Mary Stuart
Set Design
1958 (made)
1958 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set design 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 by Leslie Hurry for Schiller's Mary Stuart, Old Vic, 1958 |
| Physical description | Ink and watercolour set design on paper with pencil inscription for the 1958 production of Mary Stuart at Old Vic Theatre. This design is divided into two sections, a back panel depicting a large room with a decorative ceiling, and front panel cut into the shape of an arch. The two sections are hinged together at the top of the design. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Bottom
30 x 22
Mary Stuart
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Summary | Set design 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.1555-2014 |
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| Record created | July 16, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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