Can you tell us about your role at Opera Holland Park?

I’m thrilled to be the Young Artist Director for Itch by Jonathan Dove this year. I’ll be working with the Young Artist singers, répétiteur and conductor to craft our own take on the staging, running alongside Stephen Barlow’s main production. I can’t wait to get started!  

You’ve previously worked as an Assistant Director with Opera Holland Park – what was something you learnt that you hope to take into your role as Young Artist Director? 

Last year I had the pleasure of assisting Martin Lloyd-Evans on his new production of Pagliacci, which was an amazing experience and hugely inspiring in lots of ways. I particularly learnt a huge amount from how Martin deep dives into text and music in the rehearsal room, uncovering the layers of meaning and emotion and supporting the singers in discovering their connection to the character and material. I hope I can bring some of this rigour and attention to detail into our version of Itch.

 What are you most looking forward to about this role?

The school matinees! Itch is about a teenager, and its story and music are so accessible – I can’t wait to see how young audiences react. More than anything, I’m excited to collaborate with the Young Artist team and explore what we can create together.  

 What has been your favourite memory with Opera Holland Park so far?

A favourite memory from working on Pagliacci was the first on stage technical rehearsals at OHP, seeing the set built, costumes appearing and the world of the show beginning to come fully to life. This moment of transition in the process, from rehearsal room to the stage, brings a new energy and anticipation to the whole company. I know that moment in the Itch rehearsals will be just as exciting, especially with Frankie Bradshaw’s incredible periodic table set!  

 Itch follows a fourteen-year-old obsessed with collecting elements from the Periodic Table. Do you have a strange or niche obsession like Itch? 

I tend to get completely immersed in the world of whatever show I’m working on—last year, it was the history of feminism and fascism in post-war Italy for Pagliacci. Now, with Itch, I’m deep into the periodic table… though I’m looking at it through a medium I can grasp a bit better: baking. I am currently consumed with the pursuit of the perfect choc chip cookie recipe—should you rest the dough? Caster or brown sugar? So many variables, so much taste testing.

 What’s the most rewarding part of being a director?

The thing I relish the most about directing is seeing an idea that started in my head transform into something even better through collaboration. I love seeing performers and creatives take an idea and push it further, transforming it into something unexpected and more powerful than I could have possibly imagined. There’s nothing more rewarding than being part of a team that lifts a story to its fullest potential.  

Interview by Holly Bancroft