BIOGRAPHY
Melissa is a Set Designer with a Part II degree in Architecture and a Master in Set Design from UAL. She balances between her own creative vision and the specific requirements and preferences of her clients and partners. This ability to navigate different styles and directions while maintaining her own artistic integrity is a significant asset in collaborative projects.
Her expertise includes Overall Set Design, Opera Set Design, Experiential Design & Placemaking, Theatre Program Development & Training, Pitch Decks Preparation & Delivery.
Set Design
Melissa has worked alongside renowned Opera Directors and Opera Designers, including David Pountney and Leslie Travers. Her work has had global reach delivering productions pitched and showcased in the various prestigious venues which included Dubai Opera (Al Wasl), Oper Leipzig (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Latvian National Opera (Simon Boccanegra), Teatro Alla Scala (Mefistofele), Young Vic (Orfeus), Theatre Basel (Peter Grimes) and Theatre St Gallen (Aïda).
Experiential Design & Placemaking
Melissa has also partnered with various agencies in the UK and the Middle East to deliver Experiential Design and Placemaking. Her work includes pop-up activation projects in partnership with agencies and brands . Her design work encompasses a range of events including activations, community engagement, pop-up spaces, art trails in the aim of fostering community interations and public spaces. She has recently worked with We Are Placemaking on bids such as Victoria Bid, Marble Arch Bid, EC Bid, Fleet Place, Quaker Friars, Love Wimbledon. And on Experiential Design projects promoting brand awareness and clients events for top brands (e.g. Cartier, Activia, Samsung x Stc)
Theatre Education Program & Design Training
Melissa has worked with the Saudi Ministry of Culture on developing multiple training programs in England, Scotland and Saudi Arabia showcasing her ability to navigate different cultural contexts while nurturing creative talent growth globally with CGO leading the program.
Architecture
Melissa’s early design experiences were in her remit as an Architect. She has worked as an intern in London with the late Will Alsop in and in New York with Peter Eisenman, one of the most influential architects in the world, mainly to design facades for Yenikapi Museum in Turkey and building sectional models for an exhibition. She was also involved in the last stages of the Shakib Arslan Mosque development with L.E.FT Architects, a Beirut / NY Architectural firm on a project which was awarded the Faith & Form 2017 Best in Religious Art and Architecture.