King Henry VI
Set Design
1957 (made)
1957 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set design by Leslie Hurry for William Shakespeare's King Henry VI by the Old Vic Company 1957.
King Henry VI by William Shakespeare, directed by Douglas Seale with set, property and costume designs was first performed at the Old Vic in October 1957 with Parts 1 and 2 opening on 16 October, and Part 3 on 17 October.
Douglas Seale's production followed on from his staging of the three plays in Birmingham four years earlier, but cut so that Parts 1 and 2 could be presented on one evening. Philip Hope Wallace in the Manchester Gurdian (18 October 1957) considered that Hurry's scenery was 'effective enough: a murky cavern, with side kennels and a fusty gloom about it...but pieces of scenery dangled and flapped, and here [as with the overall production[ was a general feeling that the grand design and strategy are still not quite finished'. Punch 23 October 1957 noted that 'Leslie Hurry has dressed it well, and his sloping stage edged by dark caverns fits it without fuss.'
The scenery was made in the Old Vic workshop under the direction of W. H. Parker and painted by Leslie Woolnough. Photographs by Angus McBean in the core collection of the Theatre & Performance Collections show the set as realised.
King Henry VI by William Shakespeare, directed by Douglas Seale with set, property and costume designs was first performed at the Old Vic in October 1957 with Parts 1 and 2 opening on 16 October, and Part 3 on 17 October.
Douglas Seale's production followed on from his staging of the three plays in Birmingham four years earlier, but cut so that Parts 1 and 2 could be presented on one evening. Philip Hope Wallace in the Manchester Gurdian (18 October 1957) considered that Hurry's scenery was 'effective enough: a murky cavern, with side kennels and a fusty gloom about it...but pieces of scenery dangled and flapped, and here [as with the overall production[ was a general feeling that the grand design and strategy are still not quite finished'. Punch 23 October 1957 noted that 'Leslie Hurry has dressed it well, and his sloping stage edged by dark caverns fits it without fuss.'
The scenery was made in the Old Vic workshop under the direction of W. H. Parker and painted by Leslie Woolnough. Photographs by Angus McBean in the core collection of the Theatre & Performance Collections show the set as realised.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | King Henry VI (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink and watercolour on paper. |
| Brief description | Set design by Leslie Hurry for William Shakespeare's King Henry VI by the Old Vic Company 1957. |
| Physical description | Ink, crayon and watercolour on paper set design by Leslie Hurry for William Shakespeare's King Henry VI by the Old Vic Company 1957. The design depicts an ominous space. There is a tall structure at the centre that resmbles a tree, and two bridge archways on either side of the set. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Summary | Set design by Leslie Hurry for William Shakespeare's King Henry VI by the Old Vic Company 1957. King Henry VI by William Shakespeare, directed by Douglas Seale with set, property and costume designs was first performed at the Old Vic in October 1957 with Parts 1 and 2 opening on 16 October, and Part 3 on 17 October. Douglas Seale's production followed on from his staging of the three plays in Birmingham four years earlier, but cut so that Parts 1 and 2 could be presented on one evening. Philip Hope Wallace in the Manchester Gurdian (18 October 1957) considered that Hurry's scenery was 'effective enough: a murky cavern, with side kennels and a fusty gloom about it...but pieces of scenery dangled and flapped, and here [as with the overall production[ was a general feeling that the grand design and strategy are still not quite finished'. Punch 23 October 1957 noted that 'Leslie Hurry has dressed it well, and his sloping stage edged by dark caverns fits it without fuss.' The scenery was made in the Old Vic workshop under the direction of W. H. Parker and painted by Leslie Woolnough. Photographs by Angus McBean in the core collection of the Theatre & Performance Collections show the set as realised. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1837-2014 |
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| Record created | August 8, 2014 |
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