Isabella Bywater | Opera & Theatre Director & Designer

Isabella Bywater is an award winning designer and director for Opera and Theatre.

Isabella will be directing and designing Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs at the English National Opera. Premiere April 2023.

Her debut in 2013 as director/designer was Gounod’s Faust at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, conducted by Valery Gergiev, which opened to critical acclaim. She has since directed and designed Lucia di Lammermoor for Den Jyske Opera in Denmark, La Boheme for San Diego Opera in California, Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi for Den Norske Opera, Oslo and Suor Angelica also for Den Norske Opera.

She was nominated 2 Golden Mask Awards for best production design and best costume design and nominated a Golden Sofit Award for best scenography; winning the Golden Sofit Award for Best Opera Production of 2011 all for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Mariinsky, St Petersburg.

Isabella has designed sets and costumes for over 50 productions both in the UK and internationally. As a designer she has collaborated with many directors, including Jonathan Miller, with whom she worked for over 17 years. She is also a sculptor and studied philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.

Lucia Di Lammermoor at Danish National Opera

‘It was a thriller… a brilliant event – clear and inspiring’ John Chritiansen, JCKlassisk

‘A really great staging… a positive surprise… Five stars. *****’ Flensborg Avis, Rigmor Eybye

‘Grippling and moving. The mad scene was paralysing – violent, gentle, wild, despairing and dreamy, leading down several paths at once. An unexpected ecstasy. Four stars. ****” Gregers Dirckinck-Holmfeld

‘The performance of the famous mad scene was insane… it elevated Den Jyske Opera. Four stars. ****” Kristeligt Dagblad

‘A very compelling and gripping performance. Four stars. ****” Ole Staarup, Aarhus Stiftsidende

La Boheme at San Diego Opera

‘A wonderful verismo production designed and directed by Isabella Bywater’ David Gregson Opera West

Faust at the Mariinsky Theatre

‘ Isabella Bywater’s Faust at Mariinsky: fresh ideas, rich colours, musically responsive. Knocks out the Victorian stuffing ‘ Rupert Christiansen @TelegraphOpera

‘ Much to Bywater’s credit the director turned this sentimental opera (Faust) into a production that is more philosophical… toyed intelligently with the divine and the devilish ‘ St Petersburg Times

Productions Directed & Designed by Isabella Bywater

Suor Angelica Den Norske Opera Oslo 2019
Il Tabarro & Gianni Schicchi Den Norske Opera Oslo 2018
La Boheme San Diego California 2015
Lucia Di Lammermoor Jyske Opera 2014
Faust Mariinsky Theatre 2013

Productions Designed by Isabella Bywater

Idomeneo Stephen Medcalf Buxton Festival Opera
Don Pasquale Jonathan Miller Bilbao
Boheme Jonathan Miller Liceu Barcelona
La Traviata Claudia Solti Mariinsky St Petersburg
Aida Stephen Medcalf Royal Albert Hall London
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Claudia Solti Mariinsky St Petersburg
King Lear Jonathan Miller Northern Broadsides
Don Pasquale Jonathan Miller La Scala Milan
Rutherford & Sons Jonathan Miller Northern Broadsides
Don Pasquale Jonathan Miller ROH Covent Garden
La Boheme Jonathan Miller Cincinnati/ English National Opera
La Traviata Jonathan Miller Glimmerglass, Vancouver & New York City Opera
Fidelio Jonathan Miller Musikhuset Aarhus
Der Rosenkavalier Jonathan Miller New National Tokyo
The Cherry Orchard Jonathan Miller The Crucible Sheffield
Jenufa Jonathan Miller Glimmerglass
L’Elisir d’Amore Jonathan Miller English National Opera & New York City Opera
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail Stephen Medcalf Ancona, Cagliari & Palermo

La Clemenza Di Tito Jonathan Miller Opernhaus Zurich
Falstaff Jonathan Miller New National Tokyo
Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail Jonathan Miller Opernhaus Zurich
L’Elisir D’Amore Jonathan Miller Kungliga Stockholm
The Macropulos Case Knut Hendriksen Kungliga Stockholm
Eugene Onegin Jonathan Miller Santa Fe Opera & Seattle
Don Pasquale Jonathan Miller Teatro Comunale di Firenze
Ermione Jonathan Miller Santa Fe Opera
I Puritani Jonathan Miller Bayerische Staatsoper
Nabucco Jonathan Miller Opernhaus Zurich
Ezio Stephen Medcalf Theatre Des Champs-Elysees Paris
Cavalleria Rusticana Pagliacci Knut Hendriksen / Kungliga Stockholm
King Arthur Francisco Negrin Guildhall School of M&DKing
Of Mice & Men Dominic Cooke Nottingham Playhouse
The Flying Dutchman Keith Warner New Sussex Opera
Titus Andronicus Deborah Warner Royal Shakespeare Company
The Turn of the Screw Robert Carsen Britten Theatre London
Eugene Onegin Nicholas Hytner Jack Lyons Theatre London