Jane Greenwood (born 30 April 1934) is a British
costume designer
A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
for the stage, television, film, opera, and dance. Born in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, England, she works both in England and the United States. She has been nominated for the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
for costume design twenty-one times and won the award for her work on ''
The Little Foxes
''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the litt ...
''.
[Biography]
filmreference.com, retrieved 15 May 2009
Biography
Greenwood attended
Liverpool Art School and the
Central School of Arts and Crafts
The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cr ...
, and then started working at the
Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum.
History
The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfor ...
, in charge of the costume department. She started working in the Ray Diffen costume shop in New York City in 1962. In New York, she met and married scenic designer and producer Ben Edwards.
[
Greenwood's work includes designing for over 100 productions, '']The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1963), her first Broadway play, to ''Hamlet'' with Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
(1964), ''70, Girls, 70
''70, Girls, 70'' is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb and Norman L. Martin adapted by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander.
The musical is based on the 1958 play ''Breath of Spring'' by Peter Coke, which was adapted for the ...
'' (1971), ''Romantic Comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
'' (1979), ''I Hate Hamlet
''I Hate Hamlet'' is a comedy-drama written in 1991 by Paul Rudnick.
Plot
Set in John Barrymore's old apartment in New York City – at the time, the author's real-life home – the play follows successful television actor Andrew Rally as he ...
'' (1991), ''The Sisters Rosensweig
''The Sisters Rosensweig'' is a play by Wendy Wasserstein. The play focuses on three Jewish-American sisters and their lives. It "broke theatrical ground by concentrating on a non-traditional cast of three middle-aged women." Wasserstein received ...
'' (1993), and Stephen Sondheim's '' Passion'' (1994).[Rothstein, Mervy]
"A Life in the Theatre: Jane Greenwood"
playbill.com, 28 June 2008
In addition to her many Broadway credits, she has designed costumes for many productions for the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has gr ...
, recently ''Accent on Youth'' (2009), Lincoln Center Theater
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broad ...
, recently ''Belle Epoque'', 2005, and The Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History
The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...
, '' Waiting for Godot'' (2009), '' A Month in the Country'' (1994–95), Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...
nomination, and ''She Loves Me
''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 fil ...
'' (1992–93).
In England, she was nominated for the Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for her costume designs for ''She Loves Me
''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 fil ...
'' (1995).
Her television work includes several Public Television plays for "The American Playhouse", made-for-television movies, such as '' In the Gloaming'', HBO (1997) and the miniseries ''Kennedy'' (1983).[
For opera, she has designed for the ]Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
House, such as ''Ariadne
Ariadne (; grc-gre, Ἀριάδνη; la, Ariadne) was a Cretan princess in Greek mythology. She was mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. She is best known for having ...
'' in 1987. For dance, she designed the original costumes for the Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...
dance ''Night Creature'' (1974).
She teaches at the Yale Drama School
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in ...
. Greenwood received the Theater Development Fund Irene Sharaff Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998.
Greenwood has been awarded the 2014 Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The executive directors of the Broadway League and American Theater Wing said, in part "She has made a significant imprint on the history of Broadway with her artistry. Her work has not only elevated the craft of costume design but has inspired generations of designers to come."
In 2015, Greenwood designed the costumes for the Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut of Helen Edmundson
Helen Edmundson (born 1964) is a British playwright, screenwriter and producer. She has won awards and critical acclaim both for her original writing and for her adaptations of various literary classics for the stage and screen.
Early life
Edm ...
's play, ''Thérèse Raquin''.
Awards
*Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...
, (costume design) ''Old Money'' (2001)
* Henry Hewes Design Award, (costume design) ''Tartuffe'' (1965), ''The Heiress '' (1995), ''Sylvia'' (1995),''Tartuffe'' (2003)
*Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...
, (costume design) ''Sylvia'' (1996)
*American Theater Hall of Fame
The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...
(2003)Simonson, Robert
Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author.
Personal life
Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988.
Career
Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...
2004 "Inductees of Theatre Hall of Fame Announced"
Playbill, 13 October 2003
*Tony Award, Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2014)
*Tony Award, Best Costume Design of a Play ''Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes'' (2017)
* Henry Hewes Design Award, Ming Cho Lee Lifetime Achievement Award, (2019)
References
External links
*
Internet Off-Broadway Database listing
* ttp://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/jane_greenwood Biography at American Theatre Wingbr>Biography at Manhattan Theatre Club
Biography at Henry Hewes Design Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, Jane
1934 births
Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design
English costume designers
Living people
Designers from Merseyside
Special Tony Award recipients
Tony Award winners
Yale School of Drama faculty