Phèdre
Set Design
1963 (made)
1963 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Set design by Leslie Hurry for Racine's Phèdre, directed by Nicholas Garland for the Meadow Players Ltd, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, then Golder's Green Hippodrome, 1963.
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.
This production of Phèdre was first performed at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, on 13 May 1963 and the following week from 20 May 1963 at the Golder's Green Hippodrome. This was during the period that the Oxford Playhouse (home of the Meadow Players) was closed and the Players presented a number of productions at the both the Arts Theatre, Cambridge and Golder's Green Hippodrome.
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.
This production of Phèdre was first performed at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, on 13 May 1963 and the following week from 20 May 1963 at the Golder's Green Hippodrome. This was during the period that the Oxford Playhouse (home of the Meadow Players) was closed and the Players presented a number of productions at the both the Arts Theatre, Cambridge and Golder's Green Hippodrome.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Phèdre (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Ink, watercolour, pencil and crayon on paper |
Brief description | Set design by Leslie Hurry for Racine's Phèdre, directed by Nicholas Garland for the Meadow Players Ltd, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, then Golder's Green Hippodrome, 1963 |
Physical description | Design by Leslie Hurry in ink, watercolour and crayon on paper with pencil annotation. The design is for a set for Racine's Phèdre, directed by Nicholas Garland for the Meadow Players Ltd, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, then Golder's Green Hippodrome, 1963. The design shows two heavy rectangular pillars against a black background. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | Phedre (On reverse side in pencil) |
Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
Literary reference | Phèdre |
Summary | Set design by Leslie Hurry for Racine's Phèdre, directed by Nicholas Garland for the Meadow Players Ltd, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, then Golder's Green Hippodrome, 1963. 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. This production of Phèdre was first performed at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, on 13 May 1963 and the following week from 20 May 1963 at the Golder's Green Hippodrome. This was during the period that the Oxford Playhouse (home of the Meadow Players) was closed and the Players presented a number of productions at the both the Arts Theatre, Cambridge and Golder's Green Hippodrome. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.2123-2014 |
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Record created | October 10, 2014 |
Record URL |
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