Statement
With Opera, I like to learn all I can from the composer about the emotional arc and dynamics of the piece. Design is, in a sense, answering the question “What does that score look like?” Since a score has very specific information for each beat, I want to spend as much time hearing it while breaking down the text of the libretto like I would any script. Opera needs healthy singers’ voices, so we can assume that stage time is especially precious and good planning is rewarded. Many of my favorite opera directors to work with are very good at this planning, which is great for designers.
While Opera may be known for scale and spectacle, I find the chance to work with the added information of knowing, from the score, what each moment will sound like, with well prepared collaborators, is what kept me coming back to opera.
The Mother of Us All by Virgil Thompson, libretto by Gertrude Stein, directed by Ed Berkeley. Juilliard