Set Model
1983 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
John Gunter (1938-2016) trained at Central School of Art and Design under Ralph Koltai before working at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and the Bristol Old Vic. In 1965 he became resident designer at the Royal Court where his style ranged from the stark minimalism of Edward Bond’s Saved to social realism in Peter Gill’s landmark revivals of D H Lawrence’s coal-mining plays.
John Gunter's international career began in 1970 with a residency at Zurich’s Schauspielhaus. He returned to head up the Theatre Design Department at Central School in the 1970s, meanwhile making his mark at the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nottingham Playhouse. His collaboration with director Richard Eyre at Nottingham led to a remarkable run of hits at the Royal National Theatre in the 1980s, starting with setting and costumes for The Beggar’s Opera in the Cottesloe and the sensational neon-lit Guys and Dolls in the Olivier. Gunter mastered the latter theatre for The Rivals directed by Peter Wood, with ingenious moveable houses mounted on trucks, and panoramic vistas of Bath. In Gogol’s The Government Inspector, audiences adored the surreal setting: its sea of bureaucratic paperwork and huge portrait of the Tsar stole the show every night.
Other major directors John Gunter worked with included Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn, most notably the latter’s Porgy and Bess at Glyndebourne in 1986, and Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004 with Ben Whishaw in the title role. He won Best Designer award from SWET for Guys and Dolls(1982), and an Olivier for Best Designer with Wild Honey (1984).
On moving house in 2008 he kindly donated to the Museum six set models including this one - all of which he made himself. To mark the occasion he was interviewed by Geoffrey Marsh, Director of the V&A Theatre & Performance Department, in his studio before it was dismantled by the removers. A copy of the interview is viewable in the Theatre & Performance Department's archive.
John Gunter's international career began in 1970 with a residency at Zurich’s Schauspielhaus. He returned to head up the Theatre Design Department at Central School in the 1970s, meanwhile making his mark at the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nottingham Playhouse. His collaboration with director Richard Eyre at Nottingham led to a remarkable run of hits at the Royal National Theatre in the 1980s, starting with setting and costumes for The Beggar’s Opera in the Cottesloe and the sensational neon-lit Guys and Dolls in the Olivier. Gunter mastered the latter theatre for The Rivals directed by Peter Wood, with ingenious moveable houses mounted on trucks, and panoramic vistas of Bath. In Gogol’s The Government Inspector, audiences adored the surreal setting: its sea of bureaucratic paperwork and huge portrait of the Tsar stole the show every night.
Other major directors John Gunter worked with included Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn, most notably the latter’s Porgy and Bess at Glyndebourne in 1986, and Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004 with Ben Whishaw in the title role. He won Best Designer award from SWET for Guys and Dolls(1982), and an Olivier for Best Designer with Wild Honey (1984).
On moving house in 2008 he kindly donated to the Museum six set models including this one - all of which he made himself. To mark the occasion he was interviewed by Geoffrey Marsh, Director of the V&A Theatre & Performance Department, in his studio before it was dismantled by the removers. A copy of the interview is viewable in the Theatre & Performance Department's archive.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Card, paper, paint, wood, glue, plastic, foam and modelling clay |
Brief description | Set model by John Gunter for The Rivals by R B Sheridan, Royal National Theatre, Olivier, 1983. |
Physical description | Set model showing a crescent in Bath comprising four-storey town houses surrounding an oval cobbled space with a tree and pair of bollards on either side. At the centre is an obelisk with a smaller one behind. There are seven townhouses which can be reversed to reveal various interiors. In the background can be seen a cut-out scene of a busy street with an expansive view of the city and surrounding hills beyond. The whole setting is within a black framework suggestive of a proscenium, which has a lower level below the front of the stage and a mezzanine on each side. |
Dimensions |
|
Credit line | Given by John Gunter |
Summary | John Gunter (1938-2016) trained at Central School of Art and Design under Ralph Koltai before working at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and the Bristol Old Vic. In 1965 he became resident designer at the Royal Court where his style ranged from the stark minimalism of Edward Bond’s Saved to social realism in Peter Gill’s landmark revivals of D H Lawrence’s coal-mining plays. John Gunter's international career began in 1970 with a residency at Zurich’s Schauspielhaus. He returned to head up the Theatre Design Department at Central School in the 1970s, meanwhile making his mark at the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nottingham Playhouse. His collaboration with director Richard Eyre at Nottingham led to a remarkable run of hits at the Royal National Theatre in the 1980s, starting with setting and costumes for The Beggar’s Opera in the Cottesloe and the sensational neon-lit Guys and Dolls in the Olivier. Gunter mastered the latter theatre for The Rivals directed by Peter Wood, with ingenious moveable houses mounted on trucks, and panoramic vistas of Bath. In Gogol’s The Government Inspector, audiences adored the surreal setting: its sea of bureaucratic paperwork and huge portrait of the Tsar stole the show every night. Other major directors John Gunter worked with included Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn, most notably the latter’s Porgy and Bess at Glyndebourne in 1986, and Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004 with Ben Whishaw in the title role. He won Best Designer award from SWET for Guys and Dolls(1982), and an Olivier for Best Designer with Wild Honey (1984). On moving house in 2008 he kindly donated to the Museum six set models including this one - all of which he made himself. To mark the occasion he was interviewed by Geoffrey Marsh, Director of the V&A Theatre & Performance Department, in his studio before it was dismantled by the removers. A copy of the interview is viewable in the Theatre & Performance Department's archive. |
Bibliographic reference | John Goodwin, British Theatre Design: The Modern Age. Caption and picture, p.70 |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.3378-2009 |
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 | November 26, 2009 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON