache started 18^th January 1961, Arts Theatre, London.
Decor, Naked Island, David Hall, in association with the Arts Theatre Club 29^th September – 17^th December 1960, Arts Theatre, London and Arts Theatre, London.
Setting and Lighting, The Caretaker, David Hall and Michael Codron 27^th April 1960 – May 1961, Arts Theatre, London and Duchess Theatre, London.
Designer, The Merchant of Venice, Belgrade Theatre Company 16^th – 27^th February 1960, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Designer, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Arts Theatre Club started 20^th January 1960, Arts Theatre, London.
Designer, Great Expectations, Belgrade Theatre Company 14^th – 26^th December 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Setting by, The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi, Arts Theatre Club 30^th September – 18^th October 1959, Arts Theatre, London.
Designer, Rookery Nook, Belgrade Theatre Company 14^th – 26^th September 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Designer, The Crooked Billet, Belgrade Theatre Company 3^rd – 15^th August 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Designer, Nothing to Declare, Jack Minster started 15^th June 1959, New Theatre, Oxford.
Designer, Reluctant Heroes, Belgrade Theatre Company 11^th – 23^rd May 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Designer, Arsenic and Old Lace, Belgrade Theatre Company 27^th April – 9^th May 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Designer, Bridge of Sighs, Belgrade Theatre Company 13^th – 18^th April 1959, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

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Photo credits

Brian on his morotbike by Firmin, Public domain due to age