Theatre News

Claire van Kampen has died aged 71

The news was confirmed in a statement by Mark and Juliet Rylance

Alex Wood

Alex Wood

| Nationwide |

18 January 2025

CVK
Claire van Kampen, photo supplied by Mark and Juliet Rylance

Famed composer, director, writer and musician Claire van Kampen has died aged 71.

The news was confirmed by van Kampen’s partner Mark Rylance and daughter Juliet Rylance.

Van Kampen’s plays include the hit Farinelli and the King, which opened at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse before transferring to the West End and Broadway.

She composed the music for a wealth of shows, including over 30 productions at Shakespeare’s Globe. She shared the 2007 Sam Wanamaker Award with Mark Rylance and theatrical designer Jenny Tiramani, while also composing music for plays like Days and Nights and Boeing-Boeing.

She served as a historical music advisor and arranger of Tudor music on the BBC TV series Wolf Hall, and directed Mark Rylance in shows like Nice Fish at St Ann’s Warehouse in New York City in 2016 and Othello at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Mark and Juliet Rylance said in a statement: “Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18 January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family. Wife of architect Christopher van Kampen and, later, actor Mark Rylance, Claire was mother of two girls with Christopher, Nataasha van Kampen and Juliet Rylance. 

“Concert pianist, composer, musical director at Shakespeare’s Globe for 20 years under Rylance and then Dominic Dromgoole, playwright, theatre director, she was also one of the funniest and inspiring women we have ever known. 

“Claire has died of cancer on Mark Rylance’s 65th birthday. Her youngest daughter having died in 2012, she leaves her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands, and countless beloved friends in England and America. 

“We thank her for imbuing our lives with her magic, music, laughter, and love. Ring the bell, sound the trumpets reverie, something is done, something is beginning. One of the great wise ones has passed.”

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