DAN POTRA Production Designer
Dan is a NIDA-graduate Production designer across the full spectrum of the arts, designing sets, costumes, concepts and animation for opera, theatre, large scale events, dance and film. Dan has received six Helpmann Award nominations for his design work in opera and theatre in Australia of which he has won three, including Best Scenic Design in 2008 for DEAD MAN WALKING at the State Theatre in Sydney.
Dan has designed many large scale sporting and cultural events, including the now famous DEEP SEA DREAMING and TIN SYMPHONY segments in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, 2018 Gold Coast and 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, as well as the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Dan also completed production design for the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2008 opening and closing ceremonies of the Liverpool European Capital of Culture as well as other major work in the Middle East, China and Europe.
Dan designed the costumes and projections for the Global Creatures / Dreamworks US stage adaptation of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, a new opera by Phillip Glass A PERFECT AMERICAN, Opening Ceremony for the PNG Pacific Games, DOUBLE IT, a circus show directed by Shi Zheng Chen in China.
Dan has been in charge of the design for the OA Handa Opera productions of TURANDOT and LA BOHEME as well as 8TH WONDER on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
International opera and theatre productions include THE PORTRAIT for Opera North and Opera de Lorraine, IDOMENEO directed by Graeme Vicks at Coruna Festival in Spain, CYRANO DE BERGERAC for the National Theatre of Greece, SWEENEY TODD at Southbank London, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE for Houston Grand Opera, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and NORMA for St Gallen Opera in Switzerland, LA BOHEME at Staatsopera in Berlin, HOFFMANS ADVENTURE with Folkoperan in Sweden and DRACULA for the Royal Swedish Opera.
Early last year Dan completed designs for productions of THE MISANTHROPE (Bell Shakespeare), THE ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN and SCROOGE THE MUSICAL (Music Hall in Belgium).
Recently he designed the highly acclaimed production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Malmo Opera) , BRETT WHITELY (Opera Australia) and a new musical commission for Wuhan National Theatre NINE COLOUR DEER .
Dan also regularly teaches design studio projects at NIDA , UTS, Zurich Art Institute, Stockholm and China.
Dan is currently working on directing and designing the 2020 MANCHESTER DAY PARADE , SONGS OF NATURE for Transparant Opera Antwerp and designing the new Circa project SHAUN THE SHEEP.
