John Napier (designer)

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John Napier (born 1 March 1944 in London) is a Tony Award-winning set designer for Broadway and London theatrical performances.

Contents 1 Education 2 Career 3 Awards 4 Honours 5 Partial list of productions designed 5.1 For the Royal Shakespeare Company 5.2 For the National Theatre 5.3 On Broadway and London's West End 5.4 Opera 6 External links

[edit] Education

John Napier studied at Hornsey College of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, studying under notable set designer Ralph Koltai.

[edit] Career

Napier earned a position as an Associate Designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has designed for the National Theatre, notably the production of Peter Shaffer's Equus, Trelawny of the Wells, An Enemy of the People and Candide. John Napier has also designed for the Royal Opera House, for Glyndebourne, for the English National Opera and others. He designed Children of Eden, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Jesus Christ Superstar in London's West End. He reworked his original designs for Equus for the 2007 London production.

Napier is responsible for many of the iconic images of modern theatre, including the stark set and metal horse masks of Equus, Starlight Express' roller-skating trains and the moving barricades of Les Misérables.

In the United States, in addition to numerous Broadway productions, he designed and co-directed the show for illusionists Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage, Las Vegas. He also designed the Captain EO video starring Michael Jackson for Disney and Steven Spielberg's film Hook.

[edit] Awards

Napier's design awards include Society of West End Theatre Awards (Oliviers) for King Lear, Lohengrin, and Burning Blue. Napier has won Tony Awards for Nicholas Nickleby, Cats, Starlight Express, Les Misérables and Sunset Boulevard. He has won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Set Design for Starlight Express and Les Misérables as well as for Outstanding Costume Design for Starlight Express.

[edit] Honours

Napier is a member of the American Academy of Achievement. He was elected Royal Designer for Industry in 1996 and is an Honorary Fellow of the London Institute.

[edit] Partial list of productions designed

[edit] For the Royal Shakespeare Company

• Hedda Gabler
• King Lear
• Macbeth
• Mother Courage and Her Children
• Nicholas Nickleby (televised in 1982 for Channel 4)
• Once in a Lifetime
• Peter Pan
• The Comedy of Errors

[edit] For the National Theatre

• The Party
• Equus (later seen worldwide)
• Trelawny of the "Wells"
• An Enemy of the People
• Peter Pan
• Candide
• South Pacific

[edit] On Broadway and London's West End

• Cats
• Les Misérables
• Miss Saigon
• Starlight Express
• Sunset Boulevard
• Jesus Christ Superstar

[edit] Opera

• Lohengrin (Covent Garden)
• Macbeth (Covent Garden)
• Idomeneo (Glyndebourne)
• The Devils (ENO)
• Nabucco (Met)

[edit] External links

• Internet Movie Database's page for John Napier
• Internet Broadway Database's page for John Napier
• John Napier at UK Theatre Web
• Napier's biography for 'Cats' (Really Useful Group)
• Napier's biography for the 2007 London production of 'Equus'