Mi Workshops Set Build for The Ladies Football Club – WWI Theatre Design & Scenic Constructio

The Ladies Football Club, a play set during World War I, follows eleven women in a factory who discover football as a source of empowerment, identity, and friendship amidst adversity.

For Mi Workshops, it marked the beginning of design meeting after design meeting to ensure the set fully supported the production. These sessions included detailed exploration of form, sampling of shapes and curves, and early concepts based around carved polystyrene blocks. However, as the production developed, these initial ideas evolved—reflecting a shared commitment across the team to be as “green” and resource-conscious in theatre-making as possible.

We utilised CNC machining to create the concave back wall panels, constructed from layered timber. These were then passed to the scenic artists, who added depth, texture, and subtle tonal variation—bringing the surfaces to life in performance light. There’s always something satisfying about seeing precision-cut engineering softened and enriched by hand-painted detail; it’s where technical craft and artistry really meet.

5017 – The company of The Ladies Football Club. Photo by Johan Persson..jpg

Having the space and time on this production meant the entire set was built in-house at Mi Workshops. This allowed changes and build refinements to be incorporated quickly and efficiently, without disrupting the overall schedule. It also gave us the freedom to refine details right up to the point of installation—something that always strengthens the final result.

Each floor block was laid out prior to fit-up, allowing us to clearly demonstrate the fluidity of the scenic transitions and to ensure a quicker, smoother installation on site. Back wall panels were constructed and then lifted into place, with sliding doors and hidden panels carefully integrated throughout.

At Mi Workshops Ltd, we are continually drawn to work that pushes the boundaries of how stories are told on stage. The Ladies Football Club is one such production—a collaboration where movement, sound, light, and design operate as a single expressive language.