Director Claire van Kampen dies aged 71 on birthday of her husband Mark Rylance
A multi-talented musician and theatre director has died aged 71 - on the 65th birthday of her husband.
Claire van Kampen, who was married to the actor Mark Rylance, had been diagnosed with cancer. She died in the German town of Kassel surrounded by her family on Saturday morning, a statement shared on behalf of Sir Mark and her daughter Juliet confirmed.
Van Kampen was a concert pianist, composer, playwright, theatre director and worked in various roles at Shakespeare’s Globe for around 20 years.
She was also described as “one of the funniest and (most) inspiring women we have ever known”, in the statement.
It added: “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.”
Her theatre credits include composing the music for the 1989 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet starring Sir Mark, whom she married that same year.
Later in her career she created original scores for Broadway productions of 2000’s True West, 2008’s Boeing-Boeing and 2010 comedy La Bete, as well as adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Richard III.
Van Kampen also wrote the play Farinelli And The King which saw Sir Mark star as King Philippe V of Spain and was nominated for several Olivier Awards including best new play, and a number of Tony Awards.
Van Kampen trained at the Royal College of Music in London where she studied music theory and piano, specialising in the performance of 20th century music. She went on to have a career as a composer and performer, writing and playing for theatre, radio, television and film soundtracks and the concert hall.
In 1986, she began her theatre career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and with the Royal National Theatre the following year.
She served as artistic associate at Shakespeare’s Globe from 1996 to 2006 when Sir Mark was the artistic director.
Van Kampen later acted as a musical consultant and resident composer to the subsequent artistic director Dominic Dromgoole from 2007 to 2015. She was also a creative associate of the prestigious Old Vic theatre in London.
Van Kampen was previously married to architect Christopher van Kampen, with whom she had two daughters Juliet and Nataasha. Her youngest daughter Nataasha, a filmmaker, died aged 28 in 2012 after suffering a brain haemorrhage.