Rae Smith
Rae Smith is a British set and costume designer who has worked frequently in theatre and Live Art. Her designs can be seen in the Opera Rigoletto which received a
Theatre
Smith has often worked at the
In the
Smith also worked as set designer on War Horse, a stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel about a horse on the Western Front of the First World War. To prepare for the role Smith spent weeks pretending to be a British Army captain, in a manner similar to that of method acting.[3] As part of the process she reviewed personal recollections, photographs and archives from the period, held at the Imperial War Museum. Smith's set for the play was praised for its dynamism. A key theme was the use of the backdrop as a giant sheet of paper from one of the characters sketchbooks, onto which she projected images that might have been drawn by the character.[3] The set design won Smith an Olivier, Tony, Evening Standard, Toronto Critics and Drama Desk Special Awards.[2][1]
Opera and ballet
Smith has also worked on operas including The Marriage of Figaro at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Pelléas and Mélisande for the Scottish Opera, Benvenuto Cellini for the English National Opera, and Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci for the Metropolitan Opera, New York.[1] Smith's set for Der Ring des Nibelungen for the Opéra national du Rhin won a Grand Prix for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.[2]
Smith has also worked in ballet, including Dance: The Tempest and The Prince of the Pagodas at the Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Rite of Spring and Petrushka for the Fabulous Beast company.[1][2]