The Victoria & Albert Museum's new exhibition looking at the activities that together make up a West End or Broadway show opens this week.
Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York is an immersive experience designed by RFK Architects and designer and theatre maker Tom Piper who, with ceramic artist Paul Cummins, was responsible for the poppies installation at the Tower of London.
A significant amount of the material will be displayed for the first time; it includes costumes, designs, models, photographs, archival production material, film and awards from the V&A, The Library for the Performing Arts and private collections.
Amongst the costumes are a selection of golden top hats from A Chorus Line, which won the inaugural Olivier Award in 1976 for Best New Musical, and Bob Crowley's dress for Dame Helen Mirren in The Audience.
Models on display include the sets for Matilda the Musical by Rob Howell and the National Theatre’s War Horse.
The exhibition, which is curated by the V&A and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, is presented with the Society of London Theatre, the organisation behind the Olivier Awards, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. The exhibition includes a look back at the Awards' history.
Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York will be at the Victoria & Albert Museum from 9 February to 31 August and then at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center from October 2016 to June 2017.
The exhibition is sponsored by MasterCard. Admission is free at the Victoria & Albert Museum.