6 FT.COM/MAGAZINEMARCH 7/
SIMONREGAN‘Themomentwhenallthe
costumescomeonstage–
it’sthepuresthappiness’
INVENTORYJOHNMACFARLANE,THEATRE DESIGNERANDARTISTJohnMacfarlane,71,isan
internationalcostumeand
setdesignerforoperaand
ballet.Hehasworkedwith
companiessuchastheRoyal
Ballet,theWelshNationalOpera
andtheMetropolitanOperain
NewYork.In2019,hereceived
thescenographer’s laureateat
theBenoisdelaDanseawards.
Hisartworkcanbefoundin
museumsacrosstheworld.Whatwasyourchildhood
orearliestambition?
PrettywellwhatIdonow.Mydad,
whopassedawaywhenIwasabout
seven,wasapainterandarchitect,
andhelpedmemaketinytheatres
outofemptywoodenmatchboxes,
withminiaturecurtainsanddrops.
Privateschoolorstateschool?
Universityorstraightintowork?
State:HillheadHighSchoolin
Glasgow. Myeducation,andmylife,
startedatGlasgowSchoolofArt.IwonaLeverhulmetravelling
scholarship,wenttoItaly,thengot
anArtsCouncilbursary.Andthen
aHamburgShakespearePrize–
thewinnercouldpassonasmaller
prizetosomeonewhowasup-and-
coming,and[theatreandfilm
director]PeterBrookpassedhisto
me.Itledtomyfirstballetdesign
andfirstexhibition–thepoint
whereeverythingreallystarted.
Whowasorstillisyourmentor?
RobertStewartattheGlasgow
SchoolofArt.Ispecialisedin
textiledesignbecauseofhim.
Hetaughtmethatyoucanmove
betweendisciplines–ahuge
lesson.Onopeningnights, Ithink:
“IwishBobcouldseethis.”
Howphysicallyfitareyou?
Reasonably. My staminais
verygood.
Ambitionortalent:whichmatters
moretosuccess?
Talent–withthedisciplinetouseit.
Luckalsoplaysahugepart.Howpoliticallycommitted
areyou?
Iusedtobe.Sadly, I’ve become
morecynical,anddepressedby
thecorrupt,self-serving,dishonest
behaviourofpoliticians.
Whatwouldyouliketoownthat
youdon’tcurrentlypossess?
IownaverybeautifulYamaha
grandpianobutcan’tshakethe
desiretoownahand-builtSteinway.
What’syourbiggestextravagance?
Business-classtravel.Butthathas
becomeanessential.My downfall
isbeautifulwatchesandbeautiful
leatherbagsandluggage.
Inwhatplaceareyouhappiest?
InmystudioathomeintheBlack
Mountains.Also, whenyou’ve
workedonaproduction,whichcan
beforovertwoyears,themoment
whenallthecostumescomeon
stage,it’slit,youseeitalltogether
forthefirsttime–it’sthepurest
happiness.It’slikeahuge,moving
painting.Ihaveendedupintears.Whatambitionsdoyoustillhave?
To befreeoftheScottish
Presbyterianneedtoalwaysbe
working.I’dliketolearntobecalm
andnotalwayshave aschedule.
Whatdrivesyouon?
Thebeliefthatsomewhereround
thecorneristheperfectdrawing.
Whatisthegreatestachievement
ofyourlifesofar?
Stillbeinghere–beingableand
allowedtodowhatIlove.Sharing
mylifewithalovingpartner.
Whatdoyoufindmostirritating
inotherpeople?
Loudvoicesandbehaviourin
publicspaces.
Ifyour20-year-oldselfcouldsee
younow,whatwouldhethink?
Hewouldbeprettyhappy. Iwas
passionateaboutoperaandballet.
IfantasisedaboutworkinginCovent
Garden,Vienna,SanFrancisco–and
thisiswhatIdo. He’d beevenmore
pleasedthatIliveinthecountry.
WhenIwasachild,visitingAuntie
PegonherfarminPerthshirewas
likegoingtoheaven.Iwouldcryall
thewaybacktoGlasgow. Thoughhe
wouldbequiteshockedwiththe
ravagesofhowyoulookat71.
Whichobjectthatyou’velostdo
youwishyoustillhad?
Ifitwere apersonratherthan
object,thisanswerwouldbeavery
longone.Ican’t thinkofanyobject
thatcouldn’t simplybereplaced.
Whatisthegreatestchallenge
ofourtime?
Climatechange.Notjusttryingto
tackleit,butalsopersuadingall
countriesthatitappliestothem.
Doyoubelieveinanafterlife?
No,I’llhappilygobacktotheearth.
Ifyouhadtorateyoursatisfaction
withyourlifesofar, outof10,
whatwouldyouscore?
Nineandahalf.There’snosuch
thingasaperfectscore.Interview by Hester Lacey.
John Macfarlanedesignedthe set and
costumes for “Tosca” (April11) and
“Maria Stuarda”(May9), which will
be broadcast internationallyfrom
TheMet: LiveinHD; metopera.org