Were there any images or artists which crystallised the play for you?

No. I did quite a lot of research in and around the subject to try and find images that interested me or seemed appropriate.

What themes or emotional qualities in The Tempest did you want to draw out through the design?

I think it was about making the island into some kind of place where these things could happen, giving it a real sense but also quite a surreal sense that enabled the activities of the magical world to happen.

What was the biggest challenge in designing The Tempest?

There are obviously lots of scenes in the play that had to be addressed. They seem to take place in parts of the island but at the same time within the same location. So there was that to be solved. And Rupert was keen on some kind of endless landscape, which is very, very hard to do on stage. Any sort of natural object on stage doesn't look right! Also, there's the constraint that this show has to play in rep. The floor has to break into very small pieces. So you can't do a snowy floor. I was trying to take an environment that at first glance looks quite naturalistic but in reality is abstract. Something that doesn't look wrong but doesn't look right.

How did you collaborate with Nicky Gillibrand, the costume designer? In many RSC productions there is only one designer doing both the set and the costumes. So why was the decision made to have you both on this and how did you work together?

I've worked with Nicky loads of times before and I think she's the best costume designer in the business, and I'd ask her to do everything that I do – because she can do it so much better than me. Some directors are quite keen to split the scenes and the costumes because doing both, it's very hard to service the director in terms of being in two places at the same time. Once you're on stage, there's a lot of running around. I do costumes half the time when I design, and half the time I don't.

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