CHARLES DAVIS

​Designer 

Charles is an award-winning set and costume designer for theatre, opera, dance and film.  A graduate of NIDA, Charles also studied architectural design at Monash University. 

Charles’ designs for opera include: RUSALKA set (Opera Conference), LA BOHEME (West Australian Opera and Opera Queensland), LA TRAVIATA (Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera, State Opera of South Australia); SEVEN DEADLY SINS & MAHOGONNY SONGSPIEL set design (Red Line Productions); MÉDÉE, ARTASERSE, THE CORONATION OF POPPEA (Pinchgut Opera); for Sydney Chamber Opera, BREAKING GLASS, BIOGRAPHICA design (with Sydney Festival), OH MENSCH! costume; NED KELLY (Perth Festival, Lost and Found Opera); and HANSEL AND GRETEL (Queensland Conservatorium).  Charles was associate set designer for CARMEN directed by John Bell and THE MERRY WIDOW directed by Graeme Murphy (Opera Australia).  

Charles’ theatre designs include: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST set, DO NOT GO GENTLE, NO PAY? NO WAY!, RULES FOR LIVING, THE REAL THING, THE WHARF REVUE 2018 -2020 (Sydney Theatre Company); TWELFTH NIGHT (Bell Shakespeare); BUYER AND CELLAR, THE KITCHEN SINK, WIDOW UNPLUGGED (Ensemble Theatre); AN ACT OF GOD (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); SMURF IN WANDERLAND (Griffin Theatre/National Theatre of Parramatta); HAPPY DAYS, THE WHALE (Red Line Productions); THE DISMISSAL co-design (Squabbalogic); A SMOKE SOCIAL (Darwin Festival); MANIFESTO (Stephanie Lake Company); and CIRCLE ELECTRIC (The Australian Ballet). Charles was associate set designer for MURIEL’S WEDDING: THE MUSICAL with Global Creatures and Sydney Theatre Company. He designed the set for Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s television and stage Galas from 2019 to 2022.

Charles won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Stage Design of an Independent Production for HAPPY DAYS and is the winner of the Mike Walsh Fellowship. ARTASERSE, which he designed for Pinchgut Opera, won the International Opera Award for Best Rediscovered Work. Charles won the Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship for Design in The Performing Arts for his outstanding design work.

Charles is lecturer and mentor for NIDA’s undergraduate design programme.  

View Charles’ designs at charlesdavisdesigner.com