Irena Greifová

Biography

Irena Greifová was born in 1939 in Slovakia, where she graduated from the University of Fine Arts. She continued her studies at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts in the sculpture class of Prof. Jan Lauda (1958-61). She went on to hone her technique privately under the tutelage of the artists Adolf Wenig, Vladimír Nývlt and Michael Romberg. Since 1962 she has collaborated as a costume designer both with Czech and foreign theatres, and to date has worked on more than two hundred productions. From 1979 to 1990 she taught costume design at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and subsequently, between 1990 and 1994, she worked as a costume designer for the National Theatre. Here she created costumes for, among other productions, Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte (1990), which has become part of the repertory of the State Opera Prague. With the stage director Ivan Rajmont she cooperated on Shakespeare’s play As You Like It (1991), Chekhov’s drama Uncle Vanya (1990), Hilbert’s Falkenštejn (1992), Janáček’s opera The Makropulos Affair (1993), Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters (1994), etc. She has collaborated over the long term with the stage director Petr Novotný, with whom she created Smetana’s opera Libuše for the National Theatre (1995), on musical and operetta productions, primarily for the Karlín Music Theatre. These include, for instance, Mancini’s Victor/Victoria (2000), Friml’s Rose Marie (1999), Herman’s Hello, Dolly! (1996), Kander’s Zorba (1999). Other artists she has collaborated with include the directors Jan Grossman, Jan Kačer, Evžen Sokolovský, Lída Engelová, Jaroslav Chundela. Noteworthy too is her work for film and television. She has designed costumes for the films Světáci (Dandies, 1969), Petrolejové lampy (Oil Lamps, 1971), Noc na Karlštejně (Night on Karlštejn, 1974), Panna a netvor (The Beauty and the Beast, 1979), Tři veteráni (Three Veterans, 1983), Smrt krásných srnců (Death of the Beautiful Deer, 1986), Díky za každé nové ráno (Thanks for Every New Morning, 1993), Jezerní královna (The Lake Queen, 1997), and many others. Update: 2000