Project: 4 Walls by Rukus
Client: Derby Theatre
Information: Filmed content, video design and projection mapping for a Hip Hop Theatre piece.
Credits: Photography by Grant Archer
“The Video and AV Designer, Grant Archer, was like another actor in this play. As mentioned, the video design told a story and covered the whole set. Not only did this group of actors tell their story, but a story was also told by the video design.” - 4 Walls Review, Kev Castle
“The stage set, video and projection work, sound and lighting is masterful” - 4 Walls Review, Debra Hall
Project: Beryl by Maxine Peake
Client: Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Information: Video Design created for stage set featuring a rolling road and back scenes.
Credits: Photographs by Chris Payne
“With the actors riding static bicycles, the dramatic emphasis is placed on Grant Archer‘s video projections, displayed on a huge video screen at the back of the stage.” - The play’s the thing review of Beryl
“…shown through the inventive use of the video projections by designer Grant Archer” - Beryl Review
Project: An Adventure by Vinay Patel
Client: Bolton Octagon Theatre
Information: Video Design created for stage set featuring filmed and archive footage.
Credits: Photographs by Pamela Raith
“With AV from Grant Archer, which combines vintage home movie style sequences with cinematic narration, the mixed media element of this production provides a rich landscape enabling a dynamic playing field for storytelling.” - Review of An Adventure
Project: Angel of History
Information: In 1940 the philosopher Walter Benjamin described a Paul Klee painting, Angelus Novus, as showing an angel of history transfixed by a past he perceives as catastrophe but which is propelling him forward into the future.
This project is a collaboration with Nicky Henshall, Shobna Gulati and Akshay Gulati exploring what it has meant to be a performer during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 when all regular creative outputs have been restricted. The piece is intended to be a reflection on the struggles of the creative industry as well as on the impact the pandemic has had on the health and well-being of society as a whole.
Creative Team
A film by Grant Archer based on the work of Walter Benjamin & Paul Klee
with music by Akshay Gulati
Performance by Shobna Gulati
Dance and Choreography by Nicky Henshall
Lighting by Aaron Barton-Wells
Technical Assistance from Matt Williams, Kevin Leach & Adam Gent
Produced by Rebekah Harrison
Kindly supported by Oldham Coliseum Micro Commissions 2021
Project: This Is Not Your Interview
Information: A 360 Degree Virtual Reality Film created as part of a live theatrical installation at a site specific location in Manchester.
Credits: Devised by Grant Archer and Rebekah Harrison / Performed by Ellaney Haydon, Martha Simon, Adam Davies, Shila Iqbal and Rebekah Harrison.
Project: Patient
Client: Oldham Coliseum
Information: A Theatrical Installation featuring multiple screens, computers and audio points exploring the world of Clinical Trials.
Credits: Performed by Shila Iqbal / Additional Film by Casey Longden
Project: The Understudy
Client: Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Information: A 360 Degree Virtual Reality Film created as part of a live theatrical installation and presented at Cultivate 2019 Festival.
Credits: Devised by Grant Archer and Rebekah Harrison / Performed by Heather Carroll, Ellaney Haydon, Kim Burnett, Nadia Emam and Gareth George.
Project Title: Fragmented
Information: Immersive Theatrical Installation following a tour guide through a city centre apartment exploring themes of disconnection and loneliness.
Credits: Written by Rebekah Harrison and Grant Archer / Directed by Heather Carroll / Designed by Grant Archer / Performed by Danielle Henry and Dorothea Sterian.
Project: Connect
Client: HOME / Take Back Theatre / Hope Mill Theatre / Manchester University
Information: A series of public telephones with pre-recorded stories and experiences of being a refugee. First displayed at Hope Mill Theatre as part of Be//Longing.
Project: The Exonerated
Client: Hope Mill Theatre
Information: Re-imagining of the play The Exonerated by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen to create a piece combining live performance and pre-recorded film running simultaneously for the duration.
Credits: Live Performance Directed by Joe Houston / Film by Grant Archer
Project: Be//Longing
Client: Take Back Theatre / Hope Mill Theatre / Manchester University
Information: Commissioned by Manchester University and Sundae PR to create a new piece of theatre using installation, multimedia and live performance to showcase the research of The University of Manchester’s Migration Lab.
Based on people’s real stories and using every corner of Hope Mill Theatre, Be//longing took the audience on a journey through Borders to Belonging – a very unique theatrical experience.
“Be//Longing is a powerful experience which should be experienced by everyone. It is a huge accomplishment by everyone involved in and a tremendous accolade for the Manchester theatre scene.”
Project: Shooting the Messenger
Client: Take Back Theatre
Information: A multi-disciplinary theatrical installation, combining live filming, photography, music, dance and interactivity. Performed over 3 hours at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. Featured as part of the Co:Lab Festival.
Credits: Devised by Rebekah Harrison, Matt Hassell and Grant Archer / Directed by Matt Hassell / Music by Keeley Ray / Performed by Olivia Sweeney, Yandass Ndlovu, Sandra Cole, Gemma Hepworth and William J Holstead.
Project Title: I Forget Your Name
Client: Take Back Theatre
Information: Immersive Theatrical Installation exploring themes of authority, bureaucracy and the refugee crisis, performed for one night in Manchester City Centre.
Credits: Written by Rebekah Harrison, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Grant Archer and Ian Kershaw / Directed by Matt Hassell / Designed by Grant Archer / Performed by Victoria Brazier, Amy Drake Danielle Henry, Jennifer Platt, Yandass Ndlovu, James Quinn, Gemma Hepworth and Ollie Devoti.
Project: Under Canvas
Client: Royal Exchange Theatre / Take Back Theatre
Information: The piece was commissioned as part of the B!rth Festival, at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. A tent was transformed into an installation, working with textile artist Laura Faithfull, who designed the outer panels around the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 14 writers responded to the direct stories and research collated, both through our own time volunteering within camps in Calais and Dunkirk, and also from interviews and stories from other volunteers.
Project: Delegation
Client: Take Back Theatre / Royal Exchange React Provocation
Information: Working in a team of theatre makers, using photography, film, technology and design to collaborate in response to a provocation. Experimentation in creating an immersive space with design and using sound and video projection to enhance this.
Project: The Replacement Child
Client: Abooo Theatre
Information: Working with Abooo Theatre to film, edit and design films as a part of the narrative of a theatre piece. Visuals were both projected and used ‘in world’ in the set design.
Project: Projection
Client: Oulala Cabaret
Information: Working with Oulala Cabaret to develop the use of film projection as a dynamic, integrated design for live performance, working with the choreographer and performer. Used within a live cabaret show.
Project: Now Is The Moment We Learn Hope
Client: Mighty Heart Theatre
Information: Creating a short documentary film as a part of the design for a sharing at HOME, Manchester for supported artists, Mighty Heart Theatre.
Project: The Running Man
Client: Stoke Creative Learning
Information: An experimental piece combining live choreography with pre-recorded film merging into a faux ‘live feed’. Used as the opening piece for the Sport In The City Festival, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent.
