Madama Butterfly
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
My concept for this design was that the world of the production have the look and feel of a beautiful, intricate, mechanized toy. Vibrant colors, large scale and heavily skewed perspective help envelope the characters in a world that is first seen as whimsical and playful but becomes a place of captivity. This is a direct reference to the child-like joy and faith that Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly herself) finds in the American Captain Pinkerton and desperately clings to as she awaits his return.
As such, the design would not only provide a visual reference for the action and lyric, but also interact with Cio-Cio San and comment on her emotional progression throughout the opera, from a carefree world full of joy to a distorted world where she can no longer bear to live.
My concept for this design was that the world of the production have the look and feel of a beautiful, intricate, mechanized toy. Vibrant colors, large scale and heavily skewed perspective help envelope the characters in a world that is first seen as whimsical and playful but becomes a place of captivity. This is a direct reference to the child-like joy and faith that Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly herself) finds in the American Captain Pinkerton and desperately clings to as she awaits his return.
As such, the design would not only provide a visual reference for the action and lyric, but also interact with Cio-Cio San and comment on her emotional progression throughout the opera, from a carefree world full of joy to a distorted world where she can no longer bear to live.
