The Allard Pierson's contemporary theatre model collection highlighted

Models are used across many disciplines, including architecture, ships, automotive, sculpture, and product design. But what does a model signify in the field of theater? A theater model is a scenography tool that is used in the early stages of a production for exploration of its set design and lighting design. Through the Friends of the Allard Pierson 2026 fellowship position, I conducted the first-ever research project dedicated to the Allard Pierson’s scenography collection, specifically by means of contemporary theater models. The fellowship aimed to holistically inventory the state of the model collection and specifically assess and address knowledge gaps in the models’ context.

A model made for a theater production is an exceptional physical relic to investigate, as it contrasts with other types of models. While a ship model may typically have a movable mast, a theater model is commonly a firmer relic that captures a singular scene within a performance. To demonstrate movement and changes within a production’s scenography, changes in lighting are typically incorporated. For example, flashlights can be used to illuminate certain elements within the model depending on which scene is being represented. Thus, models with lighting elements in their structures set the stage for the research, which sought to highlight and situate the form and meaning of models in tandem with lighting design. With the focus being through a case study approach, an intricate examination into the creation and context of theater production works was cultivated, producing explicit observations that could be extrapolated to the broader collection of 459 models.

One of the notable model case studies from the research project was created by scenographer Leo de Nijs for Theatergroep Hollandia’s 1987 Gust production, which was donated to the Allard Pierson collection in 1994. Hollandia directors Paul Koek and Johan Simons were pioneers in taking theater outdoors, away from the city and specifically to unique, rural locations in the Netherlands. Taking place in a greenhouse complex in Hoofddorp, the play Gust is a nearly two-hour-long monologue of an old Bavarian farmer and beekeeper named Gust. He tells his life story while, in the background, his second wife is actively dying. A newspaper article from 1987 describes the atmosphere of the greenhouses: “The lighting works in harmony with nature, as darkness slowly falls over the glass structure during the performance.” 

In the scenography of the performance, the red threads from the model were striking red ropes that veiled a section of the right side of the greenhouse. In discussion with director Paul Koek, he revealed that in the moments when Gust’s ill wife began to cough and panic during the play, light was shone on the ropes to create a red glowing ambience within the space. In contrast to the threads, there is another element of lighting design that is not physically depicted in the model. As the play came to a close, Koek shared how Gust walked along the curved pathway to the back of the greenhouse. Small lights illuminated the path as a water mist simultaneously turned on, creating a rainbow lighting effect that filled the air. As the darkness of the evening took over, Gust’s departure through a beautiful misty rainbow formed a vivid final image.

Theater models can give a general sense of the production set and lighting design but can simultaneously fall short in conveying the complexities or telling us more about the context and sequence of the scenes. This is particularly true for Hollandia’s Gust, as traversing the archives and drawing on oral history interviews uncovered significant details that may have otherwise remained shrouded in mystery, such as the function of red threads to the elusive rainbow mist. In support of deeply understanding the multifaceted nature of theater models, this research workflow brought to the forefront otherwise concealed connections between the materiality of models, set design, and lighting design. Further investigations into these scenography objects are crucial to continuously inform how we can approach the history, conservation, and future presentation of models.