Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, born January 21, 1987, is a Spanish
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
working across
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
,
dance,
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
,
film,
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
s and
exhibitions.
Education
Jabares-Pita was born in
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...
,
Galicia,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. As a teenager, she joined the
Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia choir as a soprano and performed in several shows. Aged 18, she moved to southern Spain to study
fine arts at the
University of Sevilla, while continuing her music studies. As part of her
bachelor degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
in fine arts, she spend one year at the
Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo
The Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo ("Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo") is a public tertiary academy of art in Palermo, Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, p ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, where classical music and opera sparked her interest in stage design. She continued her studies in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
at the
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...
, where she finished a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
in
scenography
Scenography (inclusive of scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design) is a practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography is the combination of technological and material ...
.
Career
In 2013, Jabares-Pita was declared 'overall winner' of the
Linbury Prize for Stage Design
The Linbury Prize for Stage Design is the most prestigious prize for emerging stage designers with professional focus on theatre, dance, and opera companies in the United Kingdom. Since 1987, it has been awarded every two years.
History
In 1973 ...
for her design proposal of ''
The Driver's Seat'', a stage adaptation of
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.
Life
Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...
’s 1971
novella. Thanks to this award, she worked with
Laurie Sansom
Laurie Sansom is a British theatre director.
Early life and education
Sansom grew up in East Peckham, near Tonbridge, Kent. He attended the local East Peckham Country Primary School and later Mascalls Comprehensive School in Paddock Wood. Sa ...
, director of the
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
, on this production at the Glasgow
Tramway arts centre in 2015.
In 2015 she designed ''The Echo Chamber'' for the
Young Vic in London, followed by ''Lela & Co'' (2015) for the
Royal Court Upstairs, and ''Wish List'' (2016) for the
Royal Exchange, Manchester.
She continued her work in Scotland, such as ''In Fidelity'' (2016)
for the
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco.
The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...
in Edinburgh, and designing ''Daphne Oram and the Wonderful World of Sound'' (''Blood of the Young'') (2017) at the
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located in the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in what was formerly the Tron Kirk which had started as the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and St. Anne in the Trongate area of Glasgow, Scotland. The Tron Steeple still ...
in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
In 2018, she worked in several productions all around the UK, such as ''The Lovely Bones'' (2018)
directed by
Melly Still and adapted by
Bryony Lavery
Bryony Lavery (born 1947) is a British dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play '' Frozen''. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography ...
after
Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold (born September 6, 1963) is an American author. She is known for her novels ''The Lovely Bones'' and '' The Almost Moon'', and a memoir, '' Lucky''. ''The Lovely Bones'' was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list and was adapte ...
(a
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
,
Royal & Derngate
Royal & Derngate is a theatre complex in the Cultural Quarter of Northampton, England, consisting of the Royal Theatre and Derngate Theatre. The Royal was built by theatre architect Charles J. Phipps and opened in 1884. Ninety-nine years late ...
, Northhampton and Northern Stage co-production with
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse); the world premiere of the opera ''To See the Invisible'' (
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall.
History of the Aldeburgh Festival
Th ...
2018); ''Twelfth Night'' (
Royal Lyceum Theatre
The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, and
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...
2018), and ''
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)''
(2018) at the Tron Theatre.
Jabares-Pita also did design work in art galleries such as
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest pub ...
and the
V&A Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, where her work on ''What Girls Are Made Of''
was selected to be part of their archive.
She has been one of the first Spanish stage designers to work at the
Royal Shakespeare Company, where she designed set and costumes for ''Europeana'' (2020; part of the ''PROJEKT EUROPA'' season, currently suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
) based on a novel by
Patrik Ouředník, directed by Maria Aberg. Some of her most recent works include ''Blond Eckbert'' (2020; currently suspended due to COVID-19) for the
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...
, and ''Faustus: That Damned Woman'' (2020) by
Chris Bush, directed by Caroline Byrne (co-production
Headlong,
Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London. and Birmingham Repertory Theatre).
Awards and achievements
Jabares-Pita's work has received the following awards and nominations.
*Awards
**2017 – Winner of the 'Best Studio Production' awarded by the
Manchester Theatre Awards
The Manchester Theatre Awards were established in 2011 to replace the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards. The MEN awards, created in 1981 by Alan Hulme, the paper's theatre critic, had long been recognised as the most important theatrical priz ...
for ''Wish List''.
**2016 – Winner of 'Spirit of Dundee Award' in 'Wearable Art' for her costume design of ''Ignis''.
**2016 – Third Prize at the
European Opera Prize. Proposal ''
La Traviata'', in collaboration with Max Hoehn.
**2015 – Winner in the category 'Design' of the initiative ''Hechos de talento''. Jabares-Pita became 'Spanish Design Ambassador' representing Spanish design in some of the most emblematic places all over the world, such as
Picadilly Circus (London) and
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
(New York City).
**2013 – Overall Winner of Linbury Prize for Stage Design for ''The Driver's Seat'' for the
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
.
**2013 – Best Design Award at the
Ottawa Fringe Festival for ''Sappho...in 9 Fragments''
*Nominations
**2015 – Finalist of James Menzies-Kitchin Trust Award (JMK Trust Award) with director Ben Hadley
**2015 – Finalist for 'Independent Opera Director Fellowship' with Dir. Rafael R. Villalobos
*Exhibitions
**2017 – World Stage Design exhibition (Taipei) – ''The Driver´s Seat''
**2015 – Linbury Prize representation (''The Driver’s Seat'') at the Make/Believe exhibition at the V&A Museum in London 2015
**2015 – Representing Spanish Scenography in the Prague Quadriennal.
*Achievements
**2019 – Awarded an 'Artistic Residency" in Florida by E
2C (Escape to Create)
E2C alumni by year
/ref> to research the use of augmented reality, video games, and new technologies applied to painting, inspired by her previous experience on designing the set and costumes for the ''Inchcolm'' project.
**2019 – Artistic Residency in New York sponsored by the Spanish cultural action program ''12 Miradas::Riverside'', and developed by artistic director Carlos Quintáns with Laboratorio Creativo Vilaseco.
**2014 – Selected at the IV Encontro Artistas Novos-EAN 2014, Cidade da Cultura
**2012-2014 – Artistic residencies with Sleepwalk Collective, at Barbican Theatre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...
London, Espazio Eszena, Bilbao and Vitoria
* Reception
** Jabares-Pita's work has been commented by media in the UK. The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
included ''Lela & Co'' among the best ten theatre productions of 2015.[Lyn Gardner]
''Lyn Gardner's top 10 theatre of 2015 ''
The Guardian, December 17, 2015.
** ''Idomeneus'' (2014) made her become a member of The Gate Theatre's Jerwood Young Designers. The same design was also selected by the V&A in London to become part of their archive.
External links
Official website
* The State of the Arts
An Interview With Spanish Scenographer Ana Inés Jabares Pita
February 28, 2015
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jabares-Pita, Ana Ines
1987 births
Living people
Spanish designers
Women scenic designers
Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
People from A Coruña