A Tale of Two Cities
Set Design
1981 (hand drawn)
1981 (hand drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing a skull shaped mask, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities Liverpool Playhouse, 1981, 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.
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 | |
| Title | A 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 a skull shaped mask, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities Liverpool Playhouse, 1981 |
| Physical description | Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing a skull shaped mask, created for a production of <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> Liverpool Playhouse, 1981. The copy has been made in tones of black and white, it shows a skull with wide, deep eyes, the skull wears a wig with large side curls at either side of the cheekbones. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'LACKEY'S MASKS/SORROWFUL & DECAYED/LAYTEX OR ROSCO[?] FLEXIBLE' (Handwritten annotation, at the bottom right hand corner of the design.) |
| Credit line | Given by the artist |
| Literary reference | A Tale of Two Cities |
| Summary | Photographic copy of a set design by Voytek, showing a skull shaped mask, created for a production of A Tale of Two Cities Liverpool Playhouse, 1981, 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. |
| Associated object | S.1865-1994 (Duplicate) |
| Other number | THM/153 (Voytek Archive) - Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1870-1994 |
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| Record created | September 17, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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