As You Like It
Costume Design
1991 (made)
1991 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Design by Nick Ormerod for Rosalind in the 'Spring' scenes in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tours, 1991-1992 and 1994-1995.
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".
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".
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 Rosalind in the 'Spring' scenes in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tours, 1991-1992 and 1994-1995 |
| Physical description | Design for Rosalind, disguised as a man, in As You like It, showing a full length black figure wearing a reddish brown waistcoat over a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a sheath knife attached to a belt around the waist, greenish brown trousers, brown shoes and a wide brimmed straw hat. 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 Rosalind in the 'Spring' scenes in As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl tours, 1991-1992 and 1994-1995. 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". |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.215-1999 |
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| Record created | October 22, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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