? A design for life My recent time in New York opened my eyes to a lot of different ways of thinking, and flagged up some big differences between the ways we collaborate in the UK from how they do in the US. One of the main differences which stood out - and something which I've often questioned myself - is how designers seem to be considered a much more crucial component of theatre making on the other side of the Atlantic. It begs the question - why are we not collaborating with designers at an early stage in the creative process? For years I've been fascinated with the work of designers in theatre, and how much good design can enhance a production - from early theatre visits to see work by the likes of Complicite and Kneehigh, I was struck with just how much the visual and aural elements added to each piece. Seeing how the likes of Ultz, Miriam Buether, Jo Scotcher and Laura Hopkins are being increasingly recognised for the quality of their work - not to mention the lighting and sound design by artists such as James Farncombe, Adrienne Quartly and Malcolm Rippeth - is...