Ralph Koltai (1924–2018). German-born British theatre designer and sculptor

Most noted for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company where he was associate designer, Ralph Koltai was a refugee from Nazi Germany who studied at Epsom School of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Heavily influenced by the work of Berthold Brecht and Vsevolod Meyerhold, he designed extensively for theatre, opera and musical theatre, often in highly sculptural forms. He worked closely with choreographer Norman Morrice at Ballet Rambert throughout the late 1950s and 1960s on such works as Two Brothers, Hazaña, A Place in the Desert, Conflicts, The Travellers and Cul de Sac. He later collaborated with Christopher Bruce on Cruel Garden and designed the elaborate sets for David Bintley’s production of The Planets for The Royal Ballet. He became head of Theatre Design at Central School of Art in 1965.