Not currently on display at the V&A

A Tale of Two Cities

Set Design
1981 (hand drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing the interior of a Tavern, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities directed by Chris Bond and Pip Broughton and first staged at the Liverpool Playhouse on the 6th of November, 1981.

Dubbed Voytek by George Devine, Wojciech Roman Pawel Jerzy Szendzikowski (1925-2014), was known for his distinctive designs for the stage, theatre and film. Drawing his elaborate designs from in depth analysis of each script or screenplay.
Winning the Military Cross for his role in the Second World War, Voytek transferring first to Italy and then to Scotland after the end of the war where he enrolled at the Dundee Art Collage. In 1947 he moved to London, becoming a student of stage design at the Old Vic Theatre School. His career as a stage set and costume designer began with the Nottingham Playhouse whist his work on TV drama began with ABC Television and on film with Roman Polanski’s Cul-de-Sac.
His theatrical works concentrated on major regional theatre and touring companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nottingham Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Shared Experience; he was head of design at the Liverpool Playhouse from 1981-1982.

The collection this design is from also contains working drawings, model pieces, photograph, production notes as well as press cuttings and programmes relating to Voytek’s career as a production designer for the stage, television and film.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA Tale of Two Cities (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink on paper.
Brief description
Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing the interior of a Tavern, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities Liverpool Playhouse, 1981
Physical description
Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing the interior of a Tavern, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities Liverpool Playhouse, 1981. The copy has been made in tones of black and white, it shows a view through a window towards the interior of the Tavern. Inside the tavern, two figures, slumped on a bench are visible on the left hand side, opposite them are a stack of wooden barrels which are positioned on top of a wood panelled platform.
Dimensions
  • Height: 41.6cm
  • Width: 29.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Voytek 81 (Handwritten annotation, signature of artist, bottom left hand side)
  • TAVERN (Handwritten annotation, at the centre base of the sketch)
  • "TALE OF TWO CITIES"/LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE (Handwritten annotation, bottom right hand corner)
Credit line
Given by the artist
Literary referenceA Tale of Two Cities
Summary
Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing the interior of a Tavern, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities directed by Chris Bond and Pip Broughton and first staged at the Liverpool Playhouse on the 6th of November, 1981.

Dubbed Voytek by George Devine, Wojciech Roman Pawel Jerzy Szendzikowski (1925-2014), was known for his distinctive designs for the stage, theatre and film. Drawing his elaborate designs from in depth analysis of each script or screenplay.
Winning the Military Cross for his role in the Second World War, Voytek transferring first to Italy and then to Scotland after the end of the war where he enrolled at the Dundee Art Collage. In 1947 he moved to London, becoming a student of stage design at the Old Vic Theatre School. His career as a stage set and costume designer began with the Nottingham Playhouse whist his work on TV drama began with ABC Television and on film with Roman Polanski’s Cul-de-Sac.
His theatrical works concentrated on major regional theatre and touring companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nottingham Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Shared Experience; he was head of design at the Liverpool Playhouse from 1981-1982.

The collection this design is from also contains working drawings, model pieces, photograph, production notes as well as press cuttings and programmes relating to Voytek’s career as a production designer for the stage, television and film.
Other number
THM/153 (Voytek Archive) - Archive number
Collection
Accession number
S.1865-1994

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Record createdSeptember 17, 2014
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