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Robert Verberkmoes

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Robert Verberkmoes
BornSeptember, 1931
Madison, Wisconsin
DiedNovember, 1986
Portugal
Occupation(s)Scenic Designer, Set Designer, Art Director

Robert Verberkmoes. (September 1931[1]– November 1986) sometimes credited as Bob Verberkmoes or Robert Ver Berkmoes, was an American scenic designer, set designer, costume designer, and art director whose work spanned theater, ballet, modern dance, opera, and film. Over a decades-long career, he designed hundreds of productions and was widely regarded for his craftsmanship, versatility, and dedication to live performance.[2]

Early life and education

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Verberkmoes was from Madison, Wisconsin, and graduated from East High School in 1950.[3] He served for four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War, including combat duty in the Far East.[4] After his military service, he studied sculpture and painting at Columbia University. To strengthen his technical skills, he studied theatrical design under prominent set and costume designer, Lester Polakov,[5] who at the time was teaching at Columbia.[6]

Career

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Verberkmoes began designing in the mid-1950s for Off-Broadway theaters, including the Cherry Lane Theatre.[7] A chance recommendation from actor Roscoe Lee Browne[8] led him to the New York Shakespeare Festival, where he met producer Joseph Papp. When the company’s second production of the season needed a scenic designer, Verberkmoes stepped in—marking the start of a long and fruitful career in the performing arts.[9]

His talent for design quickly drew notice, and he became affiliated with the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Center for Music and Drama. He also worked as scenic designer for the New York City Ballet.[10]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Verberkmoes was active across regional, touring, and summer stock theaters throughout North America. In 1965, he designed the eight-week summer season for the Hampton Playhouse in New Hampshire—known for polished productions and respected founders.[11][12] But it was his later work with the Kenley Players, at the Star Theater in Wichita, Kansas and Flint, Michigan and at the Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio and at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio, that marked a major career milestone. The Kenley shows were primarily large-scale musicals, often featuring major television and film stars, Kenley demanded both technical ambition and theatrical flair. Verberkmoes met that challenge with designs that delivered spectacle within practical constraints, helping define the look and feel of what was then considered the gold standard of American summer theater.[13][14]

In 1967, he was invited by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he played a key role in the founding of the Canterbury Theatre Trust, the country’s first national professional theater company.[15]

Although Verberkmoes also contributed to film—including designing monster costumes and serving as art director for the cult horror film The Horror of Party Beach (1964) [16]—his true legacy lies in his theatrical work. He was a devoted artisan in an increasingly commercialized industry, part of a vanishing generation of deeply hands-on, multidisciplinary designers who remained committed to the stage.[17]

Later life and death

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Later in life, Verberkmoes moved to the Algarve region of Portugal, where he pursued painting and visual art. He died in Portugal in November 1986.

Selected works

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Theater, Dance

  • 1956 Taming of the Shrew – New York Shakespeare Festival, NYC – technical director[18][19]
  • 1956 Camille– The Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC – set designer[20]
  • 1957 The Trojan Women – Theatre Marquee – set designer[21]
  • 1959 Mis-guided Tour – Off-Broadway, Downtown Theatre – NYC – production designer[22]
  • 1961 A Trip to Chinatown – Off-Off Broadway – NYC – set designer[23]
  • 1962 Fiorello,[24] Sunday in New York,[25] Wedding Breakfast[26] – Fayetteville Country Playhouse, Fayetteville, New York – set designer
  • 1965 Mary Mary, Send Me No Flowers, Never Too Late, A View from the Bridge, Burlesque, Ladies Night, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Period of Adjustment – The Hampton Playhouse, Hampton, NH – set designer
  • 1966 Unsinkable Molly Brown,[27] Guys and Dolls,[28] The Pajama Game[29] – Town and Country Playhouse, Pittsford, NY – set designer
  • 1968 The Initiate (Choreographed by John Butler) The Repertory Dance Theater of Salt Lake City, UT – scenery, costumes and lighting[30][31]
  • 1968 Take Me Along, Pal Joey - Kenley Players Production, Warren, OH and Dayton OH - scenic designer[32]
  • 1968 Take Me Along, Call Me Madam, Fantasticks, Pal Joey, The Student Prince – Kenley Players Production, Columbus, OH – set designer[33]
  • 1969 Showboat, Carousel, Pajama Game, Guys and Dolls, George M! Gypsy, Can-Can, Luv, The Merry Widow, My Fair Lady – Star Theater (Century II Performing Arts Center) Wichita, Kansas – scenic designer
  • 1969 Showboat – Hershey Community Theater – Hershey, PA – set designer[34]
  • 1970 The Unsinkable Molly Brown, South Pacific, My Daughter, Your Son, Mr. Roberts, The Only Game in Town – Star Theater (Century II Performing Arts Center) – Wichita, Kansas – scenic designer
  • 1972 The Sound of Music, Mame, Come Blow Your Horn, Send Me No Flowers, Man La Mancha, Showboat, 1776, Can-Can, Last of the Red-Hot Lovers, Fiddler on the Roof – Star Theater of Flint – Michigan– scenic designer
  • 1974 Caesar and Cleopatra – Sharon Playhouse, Sharon, CT – set designer[35]
  • 1975 The Runner Stumbles – Hartman Theatre Company – scenic design[36]
  • 1976 Portrait of Madonna, 27 Wagons of Cotton, I Rise in Flame, Cried the Phoenix – Hartman Theatre Company, Stamford, CT – set designer[37]
  • 1976 Joan of Lorraine – Hartman Theatre Company, Stamford, CT – set designer[38]
  • 1977 Death of a Salesman – Hartman Theatre Company, Stamford, CT – set designer[39]

