1971 » Belgium » Stage design and costumes

Belgie

From 1945 onward the stage design in Belgium has experienced a veritable impetus. I fact, before the war merely a few courageous pioneers, such as the scenic designers René Moulaert, Denis Martin, Ange Rawoe made an effort to extricate the théatre costume, the théatre décor from the bumpy road of conformism. They did so under the impuls of animators like Herman Teirlinck, Jules Delacre, Johan de Meester, Albert Lepage, Fernand Piette, art directors at the theatres Theatre du Marais, Vlaamse Volkstoneel (Flemish People's Theatre), Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg (Royal Dutch Theatre), Rataillon, Theatre de L´Equipe. The Belgian theatre was able to manifest its originality within the isolation of German occupation and immeditely after the war. For theatres Le Rideau de Bruxelles, the K. N. S., Les Comédiens Routiers — which became the National Theatre of Belgium — the Theatre de Poche, the Theatre de 1'Étuve and others following their suite considered it an honor to put the settings of their repertoire into the creative artists' hands. Anybody knows that Belgium is divided into two linguistic zones. Certain theatre artists (playwrights, stage directors, stage designers, play-actors) do not make a distinction in their work between the one and the other zone. It is a great pity, however, that more often the two spheres of influence remain ignorant of each other. Yet in viewing the establishment of Communications of the ones and the others with France, England, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands or Italy, one ascertains with pleasure that the Belgian theatre is virtually tending towards a European level. Within the recent ten years above all the opera and ballet renascence offers new possibilities. Thus the National Opera (TRM), L'Opéra de Wallonie, The XXth Century's Ballets (Maurice Béjart), Le Ballet des Flandres, Le Ballet de Wallonie multiply the creations and make an appeal to stage designers for collaboration. Houses of Culture, being equipped with experimental stages, are under construction. In Belgium a great consumption of spectacles takes place. Quite naturally, problems are not absent — but for those who are on the look-out, for all creators there are now such facilities in existence of which nobody would dare to dream even thirty years ago only . . .

Exhibiting artists / ateliers

• John Bogaerts

Additional information: Born in 1940, architect, being for a period of ten years at work as stage and costume designer in Belgium, Holland, Sweden and Canada (for drama theatre, opera and ballet). He has mainly been designing stage sets to plays by Brecht, Shakespeare and Moliēre; he has, howewer, made himself free from the didactic influence as well as from the interpretations of the so-called political involvement, and is exerting himself for a clear, critical and open theatre, in exploring for his artistic realizations the space, the sound and the play of actors. He writes theatre plays and works on experimental films. His best designs include the stage sets to the plays Man is Man (a Vietnam show) and Toller by T. Dorst in Amsterdam. He acts as artistic assistant of the KNS-Theatre of Antwerp.

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Exhibiting works

• : (Hamlet), 0
• Marc Cammaert

Additional information: Born in 1937. In the time between 1955 and 1960 he studied painting, graphic arts, history of art and critique of plastic and graphic arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 1961/62 he acted as stage designer at the Nederlands Kamertoneel in Antwerp, in 1963/64 he was at work at the Lode Ivo Studios of Décors in Antwerp, since 1965 he has been working for the Nederlands Toneel Gent (The Dutch Theatre of Ghent) and for some other theatres, for which he has designed stage sets and theatre costumes to the plays Breakfast with Julia by B. Graham, The Caretaker by H. Pinter, Antigone and Dear Anthony by J. Anouilh, Glapion Effect by J. Audiberti, Maria Stuart and Don Carlos by F. Schiller, System Fabrizzi by G. Husson, Summer and Smoke by T. Williams, to the musical 110° in the Shade, The Rattle of a Simple Man by Ch. Dyer, A Scent of Flowers by J. Saunders, The Death of Two Ladies by G. van Vrekhem, The Head of the Others by M. Aymé, The Judge of Zalamea by Calderon, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg by P. Nichols, Don Juan by M. Frisch, The Learned Ladies and Bourgeois Gentleman by Moliēre, to Pirandello's comedy Man, Beast and Virtue and to many others. Since 1970 he lectures at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent on the conception of stage setting and its construction. In 1969 he designed the project and carried out the realization of a flexible theatre at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He had exhibitons of décors and paintings in Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium, in Lille, Tourcoing, Roubaix in France and in Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

