Sally Jacobs Collection, stage designer

Scope and Content

Contains materials relating to Sally Jacobs design work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, specifically Peter Brook's productions. Materials include two stage plans for Peter Brook's Royal Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1970 and a photocopy of a costume design for Oberon. Also contains scripts, preliminary designs, notes and papers for Peter Brook's Theatre of Cruelty Season in 1966 and US.

Administrative / Biographical History

Sally Jacobs, stage designer and director since 1960, has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and designed many Peter Brook productions, including Theatre of Cruelty, The Screens, Marat/Sade, U.S., A Midsummer Night's Dream, Antony and Cleopatraand The Conference of the Birds. She has also designed for operas including Die Fledermaus (Paris), Turandot, Fidelio (Royal Opera House), Die Soldaten and Eugene Onegin (English National Opera). She lived and worked as a designer in the USA for fifteen years.

As director / designer her work includes Oedipus at Colonus(Los Angeles), Peter Weigold's Last Tango on the North Circular(Royal Opera House Garden Venture), The War in Heaven by Joe Chaikin and Sam Shepard and she co-directed The Dancing Room filmed by the BBC. She has taught Stage Design at many of the leading Drama Departments in the U.S.A. and London, including the Slade School of Fine Art.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged as follows:

  • THM/428/1 - Costume design for Oberon in Peter Brook's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, photocopy
  • THM/428/2 - Papers relating to Peter Brook's US (called Vietnam in early drafts)
  • THM/428/3 - Peter Brook's US, draft typed script
  • THM/428/4 - Peter Brook's US, script
  • THM/428/5 - Papers and scripts relating to Peter Brook's Theatre of Cruelty Season

Access Information

This archive collection is available for consultation in the V&A Blythe House Archive and Library Study Room by appointment only.Full details of access arrangements may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/ .

Access to some of the material may be restricted. These are noted in the catalogue where relevant.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Sally Jacobs in 1999 and 2005.

Separated Material

The following items have been integrated into the Theatre and Performance collections:

  • S.706-2001 - Set model
  • S.782-2001 - Ground plan
  • S. 783-2001 - Plan
  • S.1175-2010 - Costume design by Sally Jacobs for Ma Ubu in Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi
  • S.311-2011 - Costume design by Sally Jacobs for Ma Ubu in Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi
  • S.310-2011 - Costume design by Sally Jacobs for Pa Ubu in Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi
  • S.311-2011 - Costume design by Sally Jacobs for Ma Ubu in Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi
  • S.84-2016 - Model by Sally Jacobs for the GI soldier in US

Conditions Governing Use

Information on copying and commercial reproduction may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/ .

Appraisal Information

This collection was appraised in line with the collection management policy.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Related Material

See also the core collections of the V&A Theatre and Performance Department. Material relating to Sally Jacobs may be found in several collections, including the biographical, productions, company and photographs files, and the the design collection.

The V&A Theatre and Performance Department also has set models by Sally Jacobs for Peter Brook's Royal Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream(S.706-2001) and Marat/Sade (S. 665-1996).