Set in modern-day New York City, Blue tells the story of a Black family cast asunder. As the boy grows, his activism sets him at odds with his father, a policeman. Tragically, the 16-year-old is fatally shot by a police officer at a protest, sending the family into anguish while giving lessons in hope and the importance of family.
Following a US premiere in 2019, the opera came to the London Coliseum in 2023. While the impressive building is the West End’s largest theatre, a specially developed set would play a crucial role in bringing Blue’s emotion to life.
ENO commissioned creative construction company Scott Fleary. The set would comprise a 7.6m-diameter, vertically rotating drum, housing a 6m x 3m room. This backdrop would rotate between scenes, set in a portrait, landscape, or 45° angle. In one crucial scene, the set also had to rotate continuously.
The drum’s motion also had to synchronise with projection-mapped video content of abstract street life, adding to the dramatic backdrop.
Read the full article in DPA's December 2025 issue