Production Book
1995 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Lez Brotherston (born 1961) trained at the Central School of Art and Design, graduating in 1984. He is an influential and innovative designer of film, theatre and opera, and is especially known for his work for dance, particularly for Matthew Bourne's companies, Adventures in Motion Pictures and New Adventures. He has designed Bourne's productions of Highland Fling, an up-dating of Les Sylphides set in a Glasgow council flat, Cinderella, which took place during the London Blitz, The Car Man, based on Bizet's opera Carmen, Edward Scissorhands, and, famously, Swan Lake with male swans, for which he won three awards.
Brotherston has a long association with Northern Ballet Theatre, designing, almost others, Giselle, The Brontës, A Christmas Carol, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dracula. The Brontës was choreographed by Gillian Lynne who devised it with Northern Ballet Theatre's artistic director, Christopher Gable, in 1995. It tells the story of the Brontë sisters, as seen through the eyes of their father Patrick, in an impressionist narrative which covers over 40 years in 22 short scenes.
A designer will create a 'bible' to contain the information required by costumiers and set builders. This example gives an insight into Brotherston's working methods. The costume designs are colour copies of his original drawings, with attached samples of fabrics and trimmings, and many designs incorporate reproductions of the source material, such as 19th century prints or fashion plates, as an aid to the makers. Brotherston always focuses on the costumes not the wearers, using a few standard poses for his figures, drawing the faces in profile and giving them all similar features. Design bibles usually include set designs, but Brotherston's only contains costume as he does not produce set designs on paper. He prefers to create models and develop the set in three dimensions. At the front of the bible are a series of photographs of the finished model which shows how one basic setting can be adapted to suggest different locations.
Brotherston has a long association with Northern Ballet Theatre, designing, almost others, Giselle, The Brontës, A Christmas Carol, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dracula. The Brontës was choreographed by Gillian Lynne who devised it with Northern Ballet Theatre's artistic director, Christopher Gable, in 1995. It tells the story of the Brontë sisters, as seen through the eyes of their father Patrick, in an impressionist narrative which covers over 40 years in 22 short scenes.
A designer will create a 'bible' to contain the information required by costumiers and set builders. This example gives an insight into Brotherston's working methods. The costume designs are colour copies of his original drawings, with attached samples of fabrics and trimmings, and many designs incorporate reproductions of the source material, such as 19th century prints or fashion plates, as an aid to the makers. Brotherston always focuses on the costumes not the wearers, using a few standard poses for his figures, drawing the faces in profile and giving them all similar features. Design bibles usually include set designs, but Brotherston's only contains costume as he does not produce set designs on paper. He prefers to create models and develop the set in three dimensions. At the front of the bible are a series of photographs of the finished model which shows how one basic setting can be adapted to suggest different locations.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Colour photographs, fabric swatches, paper and black plastic sleeves in cardboard ringbinder |
| Brief description | Production book by Lez Brotherston for Gillian Lynne's ballet The Brontës, Northern Ballet Theatre, 1995 |
| Physical description | Book with black plastic covers and 120 clear plastic A4 pages into which sheets of paper can be slipped. These contain colour photographs of the set model, showing how the model can be adapted for each scene in the ballet, The Brontës, a character synopsis, reference photographs, colour photocopies of the costume designs with attached fabric swatches, handwritten notes, and notes and sketches of stage properties. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | 10
DESIGN ‘BIBLE’ FOR THE BRONTËS
1995
A design bible contains all the information that the designer needs to pass on to the makers and performers. This one records details of the set as
well as the costume design. The open pages show a costume design for Anne Brontë, with fabric swatches to suggest possible materials, as well as Brotherston’s research into Anne’s appearance and period dress.
Ballet by Gillian Lynne, 1995
Leeds Grand Theatre
Paper, ink, glue and fabric
Designed by Lez Brotherston
Given by Lez Brotherston
Museum no. S.383-2002
(March 2009) |
| Credit line | Given by the designer |
| Object history | This production book compiled by Lez Brotherston is part of an extensive collection of designs donated to the Theatre Museum by the artist in 2002. The book was compiled as a record for a production of Gillian Lynne's ballet The Brontes, performed by Northern Ballet Theatre at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, 6 March 1995 and subsequently on tour. The production was devised by Gillian Lynne and Christopher Gable, choreographed by Gillian Lynne and directed by Christopher Gable. The music was composed by Dominic Muldowney and the lighting was designed by Paul Pyant. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Lez Brotherston (born 1961) trained at the Central School of Art and Design, graduating in 1984. He is an influential and innovative designer of film, theatre and opera, and is especially known for his work for dance, particularly for Matthew Bourne's companies, Adventures in Motion Pictures and New Adventures. He has designed Bourne's productions of Highland Fling, an up-dating of Les Sylphides set in a Glasgow council flat, Cinderella, which took place during the London Blitz, The Car Man, based on Bizet's opera Carmen, Edward Scissorhands, and, famously, Swan Lake with male swans, for which he won three awards. Brotherston has a long association with Northern Ballet Theatre, designing, almost others, Giselle, The Brontës, A Christmas Carol, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dracula. The Brontës was choreographed by Gillian Lynne who devised it with Northern Ballet Theatre's artistic director, Christopher Gable, in 1995. It tells the story of the Brontë sisters, as seen through the eyes of their father Patrick, in an impressionist narrative which covers over 40 years in 22 short scenes. A designer will create a 'bible' to contain the information required by costumiers and set builders. This example gives an insight into Brotherston's working methods. The costume designs are colour copies of his original drawings, with attached samples of fabrics and trimmings, and many designs incorporate reproductions of the source material, such as 19th century prints or fashion plates, as an aid to the makers. Brotherston always focuses on the costumes not the wearers, using a few standard poses for his figures, drawing the faces in profile and giving them all similar features. Design bibles usually include set designs, but Brotherston's only contains costume as he does not produce set designs on paper. He prefers to create models and develop the set in three dimensions. At the front of the bible are a series of photographs of the finished model which shows how one basic setting can be adapted to suggest different locations. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.383-2002 |
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| Record created | March 6, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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