Anne Curry, who has died of pulmonary fibrosis aged 66, was a theatre set and costume designer who used her beautiful illustrations to inspire students in theatre design.
Her costume drawings were admired across the globe, and have been exhibited at the National Theatre Tokyo, the V&A (where her drawings are also held in the Archive of Theatre), and at the Prague International Quadrennial. In 2016 her work was selected for the World Stage Design 2017 exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan. A large collection of her drawings is now held at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.
Born in Redditch, Worcestershire, Anne was the daughter of Michael Curry, an engineer, and his wife, Anne. She gained a first-class degree in theatre design at Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University), and during postgraduate study in the late 1970s at the Slade School of Fine Art in London she was awarded a Royal Society of Arts bursary, allowing her to undertake studies in early costume design in Italy.
Combining set and costume design throughout her career, she was initially resident designer at the Oldham Coliseum (1982-83), afterwards fulfilling the same role at the Palace theatre in Redditch (1983-84) and then at the Swan theatre in Worcester (1985-86).
Thereafter, as a freelancer, her work was used in a number of productions around the UK, including Dreams of San Francisco at the Bush theatre in London (1987-88) and Heartlanders at the Birmingham Repertory theatre (1989).
In the early 90s she added another string to her bow by becoming a lecturer on the theatre design degree course at Birmingham City University, where we became colleagues and friends. Later she played a pivotal role in developing the costume design and interpretation course at Nottingham Trent University, and over the years she took on visiting tutor roles at the London College of Fashion, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Birmingham City. She was also an external examiner for courses at the universities of Edinburgh, Bournemouth and Plymouth.
Anne was a quiet, private person with a small group of long-term friends. She had a kind and generous spirit, combined with an infectious sense of humour and an endearing giggle. Her Catholic faith sustained her throughout her difficult final years.