Wake Up and Dream. Oliver Messel: Theatre, Art and Society (2018)

Held in 2018 to celebrate a three year funded project to catalogue and conserve the archive of Oliver Messel, Wake Up and Dream - Oliver Messel: Theatre, Art and Society explores the life and work of one of the twentieth century’s foremost theatrical designers.

Born in 1904, Oliver Messel is widely regarded as one of the last century’s foremost theatrical designers.

Drawing on the richness of the archive and Messel’s life and work, the exhibition introduces visitors to Messel’s family and friends and the many aspects of his prolific career from his work across stage and screen to interiors and architecture. As well as exploring Messel’s artistic output, Wake Up and Dream shines a light on the more personal aspects of his life, paying tribute to his partner Vagn and Messel’s social and political conscience.

The exhibition also features a specially commissioned audio piece by Live Artist Tom Marshman, The Caviar Outlook, which plays on Messel’s love of lavish dining and the social circle around him including well known personalities such as Cecil Beaton and Noel Coward.

Visit the exhibition:

To launch the exhibition please navigate to: https://virti.co/scenes/messel-360

Further Information:

Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel (1904 - 1978) was a celebrated theatre, ballet and film designer of the first half of the twentieth century.

The personal papers of Oliver Messel that are held here at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection were those that he took with him when he moved to Barbados in 1966 and those created during his residence in Barbados. On Oliver Messel's death in 1978, the contents of his house and studio were left to his nephew Thomas Messel who retained custody of them until they were sold to the University of Bristol Theatre Collection in 2015. 

The purchase of the Personal Archive of Oliver Messel happened with support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Friends of the National Libraries and others.  The cataloguing and conservation of the Personal Archive of Oliver Messel has been made possible with funding from the Heritage Lottery fund, the Linbury Trust and others. 

To find out more about the project and the Archive please visit our Exploring the Oliver Messel Archive pages which includes an illustrated biography, links to our Oliver Messel Schools' Resources, and a link to watch 'I went to a marvellous party' a performance and installation by Tom Marshman inspired by the Archive.