The set for Boris Godunov
Brand new apartment complex, 15 rooms, fully furnished
An imposing apartment complex provides the backdrop for the new production of Boris Godunov – an ingenious, three-storey building made up of fifteen rooms, all furnished in a raw, contemporary Russian style. The entrance is on the ground floor, giving access to an internal staircase and a hidden structure at the back that allows singers and chorus members to move smoothly through the set. Production supervisor Valerie Smalen and Gerko Min, head of the Drawing Office, explain the story behind this unique construction.
Gerko Min: “The set for Boris Godunov consists of a large, three-storey apartment block with five rooms – each roughly four metres deep and 2.30 metres high.” Valerie Smalen: “All the rooms are connected by doorways in the partition walls, a built-in staircase at the centre, and a large scaffolding installation at the rear – hidden from the audience’s view. Both the scaffolding and the entire framework of the apartments are built using Layher – the scaffolding system we use for nearly all our sets. It allows us to create all kinds of constructions, which can then be easily dismantled so the materials can be reused for future projects.”
Paper-thin walls
Gerko Min: “The biggest challenge was finding the right material for the walls within the framework – the partitions between the rooms. At one point, nearly a hundred chorus members are positioned within the set – roughly six per apartment. They need to be able to hear each other clearly; otherwise, singing in harmony becomes extremely difficult. So during the test build, we trialled different materials to see what worked best. We constructed two levels with three apartments and tested three variations: solid wooden walls, perforated wooden panels with wallpaper and stretched cotton. It soon became clear that the last option worked best.”
Valerie Smalen: “We later tested cotton with wallpaper, but even that thin extra layer had a significant impact on the acoustics. It became harder to hear one another, and there was a real delay in the sound. In the end, we chose printed cotton – so it still looks like a solid, wallpapered wall, while actually being made from a very transparent material.”
Interior: fully furnished
Gerko Min: “The entire atmosphere of the set is inspired by the photography of Dmitry Markov – raw, powerful images that capture the harsh reality of everyday life in Russia.” Valerie: “That Russian aesthetic required real precision. Whenever we showed designer Olga Pavlyuk samples – whether prints, furniture or ideas for the playground at the front of the set – she would immediately decide whether it conveyed the right mood. There was one wallpaper I thought was perfect, for example, but she instantly said, “No”. We’d also sourced some existing playground equipment, but it didn’t quite match the design, so we’ll need to build most of it ourselves. For the furnishings, our props master Peter Paul Oort scoured countless markets and second-hand shops. Soon, we’ll be ready to start setting everything up on stage!”
Text: Lune Visser
Boris Godunov will run from 10 to 29 June 2025 at Dutch National Opera & Ballet.