Motley was the name of the theatre design firm made up of three English designers: sisters

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

(known as "Percy," 1904–2000) and Sophie Harris (1900–1966) and Elizabeth Montgomery (1902–1993).

Career

The name ''Motley'', according to Montgomery, was chosen from the medieval fabric--a rough, multicolored woven called motley--not from Shakespeare's term of '

Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in '' commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley' ...

' from ''As You Like It.'' The artists were constantly taunted with the Shakespearean connection anyway. Motley met at art school in the 1920s and became

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

's designers during the 1930s. They started teaching theatre design at Michel Saint-Denis's London Theatre Studio (1936–1939), the first time a design course had been incorporated into a drama school in the UK. Margaret Harris and Elizabeth Montgomery spent the Second World War in the United States, designing for

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 ...

, and Harris also worked with

Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames Jr. (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) was an American designer, architect and filmmaker. In professional partnership with his spouse Ray Kaiser Eames, he was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of a ...

on his moulded plywood aeroplane parts. Sophie Harris, now married to

George Devine George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

, and mother of their child Harriet, stayed in the UK designing for stage and screen. After the war Margaret Harris returned to the UK, and both sisters once again joined Saint-Denis, teaching design at the Old Vic Theatre School (1947–1952). Elizabeth Montgomery stayed in the United States designing for many Broadway productions. All three continued to design under the name "Motley" for both stage and screen. The Motley design team were closely associated with the work of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre especially 1948–59. Productions included: 1948 ''Troilus and Cressida'' in which Paul Scofield played Troilus, the 1953 ''Antony and Cleopatra'' and 1957 ''As You Like It'' both featuring Peggy Ashcroft, ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' in 1955 with Anthony Quayle, ''Hamlet'' in 1958 with Michael Redgrave in the title role, and Googie Withers as his mother, Gertrude; the production played in Moscow and Googie, who had moved to live in Australia with her actor and producer husband, John McCallum, was replaced by Coral Browne; and the 1959 ''King Lear'' with Charles Laughton. In 1966, Margaret Harris founded

Motley Theatre Design Course Motley Theatre Design Course is a one-year independent theatre design course in London. It was founded at Sadler's Wells Opera in 1966. History of the school Sadler's Wells Opera and English National Opera In 1962, Sadler's Wells Opera announced th ...

which continued until 2011. The group won two

Tony Awards 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 c ...

for costume design and was nominated seven additional times.

Motley Collection of Theatre and Costume Design

The Motley Collection of Theatre and Costume Design is a source of documentation on the history of theatre and is housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is a collection of original materials on the theatre comprising over 5000 items from more than 150 productions in England and the United States. These materials include costume and set designs, sketches, notes, photographs, prop lists, storyboards, and swatches of fabric. After the members of the Motley Group had retired, Michael Mullin, a professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, met Margaret Harris and expressed an interest in the University acquiring the over 40 years worth of designs that the group had accumulated. After negotiations with Sotheby's, who had been contracted to auction the items, the University of Illinois finally reached an agreement in April 1981 to purchase the entire collection. This resource on the history of 20th-century theatre is preserved intact for study; the Library ha
digitised the collection
in its entirety to make it publicly available.

Work (Broadway selected)

*''

Look Homeward, Angel ''Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life'' is a 1929 novel by Thomas Wolfe. It is Wolfe's first novel, and is considered a highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story. The character of Eugene Gant is generally believed to be ...

'' (1957) Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee) *''

The Country Wife ''The Country Wife'' is a Restoration comedy written by William Wycherley and first performed in 1675. A product of the tolerant early Restoration period, the play reflects an aristocratic and anti-Puritan ideology, and was controversial ...

'' (1957) scenery and costume design; Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee) *''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' (1957) Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee) *''

Shinbone Alley ''Shinbone Alley'' (sometimes performed as ''archy & mehitabel'') is a musical with a book by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music by George Kleinsinger. Based on the album ''Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera'', which in ...

'' (1957) Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee) *''The First Gentleman'' (1957) Tony Award Best Costume Design (winner) *''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'' (1961) Tony Award Best Costume Design (Dramatic) (winner) *'' Kwamina'' (1961) Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee) *''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

'' (1963) Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee) *''

Baker Street Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...

'' (1965) Tony Award Best Costume Design (nominee)

References

External links

* * * *
Motley in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol

Motley Costume Designs, 1936–1965
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

Thomas Bohen papers regarding Motley, 1931–2001
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

{{Navboxes , title = Awards for Motley Theatre Design Group , list = {{BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design {{TonyAward CostumeDesign 1947-1975 {{TonyAward CostumeDesignPlay 1932 establishments in England 2000 disestablishments in England British costume designers English scenic designers Opera designers Best Costume Design BAFTA Award winners Donaldson Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners