Natalia Kitamikado is a polish-japanese designer whose practice ranges from product design to scenography and costume design in opera, theatre, musicals and dance. After studies in Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw she assisted a renown scenographer Boris Kudlička with whom she collaborated on numerous operas in 2012-19, such as: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle by Belà Bartòk, Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner, Salome by Richard Strauss, Powder Her Face by Thomas Adés (dir. Mariusz Treliński), Elektra by Richard Strauss (dir. Keith Warner), Norma by Bellini (dir. Tomo Sugao) and others. Many of theese productions have been staged internationally, including Metropolitan Opera, New York, La Monnaie, Brussels, Polish National Opera, State Opera Prague, San Francisco Opera.
After her first solo work in 2015 (Tennessee Williams Baby doll, directed by Barbara Wiśniewska, Teatr Studio, Warsaw) she continues creating visual spaces and costumes, most recent titles amongst them are: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cosi fan tutte directed by Jerzy Stuhr (Kraków Opera), Antonio Vivaldi Bajazet, directed by Krystian Lada (Theater an der Wien); Rodion Schedrin Lolita, directed by Slava Daubnerova ( State Theatre, Prague and Mariinsky Theatre, St.Petersburg); Sergey Prokofiev Love for Three Oranges directed by Radim Vizvary (National Theatre Prague); “Singin’ in the Rain” directed by Tadeusz Kabicz and “Dear Evan Hansen” directed by Paweł Szkotak (Musical Theatre Poznań); Open-air superproductions: Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi directed by Krystian Lada (Wrocław Opera) and The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner for Baltic Opera Festival. Parallelly to big-scale productions she works on experimental opera and dance projects with emerging artists and festivals, such as Nuit Blanche Brussels, Unknown, I live with you by Katarzyna Głowicka with The Airport Society; Opera Rara Festival, Vanitas/Cassandra/Just directed by Tomasz Cyz or Kreacje X, My song choreogaphed by Bartosz Zyśk or site-specific opera D’ARC in the Warsaw Uprising Museum
Together with Krystian Lada and Didzis Jaunzems, Natalia is a laureate of second prize at the RingAward 2020 competition for young opera directing and stage design teams.
Photo Michał Zajączkowski
