Macbeth
Costume Design
1970 (made)
1970 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Costume design for three witches and Hecate for a probably unrealised production of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1970.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
In the 1970s Leslie Hurry was working on designs for a production of Macbeth for William Gaskill at the Royal Court Theatre, London that was never realised.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
In the 1970s Leslie Hurry was working on designs for a production of Macbeth for William Gaskill at the Royal Court Theatre, London that was never realised.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Macbeth (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Black ink, crayon and pencil drawing |
Brief description | Costume design for three witches and Hecate for a probably unrealised production of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1970 |
Physical description | Costume design for three witches and Hecate for a probably unrealised production of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The design shows four grotesque figures drawn in tones of brown and yellow and executed in ink and crayon. The figures at the extreme left and right are dressed in ragged cloaks, pulled up over their heads. The central figures appear to be masked and dressed in torn strips of fabric. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | 'The witches - Hecate
all colours of [illegible]?' (Handwritten annotation in ink bottom left hand corner.) |
Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
Literary reference | Macbeth |
Summary | Costume design for three witches and Hecate for a probably unrealised production of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1970. Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit. In the 1970s Leslie Hurry was working on designs for a production of Macbeth for William Gaskill at the Royal Court Theatre, London that was never realised. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.1943-2014 |
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Record created | August 26, 2014 |
Record URL |
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