Shams Theatre

Shams create playful, moving and imaginative performances - from visually stunning theatre to site-specific, experimental and immersive experiences for audiences. Shams tours work nationally and internationally.

Founded in 2001 by Artistic Director Jonathan Young, Shams has performed in a range of contexts; such as London venues BAC and Camden’s Peoples Theatre to village halls in the Scottish Highlands, three hit seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and tours across Canada.   

REYKJAVIK CREATIVE TEAM

Jonathan Young– Writer and Performer
Jonathan has been making original theatre professionally for over 10 years. A performer, director and playwright, he founded Shams theatre in 2001 and has been its artistic director since then. He has performed in and co-created all the company’s productions to date, as well as working with other acclaimed physical theatre companies, including theatre O, Stamping Ground theatre’s A Quiet Afternoon and as artistic collaborator/dramaturg on the award-winning Hysteria with Inspector Sands; and in directing Tamsin Shasha of aodin the solo aerial show, Bacchic, which he co-wrote.He is a workshop facilitator and teacher of many years’ experience with both adults and young people, including teaching performance, movement and clowning at Guildford School of Acting, London Metropolitan University, Northampton University, Birmingham School of Acting, LIMF and BAC. He trained in theatre and clowning with Jacques Lecoq, Sue Morrison and Philippe Gaulier. 

Carolina Valdés -Co-Director
Carolinais Co-Artistic Director of the award-winning theatre O and has devised and performed in all of their productions to date (Delirium, Astronaut, 5 Moral Agents, The Argument, 3 Dark Tales, Bond) – performances that have played at the Barbican and Abbey Theatre, Dublin, as well as internationally, including the US and New York, Hong Kong and China, Mexico, Berlin, Australia. She directed Shams’ The Garden, which toured the UK and North American Fringes extensively; Absurdia(movement director) at the Donmar Warehouse, All Mapped Out for Gogolia and The Barber of Sevilleand Carmenfor Opera 21.

Lucinka Eisler - Co-Director
Co-founder of Inspector Sands. She is also artistic director of Stamping Ground (A Quiet Afternoon - Edinburgh Fringe ‘04, BAC, Riverside Studios, UK and Irish touring; Generation - Central School). Lucinka was co-writer/assistant director on Theatre O's Three Dark Tales and The Argument for the Barbican Centre (UK and international touring). She assisted Rufus Norris on Tintin for the Young Vic and was staff director on Market Boy for the National Theatre. As a performer Lucinka has worked with Wonderful Beast Theatre, the Royal Opera House, the Prague Roxy Theatre, Fail Better, FletcherWilson and Shunt. Lucinka trained at the Jacques Lecoq school in Paris.

Paul Burgess - Scenography and Video Design
Paul trained at Motley Theatre Design Course following a degree in English at Oxford. Designs include, School of Darkfor Apples and Snakes (Unicorn, London, and touring), Tom Fool(Citizens, Glasgow, and The Bush, London), Babel Junction(Hackney Empire, London), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe, London),Other Hands, Shoreditch Madonnaand Flush (all Soho, London), Switch ECHO(WUK, Vienna), For One Night Only(touring),The Most Humane Way to Kill A Lobsterand Cancer Time (both 503, London) Party Time/One for the Road(BAC, London). Peer Gynt(Arcola, London), Have I None(Southwark, London), Sherlock Holmes (La Tea, NYC), Women and Criminals(Here, NYC).

Katharine Williams- Lighting Design
Katherine works primarily in the UK with some international projects. Katharine's lighting designs have been seen in Hong Kong, Canada, the USA, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, Germany and New Zealand. Recent work includes I am Falling (The Gate), Stamping Ground and Inspector Sands’ Hysteria, Hoipolloi’s The Imposter, Pete and Dud (Come Again Productions), 9 Days Crazy (signal to noise), and Baba Yaga at BAC.    

Adrienne Quartly - Sound Design
Adrienne is an acclaimed sound designer who has designed for companies such as Frantic Assembly, National Theatre of Scotland, Quiconque and Inspector Sands, and whose work has been heard at the Royal Court, Young Vic and Riverside Studios in addition to numerous touring productions.

Beccy Smith – Dramaturg
Beccy is a founding member of the Dramaturg’s Network and a pioneer in the practice of non-text based dramaturgy in the UK, including puppetry, movement and clown. Beccy has worked with Petra’s Pulse, The Little Angel Theatre, ChoppedLogic, Hayan Theatre, as well as with her own company BLiNK. Beccy has a first class degree in English from Girton College Cambridge and an MA (Distinction) in Dramaturgy from the Central School of Speech and Drama. Beccy has also worked as a judge for the Total Theatre Awards at Edinburgh, and is a freelance arts journalist, producer and project manager.

John Page - Production Manager
John trained at the Central school of speech and drama. John has been production managing multiple national and international tours since 1997.  He has worked on a wide range of theatre productions, from the West End to Peepolykus, Tara Arts (Journey to the West, Mandragora king of India,Marriage of Figaro,Merchant of Venice) and Daksha Seth; also events management, including TV companies and for the Olympic torch relay.

Shams is supported by Dance Digital, Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, Reading 21 South Street