Anna Orton trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, gaining an MA in Theatre Design. Prior to theatre Orton trained and worked as a visual artist in Scotland. After a decade, it became increasingly apparent that her interest in art practice was the concept, reaching for whichever skill was appropriate to represent it – painting, printmaking, sculpture, performance. This already flexible approach combined with an overwhelming need to find more collaborative ways of working led her to theatre.

As a designer, Orton sees every piece of theatre as a challenge to serve the story – an opportunity to do that with inventiveness, style and appropriateness. She is interested in the role of the set; what it can say that the text and the actors might not directly. It is the space between the lines that captivated her.

Anna Orton won the Old Vic 12 Designer affiliation in 2019. Work includes, Bristol Old Vic Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Scottish Opera, English Touring Opera, The Watermill, English Theatre Frankfurt, Oxford Playhouse.