Mary Stuart
Set Design
1958 (made)
1958 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set design sketch of various scenes by Leslie Hurry for Schiller's Mary Stuart, Old Vic, 1958.
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.
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.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mary Stuart (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink, pencil and watercolour on paper. |
| Brief description | Set design sketch of various scenes by Leslie Hurry for Schiller's Mary Stuart, Old Vic, 1958 |
| Physical description | Ink, pencil and watercolour set design on paper with ink inscription for the 1958 production of Mary Stuart at Old Vic Theatre. This design depicts several scenes. On the top left corner there is a pencil sketch of a large room with decorative columns. Also on the left side there is a design of a garden with iron gates. Top right corner is a design for a possible dungeon with chair and table. Right side in the middle is a design of a room in a possible palace with decorative wall panels and desk with chair. The bottom right is a desing of a similar room in palace with decorative wall panels and ceiling. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Summary | Set design sketch of various scenes by Leslie Hurry for Schiller's Mary Stuart, Old Vic, 1958. 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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1548-2014 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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