Primavera

Artistic Director Tom Littler

Tom Littler has been Artistic Director of Primavera since its inception in 2003, with responsibility for programming and directing productions.

Tom Littler directed the UK premiere of Madagascar, with Sorcha Cusack (Theatre503); Anyone Can Whistle, with Issy van Randwyck (Jermyn Street); Origin of the Species with Marjorie Yates and Clare-Hope Ashitey (Arcola); Saturday Night, by Stephen Sondheim (Jermyn Street / West End / Windsor); Jingo, with Susannah Harker and Anthony Howell; two Forgotten Classics series at the King's Head Theatre; and a residency including The Boatswain's Mate, The Mollusc, and The Confidential Clerk at the Finborough Theatre. Freelance directing includes: One for the Road and Mr and Mrs Nobody (Frinton); Six Seven and David Hare Retrospective (HighTide); The Virtuoso (Mountview Academy).

Tom Littler has worked as Associate Director with Peter Hall on A Doll's House, The Browning Version, Swansong. Other associate directing: Present Laughter with Belinda Lang; Entertaining Angels and Absurd Person Singular (revived for tour) with Alan Strachan. As resident director: A Little Night Music (dir. Trevor Nunn). As assistant director: Peter Gill on The Importance of Being Earnest; Peter Hall on The Vortex and Little Nell; Laurence Boswell on Treats; Alan Strachan on The Letter; James Conway on English Touring Opera's Eugene Onegin, and Peter Duncan on Dick Whittington.

Tom Littler graduated with a first class degree in English from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. At Oxford he directed over a dozen plays including two at the Oxford Playhouse and the inaugural production at the Said Amphitheatre. He was Secretary of the OUDS and Marketing Director of the Oxford Greek Festival. He is represented by MLR.

Associate Designer (Lighting) Christopher Nairne

Christopher is a freelance lighting designer, stage electrician and flyman based in London, although he has also worked extensively in Oxford and Edinburgh. For Primavera, he has designed the lighting for Origin of the Species (Arcola Theatre), The Confidential Clerk, The Mollusc and The Boatswain's Mate (Finborough Theatre), Twelfth Night and Old Times (OFS Studio), As You Like It (Christ Church & Said Amphitheatre) and Into the Woods (Oxford Playhouse; for which he was also flyman), as well as two Forgotten Classics seasons at the King’s Head Theatre. He was also Production Manager for A Doll's House, and its transfer, and provided technical advice for the garden productions of A Misummer Night's Dream and Lady Windermere's Fan (also directed by Tom Littler, though not Primavera). Recent credits elsewhere in London have included productions at the Leicester Square Theatre, Hoxton Hall, the Old Red Lion and the Etcetera Theatre. Further details, and a full list of credits, are available on his website: www.christophernairne.co.uk.

Webmaster Sam Sampson

Sam is a self-taught web designer, specialising in theatrical web design. He is also Executive Producer of Open Plan productions.

Sam has produced, marketed, acted in and worked on the technical side of a large number of shows, including producing the Primavera production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

He was University Drama Officer of Oxford University, based at the Oxford Playhouse, and he now works in education at the Corn Exchange in Newbury.

Associate Designer Will Reynolds

Will recently designed the set and lighting for Jingo - 'beautifully designed and lit by Will Reynolds' (The Guardian).

Will has enjoyed a long association with Primavera and Tom Littler as a lighting designer. Previous work includes lighting A Streetcar Named Desire and designing the moving lights for Into the Woods (Oxford Playhouse), and lighting Passion and Boston Marriage (Edinburgh Festival).

He is currently assistant to renowned designer and lighting designer Peter Mumford.

Set design credits include Fuente Ovejuna (Oxford Playhouse), Kid-Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh, Can’t Pay Won’t Pay (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me and Kiss Me, Kate (O'Reilly Theatre, Oxford).

Lighting design credits include Threepenny Opera, All My Sons, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Fuente Ovejuna (Oxford Playhouse), Three Little Wolves (Bloomsbury Theatre), Past Tense (Old Red Lion Theatre), Homelands (Bolton Octagon, BNT studio, Stahl Theatre and Uppingham Theatre), The Constant Prince (Arcola Theatre and Oxford Playhouse), Julius Caesar (OUDS Japan tour), Kid-Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh, How I Learned to Drive, Starting Here Starting Now, Catch 22,I Was a Rat (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Ghosts, Agnes of God, Guys and Dolls (Old Fire Station Theatre, Oxford), Godspell, Kiss Me Kate and Quartet (O'Reilly Theatre, Oxford). He also assisted Oliver Fenwick on Mirandolina at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and was co-lighting designer/technical director for the inaugural Oxford University Fashion Show in the town hall (2005).

He trained under stage designer Alison Chitty at Motley Theatre Design School and is resident designer for Metta Theatre.

Honorary Patron Peter Gill

Peter Gill is an renowned playwright and theatre director. He directed groundbreaking productions of D.H.Lawrence, Heathcote Williams and Joe Orton at the Royal Court; he founded the Riverside Studios and the National Theatre Studio; and he was an associate director at the NT from 1980 - 1997. His plays include The York Realist and Small Change.

Honorary Patron Penelope Keith

Penelope Keith is an actress. Most recently on stage she appeared as Lady Bracknell in a revival of The Importance of Being Earnest directed by Peter Gill. Her television work includes The Good Life and To the Manor Born, and she has enjoyed an extensive theatre career, beginning at the RSC. She is a CBE and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey.

Honorary Patron Felicity Kendal

Felicity Kendal is an actress. Most recently on stage she played Florence Lancaster in a revival of The Vortex. She is well known for her television work in The Good Life and Rosemary and Thyme, among many others. Her theatre work includes creating a number of roles in plays by Tom Stoppard, among others, including Arcadia and The Real Thing.

Honorary Patron Peter Nichols

Peter Nichols is a playwright. His best known work includes A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Privates on Parade, Passion Play, The National Health, and Poppy. He is also an acclaimed diarist, and published an autobiography, Feeling You're Behind in 1984. This year there has been a national tour of Born in the Gardens and a revival of Privates on Parade.

Honorary Patron Diana Quick

Diana Quick is an actress. Most recently on stage she appeared as Maria Callas in Aristo. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she was president of the OUDS, and is best known for playing Julia Flyte in the television production of Brideshead Revisited. She is currently writing a book about her paternal family's life in India.