I Capuleti el Montecchi by Bellini at Spoletto

Spoletto is one of America’s leading Arts Festivals and this production allowed scope for the development of an unusual and novel design. My approach was highly experimental and extended beyond the normal constraints of designing a set. It sought to establish an entirely contemporary context in an adventurous production collaborating particularly with the director and lighting director. The design extended to modifications to the whole theatre auditorium. The aim was to interpret the opera in a way that would relate to a young audience. This involved reviewing aspects of the structure and narrative of the opera, an approach that went creatively beyond interpretation of Belini’s rarely staged work.

The design took an innovative approach to the architecture of the auditorium which was not initially designed to present lyric opera. This involved substantial but temporary changes: increasing the stage area with steel platforms joining the stage and the balcony level of the theatre. The demands of this project challenged the boundaries of what constitutes 'normal' theatre design to include civil engineering interventions within the traditional audience 'space'.

The work received national and international press coverage.