David Korins: The Set Designer

Michael Zwiebach on May 30, 2013

David Korins may be debuting at the San Francisco Opera with The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, but he is a high-profile designer in New York, having designed a number of Broadway shows including Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Chinglish (Drama Desk Nomination), and the Edge Theater Company’s Blackbird. He’s very attuned to creating an “environment” for the show, which is what he describes so interestingly here.

The Rabbit Hole of Time

Mark Adamo’s libretto poses an interesting challenge for the set designer in that both the ancient world of the first century, Christian Era, and our current time are simultaneously present. Here Korins describes how he and director Kevin Newhouse worked through that challenge.

The Rabbit Hole of Time on YouTube

Found Objects and Details

Every element in the show is something that is taken from the archaeological dig, and in this video, Korins tells the variety of interesting details and ideas that this unifying concept gave rise to.

Found Objects and Details on YouTube