War Horse
First staged at the National Theatre London 2007
Directed by Marianne Elliot and Tom Morris
West End, Broadway, Toronto, Germany, Australia, Amsterdam, UK tour, China & Japan.
War Horse was written, devised and designed over a two year period at the National Theatre. Design wise, it is a fantastic example of collaboration in the creative team; and of putting a horse puppet (not an actor) centre stage at the National Theatre. From a design point of view It was very inspiring working with Handspring, using my own drawings as a backdrop, and working with 59 Productions in animating those drawings.
Further reading:
- Rae’s War Horse sketch book
- War Horse animation using Rae’s sketches by Peter Sternhouse from 59 Productions
- An interview with Rae on the making of War Horse
- The War Horse panorama
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“It’s impossible to overstate the effectiveness of Rae Smith’s gorgeous design work. Its most evocative element is the torn page of a sketchbook overhead, which maps the shifting action and changing atmosphere with a mix of pencil drawings and projections.”
Hollywood Reporter, 2011
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