Q and A with Anna Kelsey - Designer of OperaCocktail

Anna Kelsey is a theatre designer, and designed the costume and set for Opera Cocktail.

Can you describe the design aesthetic of Opera Cocktail?

The design is intended to communicate a bright, summery day in a place such as a park or lakeside.  It’s not an overly curated design: many of the items are brought on stage by the cast.  The painting that’s on an easel is also helpful in suggesting the context of the story, and even gives a hint of what will happen during the performance!

How does OperaCocktail provide the opportunity for you to be creative?

As well as the set and costumes, we’ve even created ideas for real cocktails such as the Violetta Martini (named after the female protagonist of La Traviata!) and the Donizetti Daquiri.  Design is a wide ranging skill and we’ve had lots of opportunities to use our imaginations and have some fun!

What was your route into being a designer?

At school I liked making things, and took subjects such as Textiles and Art as A Level subjects.  I wasn’t necessarily thinking of theatre design as a career - I did like making costumes though and this is what led to the route I took after I’d looked at a range of courses.  I studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and it was a very varied course. We explored different skill sets and all of those then worked towards being a costume and set designer. In the third year of the course I designed for a production of The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare: this was in conjunction with the actors on the acting course at the college.

What advice can you give to aspiring designers who want to work in theatre?

A lot of my early career involved saying ‘yes’ to various projects - this has included puppetry with the National Theatre of Wales, and working as an assistant to other designers. It’s a slow building career as you gain more and more experience. 

It’s important that you pursue what you enjoy doing, and that you give yourself the practical skills to do it. Show enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.  

One of the things that I found hardest was introducing myself to people I didn’t know! I realised, though, that just breaking the ice by saying “Hi! I’m Anna!” naturally started a conversation and you never know where that might lead.

Imagery created by Anna Kelsey as part of the staging of OperaCocktail