The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is set to host a new exhibition celebrating 40 years of the Olivier Awards by letting theatre fans get up close and personal with the props and costumes used in theatrical productions from London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. Curtains Up, which opens next month, is being curated in collaboration with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and was created in partnership with the Society of London Theatre.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is set to host a new exhibition celebrating 40 years of the Olivier Awards
The show is described as an immersive theatrical experience taking visitors from the stage to the design workshops and through the history of the Olivier Awards to the red carpet. Exploring the extraordinary range of craft and collaboration that goes into creating award-winning plays, musicals and productions, it will be a free and immersive theatrical experience taking visitors from the stage, to the design workshops and through the history of the awards to the red carpet. The exhibition is being designed by RFK Architects in collaboration with designer Tom Piper, who is an associate designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company and also worked with Paul Cummins on the ceramic poppy installation at the Tower of London.
The exhibition will bring together costumes, designs, models, photographs and awards for the first time. Among the exhibits will be a series of costume designs from shows such as The Phantom of the Opera and A Chorus Line, as well as The Lion King and Chicago. Also on show will be models from the National Theatre’s production of War Horse and set models for Matilda the Musical. There will also be film clips of notable productions in both London and New York embedded throughout the show. Other famous pieces will include costume designs from The Phantom of the Opera and a dress worn by Helen Mirren in the play “The Audience.” The exhibition will also feature a selection of golden top hats from A Chorus Line and a tunic worn by Rudolf Nureyev in Romeo and Juliet, and on display for the first time in the UK will be the set models for the 1994 production of Carousel in New York, brought over from the US specifically for the exhibition.
Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York, February 9 – August 31
In a press statement, Dame Helen Mirren said of the upcoming exhibition: “Having worked on both Broadway and the West End, I am delighted that Curtain Up, marking 40 years since the Olivier Awards were inaugurated, honours the shared artistic heritage binding London and New York and showcases the wealth of creative talent that brings great productions to the stage on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York, runs at the V&A from February 9 – August 31. According to the organisers it will “Explore the extraordinary range of craft and collaboration that goes into creating award-winning plays, musicals and productions,” according to organisers. The exhibition will then transfer to New York's Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center between October 19 2016 and June 2017). The exhibition is being presented as part of a year-long program of activity organised by SOLT to celebrate 40 years of the Olivier Awards (1976-2016), which are awarded annually to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London.
