Costume Design
1932 (Painted, Drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Costume design by Motley for Christopher Hassall as Romeo in William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, performed by the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) in 1932. The production was directed by John Gielgud.
This was the first play directed by John Gielgud, and the first time he used the design team Motley (Elizabeth Montgomery, Sophie and Margaret Harris), who brought a new simplicity and clarity to stage design.
Besides Christopher Hassall, who went on to write lyrics for Ivor Novello musicals, the cast included George Devine, later Director of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court (who married Sophie Harris), actor William Devlin, and Hugh Hunt, who became a distinguished director and first Professor of Drama at Manchester University. Among the 'walk-ons' was Terence Rattigan, who went on to have a successful career as a playwright.
This was the first play directed by John Gielgud, and the first time he used the design team Motley (Elizabeth Montgomery, Sophie and Margaret Harris), who brought a new simplicity and clarity to stage design.
Besides Christopher Hassall, who went on to write lyrics for Ivor Novello musicals, the cast included George Devine, later Director of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court (who married Sophie Harris), actor William Devlin, and Hugh Hunt, who became a distinguished director and first Professor of Drama at Manchester University. Among the 'walk-ons' was Terence Rattigan, who went on to have a successful career as a playwright.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and watercolour on paper, mounted on linen backed card |
| Brief description | Costume design by Motley for Christopher Hassall as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet", Oxford University Dramatic Society, 1932. |
| Physical description | Costume design for Christopher Hassall as Romeo. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Object history | Given to the British Theatre Museum Association by Joan Hassall, sister of Christopher Hassall, in April 1968. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Literary reference | Romeo and Juliet |
| Summary | Costume design by Motley for Christopher Hassall as Romeo in William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, performed by the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) in 1932. The production was directed by John Gielgud. This was the first play directed by John Gielgud, and the first time he used the design team Motley (Elizabeth Montgomery, Sophie and Margaret Harris), who brought a new simplicity and clarity to stage design. Besides Christopher Hassall, who went on to write lyrics for Ivor Novello musicals, the cast included George Devine, later Director of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court (who married Sophie Harris), actor William Devlin, and Hugh Hunt, who became a distinguished director and first Professor of Drama at Manchester University. Among the 'walk-ons' was Terence Rattigan, who went on to have a successful career as a playwright. |
| Other number | 1968/A/38 - BTMA accession number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.3-2003 |
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| Record created | January 29, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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