The 2022 TDF/Irene Sharaff Artisan Award goes to visual artist Michael Curry for his outstanding scenic designs, puppetry, and performance effects in a career spanning more than 30 years. Highlights include Disney's The Lion King on Broadway, the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Met Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and other large-scale spectacles. His most recent project is Awakening, the new show which opens in November 2022 at The Wynn in Las Vegas, for which he wears two hats: producer and character designer.
Live Design chatted with Curry on the eve of the Sharaff Awards presentation in New York City, October 7, 2022.
Live Design: Can you talk a little about the early days of your career? What did you want to be when you grew up? What led you to such magnificent, artistic puppetry and "expandables" such as the fabulous flowers at the end of Le Reve...
Michael Curry: I grew up in a small logging community in Oregon. We were an isolated faith-healing branch of Baptist Christians who shunned worldly influence. Incredibly hard working, inventive people who built everything they needed and were self-sufficient by necessity. In the late 60s, hippies moved in and changed my life. In and around me were mysterious people playing music, making crafts, and opening my young eyes.
I was exposed to art and culture secretly as I infiltrated their ranks. As a young teenage boy in rural Oregon I started drawing, sculpting, and have never stopped. My family didn’t know what to make of me, but I’ve always considered myself an artist. It has been my calling. This early exposure to hardworking woodworkers, builders, farmers ,and self-reliance gave me a head start in the designs and inventions we use daily in my studios work.
The current “makers revolution” we are seeing among our younger generation is refreshing and a needed factor in our industry. I consider myself extremely fortunate to form my career, half in the analog age and half in the digital age. Both sets of tools work well together if used intelligently.
My role in live entertainment has evolved partly because of my voracious appetite for discovery. In my studio we study materials and methods constantly. Our long-term goal is to improve performance through improved stagecraft. As an example, our introduction of super-lightweight composites such as carbon fiber has benefited countless scenic and costume elements.
I get a genuine thrill inventing the methods needed for complex staging and performance.
Decades ago, I decided to focus on live entertainment only. I could see how important it was to become in the future, knowing digital life would surround us. It was a choice I’m proud of today.
LD: How do you collaborate with directors on the concepts for your creations? With the people that build them, and ultimately wear or manipulate them?
MC: My role with directors and other creators is both simple and complicated. I like to play an early role as an engine that allows complete freedom of thought, unrestricted by physics, gravity, or budget. My dual skill set as an expert engineer of any material and my background as a visual artist helps me greatly at the conference table or in the shops.
I often work as a guide for directors navigating and balancing dramaturgy and reality. I perform the same role with the actual performers, often guiding their natural skills into the inventive new worlds and techniques we employ. These journeys into physical and imaginative solutions are the favorite aspects of my work.
LD: What or who were your artistic influences?
MC: I come from fine arts, so my influences are often not entertainment artists, but more likely Picasso or Da Vinci. I’ve had the great fortune to work with today’s leading directors, composers, and creative teams. My shows with Julie Taymor and Robert Lepage are notable because of the visionary goals of these directors require everything and more.
LD: What's next for you?
MC: My current role in the industry has evolved into an overarching blend of producer, designer, builder, and consultant. My 40 years of experience has allowed insight into probable outcomes as we have our first brainstorming meetings on any project. Of course, these first brainstorming meeting are my favorite moments. Anything is possible at that early point!
My company in Oregon is filled with 50 longtime geniuses who are the backbone of my work. This incredible team allows me to really enjoy these years where experience and creativity can join together. We are looking forward to continuing to provide innovation and exciting stagecraft for the industry.
The live entertainment world is at a great pivotal moment, and it has every reason to become increasingly impactful and integrated into our evolving society. I’m excited to be in the game at this time in our history,
