Jan Versweyveld

Jan Versweyveld (born 1958) is a Belgian theatre set designer, scenographer and lighting designer.

Biography

Jan Versweyveld studied at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Together with his husband Ivo van Hove, whom he met in 1980,^[1]^[2] he created two theatre groups in the early 1980s: "Akt/Vertikaal" and "Toneelproducties De Tijd". Versweyveld then started working as scenographer for the Zuidelijk Toneel in Eindhoven in 1990, with Ivo van Hove as the director of the company.^[3]

In 2001 he became the head of scenography and the main designer for Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Versweyveld has been a scenographer for dance company Rosas and for opera houses including La Monnaie, Palais Garnier, the Vlaamse Opera and the Dutch National Opera, and a guest lecturer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.^[3]

Apart from his work for the Zuidelijk Toneel and the Toneelgroep Amsterdam, he has also worked for many international theatres, including the New York Theatre Workshop, Teatro Real in Spain, the Companhia Nacional do Bailado in Portugal, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, the Munich Kammerspiele and the Schaubühne (Germany), Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe and Comédie-Française in France, the Grand Theatre, Warsaw in Poland, and the Royal National Theatre, Wyndham's Theatre and the Young Vic in the UK.^[3]

Versweyveld was also the set and lighting designer for Lazarus, the musical by David Bowie and Ivo van Hove, and for Network, the play by Lee Hall. Since 2005, he also works as a photographer.^[2]

In 2019 he was the scenographer for Camp: Notes on Fashion, the yearly Met Gala Exhibition at the Anna Wintour Costume Center.^[4]

Awards

Bessie Award for Drumming Live (a dance performance by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker)^[3]
Obie Award for Hedda Gabler^[3]
2008: Prosceniumprijs, together with Ivo van Hove^[3]
2015: Amsterdam Award for the Arts, together with Ivo van Hove^[3]
2015: Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Scenic Design for Scenes From a Marriage
2016: Knight of Illumination Award for Song from Far Away^[3]
2016: Special Award from the New York Drama Critics' Circle
2017: Molière Award for Visual Cration for Les Damès

Nominations

2015: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design and Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design for A View from the Bridge at the Young Vic
2016: Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Play for A View from the Bridge at the Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)
2016: Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play for A View from the Bridge, and for The Crucible
2018: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design for Network at the National Theatre
2019: Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Play for Network
2019: Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play, with Tal Yarden, for Network

Notes

^ King, Darryn (23 July 2018). "From Avignon To The Armory: Designer Jan Versweyveld On 'The Damned'". Forbes.
^ ^a ^b Portwood, Jerry (18 January 2016). "Creative Duo Ivo van Hove & Jan Versweyveld: In Their Own Words". Medium. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Jan Versweyveld: biography". Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
^ Van Driel, Anne (14 May 2019). "Jan Versweyveld gaf gestalte aan dé modetentoonstelling van het jaar: 'This is huge'". De Volkskrant (in Dutch).

[King-1] King, Darryn (23 July 2018). "From Avignon To The Armory: Designer Jan Versweyveld On 'The Damned'". Forbes.

[Portwood-2] Portwood, Jerry (18 January 2016). "Creative Duo Ivo van Hove & Jan Versweyveld: In Their Own Words". Medium. Retrieved 17 May 2019.

[TGA-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Jan Versweyveld: biography". Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Retrieved 17 May 2019.

[Driel-4] Van Driel, Anne (14 May 2019). "Jan Versweyveld gaf gestalte aan dé modetentoonstelling van het jaar: 'This is huge'". De Volkskrant (in Dutch).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]