William Dudley (born 4 March 1947 in London, England) is a British theatre designer. Dudley is the son of William Stuart Dudley and his wife Dorothy Irene (née Stacey). He was educated at

Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

and 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 ...

. He is a member of the Society of British Theatre Designers. He is married to the theatre director

Lucy Bailey Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luc ...

National Life Stories National Life Stories is an independent charitable trust and limited company (registered as the ‘National Life Story Collection’) based within the British Library Oral History section, whose key focus and expertise is oral history fieldwork. S ...

conducted an oral history interview (C1173/27) with Dudley in 2007–2008 for its An Oral History of Theatre Design collection held by the British Library.National Life Stories, 'Dudley, William (1 of 13) An Oral History of Theatre Design', The British Library Board, 2008
Retrieved 1 February 2018

Career

He designed his first production in October 1970, ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' for Nottingham Playhouse. Since then, he has designed the following productions: *''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...

'' (

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

) – 1971 *'' Man Is Man'',

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

(Royal Court) – 1971 *''Anarchist'' (Royal Court Upstairs) – 1971 * ''Tyger'' (co-designed for the National Theatre) – July 1971 * ''Cato Street'' (

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

) – 1971 *''The Good Natur'd Man'' (National) – 1971 *''Live Like Pigs'' (Royal Court Upstairs) – 1972 *''

I Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

'' ( Queen's Theatre) – 1972 *''The Baker, the Baker's Wife and the Baker's Boy'' (Newcastle) – 1972 *''Rooted'' (

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

) – March 1973 *''Magnificence''; ''Sweet Talk'' and ''The Merry-Go-Round'' (Royal Court) – 1973 *''Ashes'' (Open Space) – January 1974 *''The Corn is Green'' (Watford Palace) – 1974 *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'', director Peter Gill (

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

Stratford) – August 1974 *''Harding's Luck'' (

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ric ...

) – December 1974 *''Fish in the Sea'' (

Half Moon Theatre The Half Moon Theatre Company was formed in 1972 in a rented synagogue in Alie Street, Whitechapel, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ''Half Moon Passage'' was the name of a nearby alley. The founders, Michael Irving and Maurice Colbourne ...

) – February 1975 *''As You Like It'' ( Nottingham Playhouse) – 1975 *''The Fool'' (Royal Court) – 1975 *''

The Norman Conquests ''The Norman Conquests'' is a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. Each of the plays depicts the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of a house. ''Table Manners'' is set in the dining room, ''Living Toget ...

'' (Berlin) – 1976 *''Small Change'', Peter Gill (Royal Court) – July 1976 *''As You Like It'' (opening of

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment in ...

) – May 1976 *''Ivanov'', director David Jones (RSC

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

) – September 1976 *''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'', director Peter Gill, (Riverside Studios) – January 1978 *''That Good Between Us'' (RSC

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...

) – July 1977 *''Lavender Blue'' (National, Cottesloe) – November 1977 *''Touched'' (Nottingham Playhouse at the Old Vic) – September 1977 *''The World Turned Upside Down'' (National, Cottesloe) – 2 November 1978 *''Has 'Washington' Legs?'' (National, Cottesloe) – 29 November 1978 *'' Billy Budd'' (The Metropolitan Opera House, New York) – 1978 *''Dispatches'' (National, Cottesloe) – 6 June 1979 *''Undiscovered Country'' (National, Olivier) – 20 June 1979 *''Lark Rise'' and ''Candleford'' (National, Cottesloe) – 1979 *''Don Quixote'' (National, Olivier) – 1982 *''Schweyk in the Second World War'',

(National, Olivier) – 1982 *''Small Change'' (National, Cottesloe) – 1983 *''Cinderella'', Pantomime (National, Lyttelton) – December 1983 *''The Mysteries: Doomsday/The Nativity/The Passion'', designed and lit (National, Cottesloe; Lyceum Theatre) – 1985 *''The Party'' (RSC The Pit) – 1985 *''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' (RSC

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 exhibi ...

) – 1985 *''Today'' (RSC The Pit) – 1985 *''Mutiny'', David Essex musical (

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

) – 1985 *''The Critic/The Real Inspector Hound'' (National, Olivier) – 1985 *''Edmond'', David Mamet (

) – 1985 *''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' (RSC Barbican Theatre) – 1986 and 1987 *''Futurists'' (National, Cottesloe) – 1986 *''Prairie du Chien/The Shawl'' (Royal Court Upstairs) – 1986 *''Kafka's Dick'' (Royal Court) – 1986 *''Country Dancing'' (RSC The Pit) – 1987 *''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

'' (RSC Barbican Theatre) – 1987 *''Entertaining Strangers'' (National, Cottesloe) – 1987 *''Girlfriends'', Howard Goodall musical (

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

) – 1987 *'' Waiting for Godot'' (National, Lyttelton) – 1987 *''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams. An adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", the play was written by him between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his p ...

