'Playing with Scale' is a major new exhibition at the National Theatre from November 2018 to March 2019 on how theatre designers use set models. The exhibition explores why designers make scale models and brings attention to their collaborative work with directors, scenic artists, actors and designers of lighting and projection. The exhibition 'Playing with… Continue reading Playing with Scale
Author: jocelynherbertfellow
Jocelyn Herbert Research Fellow, author of Props: Readings in Theatre Practice (Palgrave, 2016)
Galileo out of the shadows
Some of the model props and figures from Jocelyn Herbert's 1980 production of The Life of Galileo have been away from the archive for a few months, in the care of the Conservation department of Camberwell College of Arts. MA student Tabitha Austin carried out a detailed review of their condition, discovering that some of the… Continue reading Galileo out of the shadows
The paint frame and the floor
‘Visiting the paint frame that first time had been like stepping back to another age, and Rex had suddenly seen the theatre not just as a building or a place, but also as a kind of machine for telling stories.’ Tony White, The Fountain in the Forest, 2018. Tony White’s novel opens with the police… Continue reading The paint frame and the floor
Talking with David Storey
Thanks to Cathy Courtney for some additional information about David Storey's collaboration with Jocelyn Herbert, following this post about the designs for Early Days. David Storey talks at length about working with Ralph Richardson and Lindsay Anderson on Early Days in an interview for the National Life Stories collection. National Life Stories is an oral… Continue reading Talking with David Storey
Programmes from Berlin
Among the several hundred programmes in the Jocelyn Herbert archive there are a dozen from Berliner Ensemble productions between 1952 and 1967. It’s a small but richly rewarding resource, especially in terms of graphic design and changing ideas about what printed programmes might bring to the whole event of a theatrical performance. In November, Brecht… Continue reading Programmes from Berlin
Uncovering the design for ‘Early Days’
A guest post by Hannah Shapland, BA Theatre Design student at Rose Bruford College. (See also Talking with David Storey.) This week I have been looking at the archived files for information on Early Days, written by David Storey and directed by Lindsay Anderson. This show was first put on in the Theatre Royal Brighton… Continue reading Uncovering the design for ‘Early Days’
A dolls’ house without dolls
A visit to an extraordinary dolls’ house this week suggested some of the differences between dolls’ houses and working models for theatre. Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is a spectacular dolls’ house, designed by Edwin Lutyens, and built between 1921 and 1924. It is at 1:12 scale, with murals by William Nicholson and Edmund Dulac, fully… Continue reading A dolls’ house without dolls
‘Taking the Space’ – Phyllida Lloyd
This year's Jocelyn Herbert lecture will be given by director Phyllida Lloyd, whose work includes Mary Stuart, Mamma Mia! and the recent all-female Shakespeare Trilogy for the Donmar Warehouse. In 'Taking the Space', she reflects on the impact of design on her productions for theatre, opera and film. Fri 3 Nov, 6pm Running Time: 45… Continue reading ‘Taking the Space’ – Phyllida Lloyd
Listening to the scenography
There was an unexpected and moving demonstration of the power of Jocelyn Herbert’s scenography as part of Oliver Taplin’s contribution to the recent conference New Light on Tony Harrison. After speaking about his collaborations and long friendship with Harrison, and how the experience of live performance had changed scholars’ ideas about classical drama, Taplin said… Continue reading Listening to the scenography
Travels in the archive: how a mermaid led to Poland, Italy and Berlin…
A couple of weeks ago, I spotted this programme on a shelf in the Research Room of the National Theatre Archive. Jennie, the Archive Assistant, explained that a former Trustee of the Theatre Royal, Norwich had donated her personal collection of theatre programmes from the 1980s - relating to shows at the National and at… Continue reading Travels in the archive: how a mermaid led to Poland, Italy and Berlin…
