London Theatre TicketsLondon Theatre NewsClaire van Kampen, renowned composer & Tony-nominated playwright, dies at 71

Claire van Kampen, renowned composer & Tony-nominated playwright, dies at 71

Kritika

Claire van Kampen, the brilliant playwright, composer, and director, has taken her final bow at 71.

The playwright, composer, and director succumbed to cancer on what would have been a celebratory day—her husband and longtime artistic partner Mark Rylance’s 65th birthday.

A founding force behind Shakespeare’s Globe, van Kampen orchestrated the soundscapes of Broadway hits like Boeing-Boeing, La Bête, Richard III, and Twelfth Night, where Rylance famously took center stage. Her own play Farinelli and the King earned her a Tony nod in 2018, and she made her directorial debut guiding Rylance through the absurdly delightful Nice Fish. She later took on Othello, directing both Rylance and André Holland.

With more than 30 productions at the Globe to her name, van Kampen also lent her expertise to Tudor tunes for the BBC’s Wolf Hall and, alongside Rylance and designer Jenny Tiramani, received the 2007 Sam Wanamaker Award.

Van Kampen was first married to architect Christopher van Kampen, with whom she had two daughters, Nataasha and Juliet Rylance. Nataasha tragically passed in 2012. She is survived by her husband, Mark, and daughter, Juliet.

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