Lydia Mason
(Classical Studies, 2005)
Theatre and festival producer and Classical Studies alumna.
Lydia was raised in Teddington and attended The Tiffin Girls’ School. She joined the Department of Classics in 2002. Lydia was active in the productions of ancient Greek plays and spent a summer studying at the British School in Rome. An eclectic early career saw her working as a researcher, copywriter, paralegal, and a producer of fire and juggling shows. She was at different times registered as the company secretary of an intellectual property law firm, and a pub licensee. However, Lydia will be best remembered for her work in the arts. She produced and designed memorable immersive theatre shows in Bristol, London and Macclesfield. She was well known to many performers and comedians through her work as a creative, showrunner, venue manager, mental health advocate and festival organiser on the Brighton and Edinburgh fringes, particularly while working with Laughing Horse – developing their chat show format with Vladimir McTavish and running the ever-popular Pick of the Fringe shows.
Lydia was posthumously awarded the prize for ‘Best Person’ at the 2023 Comedians’ Choice Awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
She had also taken time in recent years to care for her mother, who died earlier this year. Lydia died at St George’s Hospital on 10 August following a short illness. Her energy, intelligence, wide-ranging knowledge, humour and compassion are already much missed by her friends and family, especially her father, Paul.
Thank you to Mike Shephard (Ancient History, 2005) for providing the details for Lydia’s obituary.