Kyra Coppini recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Production Arts – Design Realisation from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Coppini said: “My wish to be professionally trained in set design realisation with scenic art, set construction and prop-making as focus, in an environment where production arts are valued and respected as actual careers, was fully realised at Guildhall School.”

Right from the first year, Coppini’s training was both theoretical and hands-on thanks to the state-of-the-art workshops and performing venues at Guildhall School where full-scale dramas, musicals and operas are produced throughout the year.

She put theory into practice during individual projects, and collaborated with students from other faculties and with external professional designers and directors brought in by Guildhall School to work on its productions. This collaboration, an essential characteristic of work in the field, allowed Coppini to enrich her team-working and leadership qualities.

“Apart from being part of the scenic team for large-scale productions, in my final year I had the opportunity to practise in head of department roles, leading the respective department, managing schedules and interacting closely with industry creatives,” she explained.

She successfully held the role of scenic coordinator for the drama Attempts on Her Life; of props coordinator for Opera Makers and the drama Antigone; and that of construction manager for the autumn opera triple bill.

The set of the school’s 2022 ‘opera triple bill’, of which Coppini was construction manager. Photos: David Monteith-Hodge

Another view of the set.

For her graduation project, Coppini was then entrusted by Guildhall School with the role of associate designer, a role not usually granted to students as it is challenging to hold in conjunction with the third-year workload.

Coppini described working as associate designer alongside designer Anna Reid for the opera Dead Man Walking as an exhilarating experience. She added that it enhanced her learning about the designer role and her ability to bring imaginative concepts to life in interesting and striking ways for performers and audiences.

Other invaluable highlights of Coppini’s degree course were placements she secured at the Royal Opera House in London as assistant to the props team for the opera Rheingold, and as assistant to the scenic art and scenic construction teams for the opera Rusalka. She said: “The placements at the Royal Opera House helped me refine my technique and heightened my excitement for the craft, gearing me up for my first jobs.”

A prop squid made by Coppini for Opera Makers in 2023, for which Coppini was props coordinator.

Just two days after completing her course, Coppini joined Frinton Summer Theatre, which was established in 1934 and is the longest-running professional summer repertory theatre in the UK. As scenic artist for the plays Don’t Dress for Dinner and The Ladykillers, and for its large-scale musical My Fair Lady, and also as design assistant for the plays Folk and Barefoot in the Park, she hit the ground running, embracing the rapid production turnaround with enthusiasm and proficiency.

Although Coppini’s training was mainly directed towards theatre, the expertise she gained is transferable to the film industry

Although Coppini’s training was mainly directed towards theatre, the expertise she gained is transferable to the film industry and other settings where she feels properly prepared to create or strengthen overall visual impact.

Her diverse skill set includes scenic finishes, carpentry, welding, mould making, casting in a large variety of materials, as well as practical knowledge of theatre crafts, producing plans, drawings, model making, research, safe practice and resource management.

Coppini’s dedication and quality of work as a student and as a fresh graduate has already caught the eye of directors and designers, leading to her being asked to work on productions in the UK and in Malta.

Currently working on a local commission, Coppini says: “I look forward to applying my artistic skills to different genres and contexts, developing further as an artist and impacting others positively through my art.”

Coppini was able to undertake the course of studies thanks to the support of a Guildhall School financial award, as well as the award of a Janatha Stubbs Foundation bursary and a Malta Arts Scholarship financed by the  Maltese government.