We are delighted to announce that Lulu Tam is the winner of the Naomi Wilkinson Award for Stage Design 2022.

Paul Hunter:

"After receiving an outstanding range of applicants, and engaging with our short list through a provocative and imaginative workshop before finally a presentation and rigorous panel interview, Lulu eventually emerged as a clear winner. Her sense of enquiry, curiosity and playfulness had strong echoes of our dear friend and inspiration Naomi Wilkinson, and Lulu’s collaboration with the Idiots feels a vital part of Naomi’s legacy."

 

Lulu Tam: 
"Naomi Wilkinson Award gives me the perfect platform to work with this extremely innovative group of people. This is a creative adventure with support from different departments, and a very practical one as well, to put it onstage at the same time. This means a lot for me as an Asian female designer, who are still experiencing a difficult journey to find a space in British theatre. I am honoured and thrilled to have this opportunity to bring my career to the next phase by working with Told by an Idiot and the New Vic Theatre, and I am going to enjoy every step of it." 

 

Anthony & Patrick Wilkinson (Trustees) Charles Mason and Naomi Wilkinson Foundation: 

"The Charles Mason & Naomi Wilkinson Foundation is delighted that Lulu Tam is the second recipient of the Award in Memory of Naomi Wilkinson a set designer who worked closely with Told by an Idiot over several years. The Award was set up to give an up and coming female designer the opportunity to work closely with Told by an Idiot and design a set for a new production. We wish Lulu Tam every success with this and hope it will give her the opportunity to further develop her career. " 

 

About the Award

The Naomi Wilkinson Award for Stage Design was established by Told by an Idiot in 2019 to recognise an emerging designer with a unique visual imagination, in memory of the late Naomi Wilkinson; a hugely talented and renowned theatre set and costume designer. 

'Naomi Wilkinson changed the way we looked at design. Over a ten year period she was a close and wonderful collaborator, designing nine utterly unique worlds and helping us define our visual aesthetic. She provoked us, challenged us and inspired us to think differently. She never settled, constantly questioned and was always curious. The award is specifically intended to help overcome the under-representation of those who identify as women in the arts and to honour Naomi Wilkinson's legacy.'  Paul Hunter, Artistic Director of Told by an Idiot

The Naomi Wilkinson Award for Stage Design is generously supported by the Charles Mason and Naomi Wilkinson Foundation. Without their support we would be unable to give this opportunity to female designers at such a pivotal stage of their careers.

The Inaugural Award (2019-2020)