Film [40]

References

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  1. ^ "Robert Verberkmoes is Winner in Election of East Side Youth Mayor". The Capital Times. April 15, 1949. p. 3 (via Newspapers.com).
  2. ^ "New York Designer Signed for Kenley Star Theatre". The Wichita Beacon. May 16, 1969. p. 39 (via Newspapers.com).
  3. ^ "Theatrical Designer Verberkmoes to Visit Wisconsin". The Wisconsin State Journal. October 25, 1962. p. 39 (via Newspapers.com).
  4. ^ "Return to U.S.". The Capital Times. p. 26 (via Newspapers.com).
  5. ^ "Lester Polakov papers and designs, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library". archives.nypl.org.
  6. ^ Nila Walker (June 29, 1970). "Designing, Constructing Play Sets Intricate Task". The Wichita Beacon. p. 5. Every Tuesday We Die A Little
  7. ^ "Camille Colleen Dewhurst is Star of Revival". NYTimes.com. September 19, 1956.
  8. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "Roscoe Lee Browne in the New York Shakespeare Festival stage production Julius Caesar, (1956) (still image)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
  9. ^ Barry L. Green (May 28, 1972). "They work by 'design' -- and choice -- for the stage". The Flint Journal. p. 31.
  10. ^ "Verberkmoes To Visit Here". The Capital Times. September 10, 1965. p. 5 (via Newspapers.com).
  11. ^ "John Vari Obituary". Legacy.com. The New York Times. October 8, 2017.
  12. ^ "Behind the stage door: an inside look at 50 years of the Hampton Playhouse". LaneMemorialLibrary.org.
  13. ^ "John Kenley, Who Took Big Stars To Small Town Stages, Dies At 103". NYTimes.com.
  14. ^ "Producer John Kenley dies at 103". Variety.com.
  15. ^ "Canterbury Theater Company". natlib.govt.nz. 1967.
  16. ^ "The Horror of Party Beach All Cast and Crew". IMDB.COM.
  17. ^ Nancy Sparks (June 12, 1970). "Modern Trouper Group Lacks Creative Pride". The Wichita Beacon. p. 23 (via Newspapers.com).
  18. ^ Brooks Atkinson (August 26, 1956). "'SHREW' IN A PARK; Shakespeare's Fare Is Well Produced In the East River Amphitheatre". The New York Times. p. 1 (Section X).v
  19. ^ Arthur Gelb. "The New York Times Guide to the Arts of the 20th Century - The Taming of the Shrew - August 11, 1956". archive.org. The New York Times. p. 1669.
  20. ^ Jerry Tallmer (September 26, 1956). "Theatre: Camille". The Village Voice. p. 9.
  21. ^ "Trojan Women Arrives Tonight French Twin Bill to Bow". The New York Times. March 18, 1957.
  22. ^ "Mis-guided Tour Revue Here Oct". The Villager, Greenwich Village, New York. August 20, 1959. p. 13 (via Newspapers.com).
  23. ^ "A Trip to Chinatown Credits". OVRTUE.com. March 7, 1961. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  24. ^ "Zestful 'Fiorello' Clicks At Opening in Fayetteville". The Post Standard. July 31, 1962. p. 7 (via Newspapers.com).
  25. ^ "Time to Laugh Is on 'Sunday'". The Post Standard. July 24, 1962. p. 6 (via Newspapers.com).
  26. ^ "Low Caloried Diet Served In 'Wedding Breakfast'". The Post Standard. August 21, 1962. p. 6 (via Newspapers.com).
  27. ^ "Unsinkable". The Brighton - Pittsford Post. June 30, 1966. p. 20.
  28. ^ "Guys and Dolls". The Brighton - Pittsford Post. July 28, 1966. p. 14.
  29. ^ "Pajama Game". The Brighton - Pittsford Post. August 11, 1966. p. 16.
  30. ^ "Dance Group Has New Management". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 13, 1968. p. 87 (via Newspapers.com).
  31. ^ Clive Barnes (October 28, 1968). "Modern Dance A Pioneering Repertory Group in Salt Lake City". The New York Times. p. 50.
  32. ^ "Robert E. Verberkmoes Theatre Credits and Profile". abouttheartists.com.
  33. ^ "Robert Ver Berkmoes". OVRTUR.com. June 19, 1968.
  34. ^ Dick Wilson (December 30, 1969). "Playgoers take nostalgic boat ride". The Evening News. p. 11 (via Newspapers.com).
  35. ^ Judy C. Sanders (August 3, 1970). "Sharon Struggles; A Playhouse in Buckleyland". The Berkshire Eagle. p. 30 (via Newspapers.com).
  36. ^ "Theater Scene Stamford Premiere". Hartford Courant. December 21, 1975. p. 134 (via Newspapers.com).
  37. ^ Clive Barnes (March 15, 1977). "Stage: Williams Night". The New York Times. p. 31.
  38. ^ George Pipal (March 9, 1976). "Hartman Troupe Presents 'Joan' In Modern Vein". The Bridgeport Telegram. p. 9 (via Newspapers.com).
  39. ^ Mel Gussow (March 5, 1977). "'Salesman' Given in Stamford". The New York Times. p. 16.
  40. ^ "Robert Verberkmoes". IMDB.com.
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