Michael Yates (20 July 1919 – 28 November 2001) was a British theatre, opera, and television designer.
Early life
A twin, and one of five sons born to James Yates, an English lawyer, Yates grew up in Brooklands,
Sale, Lancashire
Sale is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, in the historic county of Cheshire on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of Manchester. In 2011, it had a population of 134 ...
. Yates was educated first at
the Downs School near
Malvern, where he learned painting from the arts master
Maurice Feild. He was later associated with the
Euston Road School
The Euston Road School is a term applied to a group of English painters, active either as staff or students at the School of Drawing and Painting in London between 1937 and 1939.
The School opened in October 1937 at premises in Fitzroy Street bef ...
and teacher at the
Slade School of Art
The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...
, who remained a lifelong friend of Yates. At the Downs, he also met the poet
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
, then an English master at the school, who became a lifelong friend.
[Dennis Barker, "Michael Yates", '']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 ...
'', 18 December 2001, p. 18.
During 1933–38, Yates was a pupil at the
Bryanston School
Bryanston School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the town of Blandford Forum, in Dorset in South West England. It was founded in 1928. ...
, where he was honoured as head boy. In 1938–1941, he studied at the
Yale School of Drama
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 e ...
. He was admitted to the school by
Allardyce Nicoll
John Ramsay Allardyce Nicoll (28 June 1894 – 17 April 1976) was a British literary scholar and teacher.
Allardyce Nicoll was born in Partick, Glasgow, and educated at Stirling High School and the University of Glasgow, where he was the G. A. Cl ...
, when their mutual acquaintance Auden recommended Yates be admitted to Yale. At Yale, Yates began a lasting friendship with his fellow student —
Owen Dodson (who was a poet and dramatist) and was also introduced to Dodson to Auden, initiating a lasting friendship between the two poets.
World War II experiences
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Yates served with the
Royal Marines in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
where he was taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to a
prison camp until the end of the war. In the camp he learned German by talking with the guards, and he designed the sets for the prisoners' productions of ''
Macbeth'' and other plays, making highly imaginative use of the limited resources available to him.
The experience of designing in a prison camp seems to have liberated his imagination. He later wrote of his teenage years that "claustrophobic family life and the cocoon of public schools at that time" had made him what an acquaintance described as "a nice English schoolboy." But his adult work was imaginative and innovative.
Postwar career
After the war, Yates returned to London where he lived and worked for the rest of life. He entered the theatrical world at the lowest rung of the ladder, serving tea in the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...
,
Covent Garden, London. He later worked for the
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiered ...
, where he began his adult work as a designer.
Yates left the Carl Rosa Company to join the BBC, where his more notable productions were ''
Heidi
''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...
'' (1953) and ''
Troilus and Cressida
''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602.
At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Meanwh ...
'' (1954). He won a Guild of Television Producers and Directors award in 1954 for his BBC production of ''
Amahl and the Night Visitors''.
[(Unsigned), "Michael Yates", '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', London, 21 January 2002.
In 1955, he married Marny (Margaret) Yates, who had two sons from a previous marriage; the two sons lived with the Yates until adulthood.
In the early 1950s,
BBC Television was not deeply committed to visual design, and seemed to Yates to be more concerned with efficiency than aesthetics in its production. In 1955, therefore, he welcomed the chance to become head of design at
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...
, one of new independent television companies in Britain, where the resources available to a designer were far more extensive. He continued to be head of design at Associated-Rediffusion's successor, Rediffusion, and then at
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
(LWT), which received the franchise for weekend broadcasting in London. He remained at LWT for the rest of his career.
At Associated-Rediffusion he initiated a costume department, with its own autonomous staff, establishing costume as a significant element in design. He proved to be an effective administrator, known for inspiring his staff and protecting their interests, while also keeping strict control over his department. He designed many notable productions, including a 1962 production of
Sophocles
Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...
' ''
Elektra'' performed in Greek by the Piraikon Greek Tragedy Theatre Company that was broadcast throughout Europe; a 1964 production of
A Midsummer Night's Dream that was re-shown at the
National Film Theatre
BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute.
His ...
in 1994; and a production (shown in both the UK and the US) of
Léonide Massine's ballet ''Laudes Evangelii'' which he staged in the cathedral at
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...
, and in preparation for which he sent members of his staff to interview the choreographer.
His many other television productions included ''Richard Whittington, Esquire'', Benjamin Britten's ''The Turn of the Screw'',
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...
's ''The Human Voice'' (1966), "A Man Inside" (1967), the series ''Lay Down Your Arms'' (1970), one episode of ''
Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1972, with John Clements), the series ''New Scotland Yard'' (1972), ''The Death of Adolf Hitler'' (1973), the series ''Within These Walls'' (1974), the series ''The Awful Mr Goodall'' (1974), and
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...
's ''Doris and Doreen'' (1978).
Through his work, he commissioned or advised on stage designs by many well-known English painters, notably
John Piper.
Later years
After retiring from LWT in 1979, Yates was a visiting teacher at the theatre department at the Croydon College of Art (now part of
Croydon College
Croydon College is a large further and higher education college located in Croydon, within the London Borough of Croydon. Its origins can be traced to a School of Art that was established in 1868, which subsequently merged with Croydon Polytechni ...
), a governor of the Medway College of Design (now part of the
University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester), and chairman of the Friends of
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital located in Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approximately five miles east, in central L ...
. He devoted his last years to volunteer work at the Hospital, where he is remembered as a welcome and benevolent presence.
Literary influence
Yates and his wife Marny were lifelong friends of Auden and
Chester Kallman
Chester Simon Kallman (January 7, 1921 – January 18, 1975) was an American poet, librettist, and translator, best known for collaborating with W. H. Auden on opera librettos for Igor Stravinsky and other composers.
Life
Kallman was born in ...
and visited them each summer in Italy and, after Auden left Italy, in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
; the Yateses visited Kallman in Austria in 1974, the year after Auden died. Yates also wrote "Iceland, 1936", a memoir of his visit to Iceland with the Bryanston party, Auden, and MacNeice, for ''W. H. Auden: A Tribute'', edited by Stephen Spender (1975).
[Michael Yates, "Iceland, 1936", in ''W. H. Auden: A Tribute'', ed. Stephen Spender (1973).]
References
Sources
* Michael Yates, "Iceland, 1936", in ''W. H. Auden: A Tribute'', ed. Stephen Spender (1973).
* Dennis Barker, "Michael Yates", ''
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 ...
'', 18 December 2001, p. 18.
* (Unsigned), "Michael Yates", ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', London, 21 January 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yates, Michael
1919 births
2001 deaths
People educated at Bryanston School
People educated at Malvern College
Yale School of Drama alumni
Royal Marines personnel of World War II
World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
British production designers
BBC people
English scenic designers
Opera designers
People educated at The Downs School, Herefordshire
ITV people
Royal Marines ranks
Military personnel from Lancashire
BAFTA winners (people)