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Mask

1950 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Mask for Envy designed and made by John Crockett, worn in the Masque of the Seven Deadly Sins in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus, Compass Players tour, 1950-1951.

John Crockett (1918-1986) was the artistic director of a post-war touring theatre company called the Compass Players, a small company which could have been described at the time as part of a commune. An estate and an old house on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire provided accommodation, office and rehearsal space for an acting company of seven, as well as a home for the family of John Crockett, who was a fine artist and dancer, as well as an actor and director.

The company was dedicated to producing a repertoire of classics, and these included Doctor Faustus,Milton's masque Comus, plays by Shaw, Synge, Chekhov, Moliere and Christopher Fry, and versions of The Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales and of Jonah and the Whale - both adapted by John Crockett.

The Compass Players appeared in village halls, miners' institutes and schools across Britain, usually performing a school's matinee and an evening show each day. Cast and equipment travelled in a converted laundry van. The entire company acted, stage managed, lit the show, maintained the costumes and stage properties and put up the set.

John Crockett designed all the masks for Doctor Faustus, creating moulds based on the actors' faces. All available members of the company were recruited to make the papier-mâché and the finished masks were then painted by John Crockett. In performance Envy had green wire snakes coiled around the head.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted papier-mâché and cotton jersey fabric
Brief description
Mask for Envy designed and made by John Crockett, worn in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus, Compass Players tour, 1950-1951
Physical description
Full face mask with deep set lop-sided eye sockets, a large pointed nose, turned up chin and furrowed brow. The complexion is painted green with black and yellow highlighting. A green fabric hood is sewn around the top edge and fastened with a metal press stud beneath the chin to conceal the back of the head.
Dimensions
  • Height: 27cm (height of mask, excluding hood)
  • Width: 11.5cm
  • Depth: 14.5cm
All measurements approximate
Credit line
Given by John Crockett
Summary
Mask for Envy designed and made by John Crockett, worn in the Masque of the Seven Deadly Sins in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus, Compass Players tour, 1950-1951.

John Crockett (1918-1986) was the artistic director of a post-war touring theatre company called the Compass Players, a small company which could have been described at the time as part of a commune. An estate and an old house on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire provided accommodation, office and rehearsal space for an acting company of seven, as well as a home for the family of John Crockett, who was a fine artist and dancer, as well as an actor and director.

The company was dedicated to producing a repertoire of classics, and these included Doctor Faustus,Milton's masque Comus, plays by Shaw, Synge, Chekhov, Moliere and Christopher Fry, and versions of The Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales and of Jonah and the Whale - both adapted by John Crockett.

The Compass Players appeared in village halls, miners' institutes and schools across Britain, usually performing a school's matinee and an evening show each day. Cast and equipment travelled in a converted laundry van. The entire company acted, stage managed, lit the show, maintained the costumes and stage properties and put up the set.

John Crockett designed all the masks for Doctor Faustus, creating moulds based on the actors' faces. All available members of the company were recruited to make the papier-mâché and the finished masks were then painted by John Crockett. In performance Envy had green wire snakes coiled around the head.
Bibliographic reference
Dellar, Pamela (ed). Plays Without Theatres: Recollections of The Compass Players Travelling Theatre 1944-1952. Beverley: Highgate Publications, 1989. 173p. ISBN 0-948929-27-8.
Collection
Accession number
S.477:13-1980

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Record createdJanuary 28, 2013
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