In an early meeting about the [Bard College production of “Oklahoma!”], “John reached into one of the drawers in his studio and pulled some sparkly fringe, a miniature version of the stuff you see hanging over used-car lots, and asked, ‘What if we hung this over the space?,” Mr. Fish said in an email. “That ‘what if’ was key to John’s creative process.”
July 18, 2025
"More than anyone I know, his approach to work and life was Socratic. Questions meant so much to him; he was suspicious of answers, certainly easy ones."
Said the opera director Daniel Fish, quoted in "John Conklin, Designer of Fantastical Opera Sets, Dies at 88/Realizing a childhood dream, he created scenery that was highly conceptual yet playful for the Glimmerglass Festival, New York City Opera and other companies" (NYT).
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4 comments:
"(H)is approach to work and life was Socratic." So, like a law professor, but with style and flair! May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
One is left to wonder how suspicious Mr. Conklin was of grotesque exaggeration.
I'm not a big play goer, but those sets look pretty cool. Especially the pointillist painting. What's up with Mary giving birth to Jesus as he dies?
Gosh all hemlock.
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