Born in Ireland, Conor studied theatre design in London and gained an MA in scenography in Holland. Opera designs include Alceste (Lisbon), Tristan und Isolde (Hannover), Elektra (Gothenburg), Orphée et Eurydice (Royal Opera House and La Scala, Milan), Lohengrin (Royal Swedish Opera) and Die Zauberflöte (Korea National Opera). Theatre works includes The Government Inspector and The Crucible (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Birthday Party and Juno & the Paycock (Bristol Old Vic) and Richard III (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Designs for dance include Tomorrow (Rambert), The Four Seasons (Birmingham Royal Ballet) and musicals include Propaganda (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), West Side Story (South Africa) and Chicago (Braunschweig). At WSD2013, he was awarded for ‘exceptional achievement across all categories’. At WSD2017, his designs for Orphée et Eurydice also received the bronze award for ‘Performance Design’. He was awarded ‘Best Set Design’ for West Side Story at the 2018 Naledi Theatre Awards in South Africa.

​

Production Title: Prince Hodong

 

Role: Set and costume designer

 

Production  Response

Prince Hodong was the first opera produced by Korea National Opera, back in 1962. This production was commissioned to celebrate the company’s sixtieth anniversary in 2022. The story, set in the ancient Goguryeo dynasty, is well known in Korea and has been the subject of several films, TV dramas and ballets. Most of these adaptations created a semi-historical staging with traditional costumes. To try to create a fresh perspective on this ancient tale, while influenced by historical reference, the design of both set and costumes was more conceptual than historically accurate. The aim was to enable a wider interpretation of this universal story about power, corruption and love transcending borders. To ensure safety during the Covid-19 pandemic the design communication was via a 3D digital model in virtual meetings with the director. To reduce the production’s carbon footprint we used recyclable elements for the construction of the set and natural fabrics for the costumes.

 

Year: March 2022

Location/Venue: Haeoreum Grand Theater, National Theatre of Korea, Seoul.

 

Credits

Company: Korea National Opera

Composer: Il-nam Chang

Director​: Han Seung Won

Lighting designer: Joowon Lee

Photographer: Image 1, Conor Murphy. Image 2, Korea National Opera