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Exhibiting works

• Jean-Baptiste Molière: (The Learned Ladies ), Neederlands Toneel 1969
  
  
  
• Friedrich Schiller: (Don Carlos), Neederlands Toneel 1970
  

  

  

  

  

  
  
  
• Rudolf Corens

Additional information: Born in 1933. Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and history of art and handicrafts at the Stesckshof Museum in Antwerp. In the time between 1960 and 1965 he was at work in the National Youth Service as art director for costume improvisation for adults and for children´s costume plays. In 1962/66 he was professor of stage and costume design at the Theatre, Film and Television Institute in Brussels. In the meantime he designed various settings for theatre and television. He toured France and Czechoslovakia in order to become acquainted with the theatre and puppetry there. Since 1965 he is professor at the Academy of Free Expression in Utrecht in the Netherlands. His main scenographic works, the settings to the Ballet The Seven Capital Sins, to the plays The Spanish Brabantine by Bredero, a Dutch author from the 17th century, The Clever Widow by C. Goldoni have got a good press. By them he has made an effort to respect - on applying and expoiting the tendencies of the modern scenographic art - the exigencies of the official theatre. At present he is preparing a show for the colour television and with his students he makes experiments on improvisations with costumes being fabricated of new materials.

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• Manfred Hürrig

Additional information: Born in 1937 in Dresden. He was at work in Frankfurt on the Main, Düsseldorf, Aix-la-Chapelle where he got into first touches with the theatre. In 1958, the year of the World´s Exhibition, he settled down in Belgium. After six terms he completed his studies at the National College of Visual Arts (La Cambre) in Brussels in 1961. His first décors having been designed for a professional theatre (Théâtre de Poche) were Euridica´s Hands in 1960. In the time between 1960 and 1965 he co-operated as scenic designer and graphic artist with the Théâtre de Poche. Since then he has been carrying on his profession as free-lance man and collaborates with a number of theatres in the capital as well as with the television (about 60 décors for various plays). Among others he has been at work as stage designer in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris (Wind in the Branches of Sassafras by René Obaldia with Michel Simon), in Dakar in Senegal at a Festival of Negro Art.

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Exhibiting works

• Nikolai Gogol: (The Government), Theatre National de Belgique 1968
  
  
  
• Raymond Renard

Additional information: Born in 1929 in Brussels. He became a stege designer by chance, when he produced the sets for student theatricals. Subsequently he became a professional stage designer at the Théatre de Poche de Belgique. He has also collaborated with television and other théatres in Belgium. He has designed numerous sets for opera, ballet and drama. He participated in the Prague quadrennial in 1971.

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Exhibiting works

• : (Co nového Haruspiku? ), Rideau de Bruxelles 1970
  

  

  
  
  
• : (The Child and the Sortileges), Opera de Wallonie 1970
  

  
  
  
• : (War and Peace), Rideau de Bruxelles 1970
  
  
  
• Marie-Claire van Vuchelen

Additional information: Born in 1938 in Liēge. Studied decorative arts in Liēge. Between 1957 and 1959 trip to Paris and educational stay there. In 1960 she realized costume designs for the Théâtre du Rideau de Bruxelles and for the Théâtre de l'Alliance in Brussels. In the time between 1961 and 1964 slhe stayed in Brazil, in Sao Paulo, and designed there settings and theatre costumes for a number of dramatic works. In 1963 she was awarded the Prize of the State Governor, the Prize of the Association of Critics and the Silver Medal of the VlIIth Biennial of Sao Paulo. Since 1967 she has been working as scenic designer at the l'Opéra de Wallonie in Liēge. She has designed stage sets and costumes to The Matron of Ephesus by M. Leclerc in 1967, to Mathis the Painter by P. Hindemith in 1968, to Fidelio by Beethoven in 1968, to Madame Butterfly by G. Puccini in 1970, to Arabella by R. Strauss in 1970, to the Bird-Catcher by C. Zeller in 1970, to the musical comedy Hello Dolly by J. Herman in 1971. At the Ballet de Wallonie she designed in 1969 the stage sets and costumes to Agostino by R. de Banfield according to A. Moravia's novella.

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Exhibiting works

• Giacomo Puccini: (Madame Butterfly), Opera de Wallonie 1970
  

  

  

  
  
  
• Ludwig van Beethoven: (Fidelio), Opera di Wallonie 1968
  

  

  
  
  
• : (Mathis the Painter), Opera de Wallonie 1968