Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Heeley, Desmond
Costume and set designer, for theatre, opera, and ballet, born in England in 1932, and grew up near Stratford-on-Avon. He died June 10, 2016 in Manhattan at the age of 85. He has been called “one of the pre-eminent designers of the twentieth century — a master of elegance, wit, and theatricality.” His sets are typically elaborate and imaginative. As a World War II child, he “fell into the theatre, because of its joyous air of make-believe and what used to be called the magic world behind the scenes” (Playbill for The Importance of Being Ernest 15 Jan 2011). He had to make do with anything lying around to make things happen…homely fabrics…masking tape…the wire coat hangers that could be quickly put into shape.
Heeley began his career at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company and then in 1955 at the Shakespeare Memorial (now Royal Shakespeare) Theatre (Titus Andronicus with Laurence Oliver and Vivien Leigh, dir. Peter Brook). He created forty set and costume designs for the Stratford Festival since 1957, including the inaugural production of Hamlet (1957), The Tempest (1962), and Troilus and Cressida (1963). More recent credits include Amadeus, Measure for Measure, The School for Wives, Phaedra, The Merchant of Venice, and London Assurance (2006).
He designed for opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera (Donizetti’s Don Pasquale 1978, and Brigadoon 1986). For the National Ballet he designed costumes for Giselle in 1952, and The Merry Widow in 1986.
He is the winner of two Tony Awards for costume and set design for The Importance of Being Ernest (Broadway 2011), a reprise of the Stratford production in 2009 (with Brian Bedford as Lady Bracknell in a bright red dress). In the Playbill for the production, Kenneth Jones comments: “it's the painterly, impressionistic, un-literal quality that grabs you (in all three acts).” (15 Jan 2011).
Heeley also won a Tony for the Broadway production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1968). In 1994, he was the first recipient of the prestigious Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the performing arts.
His work is in museums, archives, and private collections across Canada, the United States and the Britain.
Last updated 2020-04-27
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