Reg Allen
A collection of presscuttings albums, programmes, drawings for stage designs and set models, donated by Reg Allen.
One of the finest scenic designers to have worked in Scottish Theatre, Reg Allen (1916-1977) was actually born in Willesden, London in 1916. His first job was as a scenic artist for a production of Cinderella in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in 1935. There followed several happy seasons in Dublin, designing both for pantomime and variety, with stars such as Jimmy O'Dea (1899-1965) and Maureen Potter (1925-2004).
After war service in the Royal Corps of Engineers, he was sought out by the Howard and Wyndham management, with whom he worked for 31 years. He devised the dazzling transformation scenes, oriental treasure caves, ogres, palaces, giant beanstalks and coaches-out-of-pumpkins for the fabulous pantomimes in Edinburgh and Glasgow; he made slapstick scenes possible, with trick doors, collapsing staircases and bedrooms haunted enough to scare the fiercest Ugly Sisters. His designs for Five-Past-Eight shows included representations of cities from Vienna to New York, Paris to London; the original paintings for these sets and gauzes are quite marvellous, and it takes a keen eye to spot the faint pencilled squares that enabled the designs to be projected from square inches to square feet, filling huge stages such as the Alhambra.
How to find material relating to the Reg Allen
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