Missouri State University’s Michelle Harvey traveled to Aspen, Colorado, in August to design the sets for “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Harvey is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“Le Nozze di Figaro,” a comic opera in four acts by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was staged in Aspen’s 135-year-old Wheeler Opera House.

Harvey explained that she first learned about the Aspen opportunity after production manager Matt Grevan asked her to submit her portfolio. This was then shared with the festival’s artistic director and production director, and Harvey was selected for the position.

Harvey previously worked with Grevan at the Dallas Children’s Theater, and he was her former student at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Project required multiple settings

The production team began collaborating in March 2024, with Harvey working alongside Grevan, director Sara Erde and other designers. Erde is a regular choreographer and director for the Met in New York City.

The team decided to set the opera in 1930s Spain during the Second Spanish Republic.

“The goal was to portray the opulent estate of Count Almaviva in the Andalusian countryside outside of Seville,” Harvey said. “The director’s concept involved a set that could disguise itself the same way the characters do, using transformations and rotations to create multiple settings.”

However, the limited stage space at the opera house caused design challenges.

“The stage had no fly loft and limited wing space, so moving set pieces was restricted,” Harvey said. [Read more…] about MSU’s Michelle Harvey designs sets for “Le Nozze di Figaro”