News from Buxton International Festival
It's always an exciting moment to see a set design come together. The whole crew were thrilled to receive a delivery of the props and costumes for Donizetti's Viva La Diva from Saltzburg State Theatre last week.
A giant blue head, elaborate costumes and a 3 foot replica of the planet Jupiter arrived all the way from Austria and were met at the Longcliffe’s Brassington site by crew from Buxton Opera House and Buxton International Festival. These items were then transferred into containers which were kindly donated to the Festival by supporters Derek Raphael and Bill and Sue Tyson.
“Buxton Festival has no storage space of its own, so we are immensely grateful to Longcliffe for allowing us to store our equipment on their site” explains Michael Williams. “Longcliffe came to our rescue two years ago and donated the space, before that many useful props were ending up in landfill. We now have a growing collection of items that we are looking forward to unpacking and re-purposing for the 2021 Buxton International Festival.”
The costumes are being safely stored at Buxton Opera House ready for their grand unveiling. The Festival Team can't wait to share the full production with you!
Now that you've caught a glimpse of the set, it's time to find out more about the designer! In this interview, Michael Williams speaks to Yannis Thavoris about his inspirations for the Viva La Diva aesthetic and finds out more about his career in opera.