Set design for The Sleeping Beauty (Спящая красавица), a ballet in a prologue and three acts to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
This reimagined production of The Sleeping Beauty embraces a modern minimalism that enriches the ballet's timeless narrative and Tchaikovsky's lush score with fresh visual intimacy. In keeping with the ballet's classic roots, the design incorporates subtle historical influences that evoke elegance and grandeur, distilled into a clean and structured aesthetic.
This project was developed during my studies in set design at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australia.
My vision for The Sleeping Beauty combines a contemporary aesthetic with a subtle nod to historical opulence. The minimalist approach to beauty creates an elegant, restrained backdrop that allows the narrative to breathe, focusing on simplicity to amplify dramatic effect. Colour is employed as a narrative tool, with soft gradients and carefully chosen hues that evolve across scenes to evoke shifting moods and the passage of time. The play of light and shadow is crucial, enhancing the dreamlike quality of the piece and creating depth within the minimalist setting. This interplay will cast silhouettes and unveil hidden details, contributing to an atmosphere that feels both ethereal and timeless.
Prologue: The Palace of King Florestan
The palace is imagined as a sophisticated yet understated setting, with clean architectural lines and rich but muted tones. Reflective surfaces, such as mirrored panels, evoke grandeur without overwhelming the minimalist aesthetic. Colour gradients shift from warm golds to soft pinks as the royal court celebrates Princess Aurora’s birth, signifying prosperity and harmony. The set is designed to adapt fluidly to the changing moods, with lighting shaping space and allowing elements to transform from joyous celebration to the dark curse of Carabosse.
The palace is imagined as a sophisticated yet understated setting, with clean architectural lines and rich but muted tones. Reflective surfaces, such as mirrored panels, evoke grandeur without overwhelming the minimalist aesthetic. Colour gradients shift from warm golds to soft pinks as the royal court celebrates Princess Aurora’s birth, signifying prosperity and harmony. The set is designed to adapt fluidly to the changing moods, with lighting shaping space and allowing elements to transform from joyous celebration to the dark curse of Carabosse.
Act I: The Gardens of the Royal Palace
The scene unfolds in a serene, dreamlike garden at the Royal Palace. Using minimal set pieces, such as stylized, abstracted tree forms and flowing fabric that suggests soft movement, the landscape feels otherworldly. Gentle gradients in lighting, from deep garden greens to twilight blues, create a magical atmosphere. Strategic use of shadows and projections provides depth and emphasizes the narrative’s mystical nature, hinting at both wonder and latent danger.
The scene unfolds in a serene, dreamlike garden at the Royal Palace. Using minimal set pieces, such as stylized, abstracted tree forms and flowing fabric that suggests soft movement, the landscape feels otherworldly. Gentle gradients in lighting, from deep garden greens to twilight blues, create a magical atmosphere. Strategic use of shadows and projections provides depth and emphasizes the narrative’s mystical nature, hinting at both wonder and latent danger.
Act II: The Enchanted Forest
One hundred years pass, and the forest has grown dense and mysterious. The set becomes progressively layered, with transparent fabric screens and soft light gradients that transition from deep greens to soft grays and misty whites. Shadows play across these screens to create the impression of dense foliage and looming shapes, enhancing the forest’s impenetrable quality and the passage of time. These veiled layers create depth and invite the audience into an enchanted dreamscape as Prince Désiré begins his search for Aurora.
One hundred years pass, and the forest has grown dense and mysterious. The set becomes progressively layered, with transparent fabric screens and soft light gradients that transition from deep greens to soft grays and misty whites. Shadows play across these screens to create the impression of dense foliage and looming shapes, enhancing the forest’s impenetrable quality and the passage of time. These veiled layers create depth and invite the audience into an enchanted dreamscape as Prince Désiré begins his search for Aurora.
Act III: Aurora’s Awakening and the Royal Wedding
The final act features a return to the palace, reimagined in lighter, softer tones with subtle touches of opulence—soft golds, whites, and pastel hues that signify rebirth and new beginnings. The minimalist design lends a sense of spaciousness and serenity, with selective highlights in lighting and reflective surfaces to suggest splendor without excessive ornamentation. As the story culminates, lighting enhances the warmth and joy of the royal wedding, creating a radiant, timeless ambiance.
The final act features a return to the palace, reimagined in lighter, softer tones with subtle touches of opulence—soft golds, whites, and pastel hues that signify rebirth and new beginnings. The minimalist design lends a sense of spaciousness and serenity, with selective highlights in lighting and reflective surfaces to suggest splendor without excessive ornamentation. As the story culminates, lighting enhances the warmth and joy of the royal wedding, creating a radiant, timeless ambiance.
Behind the scenes
