John worked as Lead Construction Draughtsman on the Royal Opera House’s 2019 production of Death in Venice, directed by David McVicar with set design by Vicki Mortimer.
The scenic design featured a series of portal headers and legs, with tapered columns moving across the stage to define and transform the performance space. The downstage portal legs were also required to open to reveal a large pair of louvred doors, creating a technically complex system of interconnected moving scenic elements.
John was responsible for developing the construction drawing package for the scenery, resolving the practical requirements of the moving portals, columns and architectural elements while maintaining the visual intent of the design.
An additional consideration was the production’s future transfer to Vienna, requiring elements of the scenery to be designed so that they could be broken down and adapted to suit a smaller stage.
The resulting technical information enabled the production’s architectural environment to move and transform throughout the performance whilst remaining practical to construct, operate, tour and reassemble.
- Director – David McVicar
- Designer – Vicki Mortimer
- Head of Construction – Mark Pursey
And so the backdrop to Vicki Mortimer’s set is mostly black as night, with scenes emerging out of darkness.
Erica Jeal, The Guardian
