A video presentation featuring the ‘Linbury Prize 2013’ finalists, featuring Ana Inés Jabares Pita, overall winner of the Linbury Prize for stage design. She is the first Spaniard to receive the accolade.
“I can’t believe it!”, was the Galician Ana Inés Jabares Pita’s response when asked this morning about how she felt at being named the overall winner of the 2013 Linbury Prize. We at Brit Es, on the other hand, always knew that she would win: she is extremely talented, and it was only a matter of time before she got the recognition she deserved.
It’s clear that the many professionals and aficionados of the world of dramatic arts who have spent the past few days at the National Theatre also agree with the decision made by judges Christopher Olan, Es Devlin and John MacFarlane. “The feedback has been fantastic,” admitted an excited Ana, who also pointed out the “extremely high” standard of competition. This year’s judges were also of the highest calibre, boasting experience of work with rock stars, the Royal Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the closing ceremony for the London Olympics.
The Linbury Prize can make the dreams of any budding set designer come true: alongside the trophy, the prize offers the opportunity to work with some of the most prestigious British theatre, dance and opera companies. This year these include English Touring Opera, the National Theatre of Scotland, Nottingham Playhouse and the Scottish Dance Theatre in association with the V&A Dundee.
From more than a hundred entries, twelve were chosen as finalists, and it was from these twelve that the four winners, one for each company, were selected. An overall winner for each category was then picked out from these four, and this year it was a quintessential ‘Brit-Es’1 that stole the show, with her entry of a set designed for ‘The Driver’s Seat’
From more than a hundred entries, twelve were chosen as finalists, and it was from these twelve that the four winners, one for each company, were selected. An overall winner for each category was then picked out from these four, and this year it was a quintessential ‘Brit-Es’1 that stole the show, with her entry of a set designed for ‘The Driver’s Seat’, a film adaption by Laurie Samson of Muriel Starck’s 1970 novel, a psychological thriller whose themes include alienation, isolation and the moral decline of contemporary society.
Other winners included Florence de Mare for her staging for the English Touring Opera’s production ‘Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo’, Madeline Girling for ‘Time and the Conways’ for Nottingham Playhouse and Alexander Ruth with ‘Room’, choreographed by Fleur Darkin for the Scottish Dance Theatre.
You can read more about Ana Inés and her work in this interview with Brit-Es magazine from May 2013.
[su_note note_color=”#eaeae9″]Translated by William Carter[/su_note]