As You Like It
Costume Design
1991 (made)
1991 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Design by Nick Ormerod for Silvius in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tour, 1991-1992.
This production of As You Like It was staged by the Cheek by Jowl theatre company and directed by Declan Donnellan, who co-founded the company with the designer, Nick Ormerod. Cheek by Jowl productions were notable for their simplicity of design and for their focus on the actor as storyteller, and As You Like It was a perfect example of the company's style, using Ormerod's white box set and forest of green hangings to create a simple, unobtrusive location for the action. The play began and ended with the whole acting company on stage. Dressed in basic black trousers and white shirts, they were clearly actors presenting a story to an audience which was required to use its imagination and participate in the illusion. The all-male production was first staged in 1991, toured extensively, and was revived in 1994 and taken on a further world tour which ended in London at the Albery Theatre. The freshness of the approach, and a fine Rosalind from Adrian Lester, won it critical plaudits. Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard wrote that it would "define the play for the 1990s".
Mark Benton played Silvius in the 1991-1992 tour.
This production of As You Like It was staged by the Cheek by Jowl theatre company and directed by Declan Donnellan, who co-founded the company with the designer, Nick Ormerod. Cheek by Jowl productions were notable for their simplicity of design and for their focus on the actor as storyteller, and As You Like It was a perfect example of the company's style, using Ormerod's white box set and forest of green hangings to create a simple, unobtrusive location for the action. The play began and ended with the whole acting company on stage. Dressed in basic black trousers and white shirts, they were clearly actors presenting a story to an audience which was required to use its imagination and participate in the illusion. The all-male production was first staged in 1991, toured extensively, and was revived in 1994 and taken on a further world tour which ended in London at the Albery Theatre. The freshness of the approach, and a fine Rosalind from Adrian Lester, won it critical plaudits. Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard wrote that it would "define the play for the 1990s".
Mark Benton played Silvius in the 1991-1992 tour.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | As You Like It (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Pencil and crayon on paper |
Brief description | Design by Nick Ormerod for Silvius in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tour, 1991-1992 |
Physical description | Design for Silvius in As You Like It, showing a full length figure of a man wearing a smock, a wide brimmed hat and gaiters, with, to the left, a second smocked figure in a grey hat and a blue shawl. The design is inscribed with the name of the character and the actor, and is mounted on black card. |
Dimensions |
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Production type | Unique |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Given by Cheek by Jowl Theatre Company |
Object history | This design is one of a collection of designs for Shakespeare's As You Like It given to the museum by the touring theatre company, Cheek by Jowl, which staged the production in 1991-1992 and 1994-1995. |
Subject depicted | |
Literary reference | As You Like It |
Summary | Design by Nick Ormerod for Silvius in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tour, 1991-1992. This production of As You Like It was staged by the Cheek by Jowl theatre company and directed by Declan Donnellan, who co-founded the company with the designer, Nick Ormerod. Cheek by Jowl productions were notable for their simplicity of design and for their focus on the actor as storyteller, and As You Like It was a perfect example of the company's style, using Ormerod's white box set and forest of green hangings to create a simple, unobtrusive location for the action. The play began and ended with the whole acting company on stage. Dressed in basic black trousers and white shirts, they were clearly actors presenting a story to an audience which was required to use its imagination and participate in the illusion. The all-male production was first staged in 1991, toured extensively, and was revived in 1994 and taken on a further world tour which ended in London at the Albery Theatre. The freshness of the approach, and a fine Rosalind from Adrian Lester, won it critical plaudits. Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard wrote that it would "define the play for the 1990s". Mark Benton played Silvius in the 1991-1992 tour. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.211-1999 |
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Record created | October 15, 1999 |
Record URL |
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