The National Theatre today announces a new public installation, The Tree, designed by winning designer Rose Revitt, to be created and displayed in the foyer of the NT from January 2022.
The winning design by Rose Revitt, inspired by the wooden imprints visible in the concrete walls and pillars throughout the NT, is a vast collection of suspended leaves which celebrates the collective effort in keeping the theatre alive and will grow to show how audiences and supporters help nurture the theatre.
Rose Revitt from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, is a designer for theatre specialising in set and costume. Having trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, she was one of the winners of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 2019 and ‘Best Designer’ at The Stage Debut Awards 2020.
The creation of the new installation provides an opportunity for an up-and-coming theatre designer to showcase their talent at the NT and will be displayed in the Lyttelton foyer to enliven our public spaces and welcome audiences and local communities back to the building.
The installation will be created as part of the NT’s National Theatre Together campaign to empower artists and craftspeople to create world-leading work and to raise vital funds for the theatre’s ambitious recovery post-pandemic. National Theatre Together donors will have the opportunity to add a leaf carved with their name (or the name of a loved one) to The Tree for £100 or more, enveloping the Lyttelton foyer in a warm, inviting canopy.
The competition to design the installation was open to finalists and winners from 2015, 2017 and 2019 of the prestigious Linbury Prize, which has a long association with the NT, to open up the opportunity to recent theatre design graduates across the UK who have been recognised for their stage design work.
Speaking about having her design selected Rose Revitt, winning designer said, “Imprints of trees can be found throughout the National Theatre in the very concrete of the building. These provided the initial inspiration for my tree installation, which I’m delighted to have the opportunity to bring to life in the Lyttelton Foyer.”
Rufus Norris, Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre said, “The National Theatre has a crucial role to play in supporting the nation’s creativity and it has been a privilege see the huge array of talent from young design graduates across the country as part of this competition. We are delighted to be working with Rose Revitt, and hope this project will inspire our communities to stand with us and equip us to do what we do best; shape a bright, creative future. This installation will enliven our public spaces, celebrate togetherness and give everyone who enters our iconic building the bright and creative welcome that they truly deserve. We hope you will be a part of it.”
The winning design by Rose Revitt will be unveiled at the National Theatre in January 2022 and will be free to view. The design will be displayed at the NT for up to five years from the date of installation.
For more information and to donate, please visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/installation
