French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch has created the set for Theatre Basel's production of Verdi's Rigoletto in Switzerland, which features a curvilinear staircase that crosses the full width of the stage.
Within the curving staircase, Yovanovitch installed moving, curved walls to create different spaces for the performers. Along the edges, simple doorways and windows punctuate the smooth walls.
Moveable, curved walls echo the shape of the curvilinear staircase that dominates the set              
Yovanovitch, an opera enthusiast who usually works in residential interior and furniture design, mixed elements of his own style with those of French scenographer Richard Peduzzi.
The intention was for the scenography to provide a neutral backdrop for Rigoletto's complex plot. Furniture pieces created by Yovanovitch were used as props
"I wanted to stick with contemporary, bold colours and materials to complement the level of drama unfolding with the show and also to distinguish one act from the next," Yovanovitch told Dezeen.
"The set needs to be functional and adaptive to the change in acts, whereas my residential or furniture design is more about designing for a specific, unchanging space."
Coloured lighting was used to highlight dramatic moments and change the mood of the set
"Opera allows me to be excessive, to dream and to feel strong emotions," he continued.
It was nice to work on a design which emphasized the dramatic nature of...