John worked as an Assistant Construction Draughtsperson on the Royal Opera House’s 2018 production of Hansel and Gretel, directed and designed by Antony McDonald.
His work focused principally on the Woodcutter’s Cottage and Forest scenes, developing technical construction information for scenic elements that combined traditional stage construction with the production’s distinctive illustrative visual style.
The Woodcutter’s Cottage featured an open-fronted structure with a self-supporting ceiling, requiring the scenery to maintain the appearance of a complete domestic interior whilst remaining practical for construction and stage use.
For the Forest sequence, a series of individually positioned scenic trees combined with painted backgrounds and flown elements to create depth, pathways and performance areas across the stage. John’s drawings helped translate these scenic compositions into buildable elements while maintaining the perspective and visual relationships established by the design.
Working within the Royal Opera House construction department, the project provided further experience in developing detailed scenic construction information for a large-scale repertory production.
- Director and Designer – Antony McDonald
- Head of Construction – Mark Pursey
- Lead Draughtsperson – Nathan James
His gingerbread house is modelled on the house in Hitchcock’s Psycho
Michael Church, The Independent
