Episode 5 – Michael Gianfrancesco – Set Design

Michael’s set and costume designs for theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance have been seen across Canada, in Europe and the US. His multifaceted designs include period, contemporary, conceptual and site-specific work. He has worked in repertory with the Stratford Festival for 20 seasons and the Shaw Festival for 10 seasons.

 Michael has designed productions for Canadian Opera Company, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Opera Atelier, Canadian Stage Company, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre, Centaur Theatre, Theatre Calgary, The Grand Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Against the Grain, Mirvish Productions, The Segal Centre, Studio 180, Young People’s Theatre and Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, among others. 

Some recent productions include set & costumes for the world premiere of Emma Bovary at National Ballet of Canada, sets for La Dame aux Camélias at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, sets for Richard II and Chicago at the Stratford Festival, set & costumes for Jasper at the off-broadway Signature Theatre in New York City, the costumes for Ricciardo e Zoraide at the Rossini Festival in Italy and Frame By Frame created by Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté with Ex Machina and the National Ballet of Canada, and sets for the world premiere of the opera Hadrian by Rufus Wainwright and Daniel McIvor at Canadian Opera Company. 

Michael’s set design for Cabaret at the Shaw Festival was featured at the Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space in 2015. michaelgianfrancesco.com