'' (National, Lyttelton) – 1988 *''The Shaughran'' (National, Olivier) – 1988 and 1989 *'' The Changeling'' (National, Lyttelton) – 1988 *'' The Father'',

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

(National, Cottesloe) – 1988 *''

The Voysey Inheritance ''The Voysey Inheritance'' is a play in five acts by the English dramatist Harley Granville-Barker. Written in 1903–1905, it was originally staged at the Royal Court Theatre in 1905 featuring Mabel Hackney, and revived at the same venue in 196 ...

'' (National, Cottesloe) – 1989 *''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (dir Howard Davies) New York – 1990 *'' Lenny'' (dir Peter Hall) Queens Theatre - July 1999 *''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

'' (dir Peter Hall) Old Vic – October 1998; New York – 1999 *'' Blue/Orange'' by

Joe Penhall Joe Scott Penhall (born 1967) is an English-Australian playwright and screenwriter, best known for his award-winning stage play ''Blue/Orange'', the award-winning West End musical ''Sunny Afternoon'' and creating the Netflix original series '' ...

(dir

Roger Michell Roger Michell (5 June 1956 – 22 September 2021) was a South African-born British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as ''Notting Hill (film), Notting Hill'' and ''Venus (2006 film), Venus'', as ...

), National Cottesloe – April 2000;

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 se ...

– April 2001 *'' All My Sons'' by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

(dir Howard Davies) National Lyttelton – July 2000; National Lyttelton – August 2001 *''

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Plo ...

'' (dir Terry Johnson )

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...

– January 2001 *''

The York Realist ''The York Realist'' is a 2001 play by Peter Gill. It was premiered at the Lowry in November 2001 before moving to the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Court Theatre in January 2002 by English Touring Theatre, with Gill himself directing. It tran ...

'' (written and dir Peter Gill) Royal Court – January 2002; Strand Theatre – March 2002 *''

The Coast of Utopia ''The Coast of Utopia'' is a 2002 trilogy of plays: ''Voyage'', ''Shipwreck'', and ''Salvage'', written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical debates in pre-revolution Russia between 1833 and 1866. It was the recipient of the 2007 Ton ...

: Voyage/Shipwreck/Salvage'', trilogy by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

(dir

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas f ...

) National – August 2002 *''The Breath of Life'' by David Hare (dir Howard Davies)

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

– October 2002 *''Honour'' by

Joanna Murray-Smith Joanna Murray-Smith (born 17 April 1962) is a Melbourne-based Australian playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist. Life and career Murray-Smith was born in Mount Eliza, Victoria; her father was the literary editor ...

(dir Roger Michell'') National Cottesloe – 2003 *''

Hitchcock Blonde ''Hitchcock Blonde'' is a play by British playwright Terry Johnson which debuted in April 2003 in London and later moved to London's West End. It was also staged in the United States. Plot The play takes place in three time periods: 1919, when ...

'' (written and dir Terry Johnson) Royal Court and Lyric Theatre – 2003 *''The Permanent Way'' by David Hare (dir Max Stafford Clark) National Cottesloe – January 200

*'' Cyrano de Bergerac (play), Cyrano de Bergerac'' (dir Howard Davies) National Olivier – April 2004 *''

Old Times ''Old Times'' is a play by the Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. It was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 1 June 1971. It starred Colin Blakely, Dorothy Tutin, and Vivien Merchant, and was direct ...

'' by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

(dir Roger Michell)

– July 2004 *'' The Woman in White'' musical by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

(dir Trevor Nunn) Palace Theatre – September 2004; New York – 2005 *''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...

'' (dir Lucy Bailey)

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

– 2006 *''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'' (dir Lucy Bailey)

Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

– 2011 *'' Fortune's Fool'' (dir

)

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit organization, not-for-profit producing house, producing theatre in Waterloo, London, Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Th ...

– 2013.

Honours and awards

Awards include: *

Critics' Circle Theatre Awards The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, originally called ''Drama'' Theatre Awards up to 1990, are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year's theatrical achievements. The winners, from theatre throughout the United Kingdom, ar ...

2002, Best Designer for ''The Coast of Utopia'' Trilogy *

Olivier Awards 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 ...

2004,

Olivier Award for Best Set Design The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 197 ...

for ''Hitchcock Blonde'' Dudley was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to stage design.

References

Bibliography

*''Who's Who in the Theatre'' (17th Edition), Gale (1981). . *''The National: The Theatre and its Work 1963–97'' by

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View (1985 ...

, Nick Hern Books (1997). . *''

Theatre Record ''Theatre Record'' is a periodical that reprints reviews, production photographs, and other information about the British theatre. Overview ''Theatre Record'' was founded in 1981 by Ian Herbert and has been published fortnightly since January 1 ...

'' and its annual Indexes. *''Stage Design'' by Tony Davis, Rotavision SA (2001). .

External links

* *British Theatre Guide interview, June 2003
"William Dudley, possibly Britain's top Theatre Designer"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, William 1947 births Living people Artists from London Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art English scenic designers Laurence Olivier Award winners Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Officers of the Order of the British Empire