Since graduating from BA (Hons) Production Design for Stage and Screen at The Northern School of Art in 2018, Hannah Postlethwaite has built the career she dreamed of as a set designer, specialising in opera. Her work has taken her from her first opera design as a student to major productions at some of the world’s leading opera houses.
Hannah designed her first opera, La Bohème, as her final project during her third year at The Northern School of Art. Since graduating, she has gone on to design several large-scale operas internationally, including Wagner’s Ring Cycle at Teatro alla Scala in Milan and Maria Stuarda at Teatro Real in Madrid.
Her work demonstrates the scale and ambition that can be achieved through a career in set design, with her practice focused on creating the visual worlds in which opera is performed. Working on large-scale productions brings together design, storytelling and the practical demands of creating sets for some of the world’s most prestigious opera stages.
Hannah’s international portfolio continues to grow, with projects including a production of Wagner’s Tannhäuser for Opera Australia, scheduled to open in autumn 2027. The production adds to a growing body of work that has established Hannah as an international set designer working at the highest levels of opera.
From designing La Bohème as her final-year project to creating sets for major international opera houses, Hannah’s career demonstrates how a specialist education in set design can provide a pathway into an exciting and highly creative international industry.
Website: www.hannahpostlethwaite.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hannahpostlethwaite
Opera Base: www.operabase.com/hannah-postlethwaite-a2163097/en