The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Plan
1965 (made)
1965 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Groundplan and plan for the cyclorama, designed by Michael Annals for Peter Shaffer's play, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, ANTA Theatre, New York, 1965.
Michael Annals (1938-1990) trained at Hornsey College of Art and began his career designing sets and costumes for the Old Vic. In 1963 the newly formed National Theatre Company moved into the Old Vic and Annals joined them, having his first major success with his designs for Peter Shaffer's historical epic, The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964). He went on to have an international career, designing for the theatre and for ballet, opera and film, but is most closely associated with the National Theatre, where he created notable settings for a range of productions, including O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night starring Laurence Olivier, Hecht and MacArthur's The Front Page and Shaw's Heartbreak House. Annals frequently worked in the United States and was Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Yale in 1966-1967. In 1984 he gave up the stage and took up photography and illustration.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun dramatises the Spanish Conquest of Peru in the 16th century. It was first staged by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1964 and transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of that year. The same production team re-created the staging in New York in 1965.
Moveable scenery is built from scale drawings made by the designer. The designs are reproduced as blueprints so that multiple copies are available for the stage technicians.
Michael Annals (1938-1990) trained at Hornsey College of Art and began his career designing sets and costumes for the Old Vic. In 1963 the newly formed National Theatre Company moved into the Old Vic and Annals joined them, having his first major success with his designs for Peter Shaffer's historical epic, The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964). He went on to have an international career, designing for the theatre and for ballet, opera and film, but is most closely associated with the National Theatre, where he created notable settings for a range of productions, including O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night starring Laurence Olivier, Hecht and MacArthur's The Front Page and Shaw's Heartbreak House. Annals frequently worked in the United States and was Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Yale in 1966-1967. In 1984 he gave up the stage and took up photography and illustration.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun dramatises the Spanish Conquest of Peru in the 16th century. It was first staged by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1964 and transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of that year. The same production team re-created the staging in New York in 1965.
Moveable scenery is built from scale drawings made by the designer. The designs are reproduced as blueprints so that multiple copies are available for the stage technicians.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Royal Hunt of the Sun (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Dyeline |
| Brief description | Groundplan and plan for the cyclorama, designed by Michael Annals for Peter Shaffer's play, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, ANTA Theatre, New York, 1965. |
| Physical description | Dyeline. Groundplan and plan for the cyclorama, for the New York production of The Royal Hunt of the Sun. |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Michael Annals |
| Object history | Michael Annals designed the scenery for the premiere of The Royal Hunt of the Sun by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre, 1964. The production transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of 1964. Annals re-drew all the plans for the scenery when the production was re-created at the ANTA Theatre, New York, in 1965. |
| Summary | Groundplan and plan for the cyclorama, designed by Michael Annals for Peter Shaffer's play, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, ANTA Theatre, New York, 1965. Michael Annals (1938-1990) trained at Hornsey College of Art and began his career designing sets and costumes for the Old Vic. In 1963 the newly formed National Theatre Company moved into the Old Vic and Annals joined them, having his first major success with his designs for Peter Shaffer's historical epic, The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964). He went on to have an international career, designing for the theatre and for ballet, opera and film, but is most closely associated with the National Theatre, where he created notable settings for a range of productions, including O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night starring Laurence Olivier, Hecht and MacArthur's The Front Page and Shaw's Heartbreak House. Annals frequently worked in the United States and was Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Yale in 1966-1967. In 1984 he gave up the stage and took up photography and illustration. The Royal Hunt of the Sun dramatises the Spanish Conquest of Peru in the 16th century. It was first staged by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1964 and transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of that year. The same production team re-created the staging in New York in 1965. Moveable scenery is built from scale drawings made by the designer. The designs are reproduced as blueprints so that multiple copies are available for the stage technicians. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.291-1991 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
