Jenni-Lee Crewe

Jenni-lee Crewe is currently senior lecturer in scenography at the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of Cape Town. She completed her undergraduate studies at Rhodes University and went on to work with the First Physical Theatre Company as education officer, designer and choreographer. She then pursued her studies in theatre design obtaining an MFA from Tulane University in New Orleans. Returning to South Africa, she lectured in the School of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before moving to Cape Town

Jenni-lee is currently lead-representative for the Africa Region for the International Image and Scenography Research Laboratory (LIRIS). She is a fellow of the Ampersand Foundation, a Naledi award winning theatre designer and Creative Director of Flying House, an organization dedicated to designing spaces and experiences that help people connect, create, innovate and grow.

Research Profile: 

My field of study is broadly in performance studies but focuses specifically on scenography and production design for performance. I am currently working towards completing my PhD research in University of Cape Town’s Centre for Theatre Dance and Performance Studies. The aim of the study is to identify, establish and distinguish South African scenography by applying oral aesthetics to an empirical study of a collection of photographs of recent South African performance design. The title of my thesis is: Constellations: A Creative Taxonomy of South African Scenography. 

My creative practice is founded on performance design for theatre and dance that foregrounds image, object, material, and body as catalysts for performance. Over recent years my creative research has focused less on producing designs for productions and more on curating events, allowing for relevant thematic concerns to arise across works and conversations. I have also leaned into an interest in eco-scenography and expanded scenography practices that connect spaces and environment with culture and performance. These creative research endeavours find form in design for immersive installations, catalogues, and community-oriented projects.