Poda Stefano
Regista, Scenografo, Costumista
In order to give operatic interpretation the rigorous aesthetic and conceptual unity of a theatre founded on the totality of the arts and aimed at an integral sensory experience, Stefano Poda has always created the stage direction, sets, costumes, choreography, and lighting design of his productions himself. His artistic signature stems from a holistic approach that combines design, installation art, painting, contemporary dance, and dramaturgy.
He received the 2023 French Critics' Award for Ariane et Barbe-Bleue and the 2024 Premio Abbiati for La Juive at the Teatro Regio in Turin.
He has created around one hundred productions, bringing his distinctive and strongly contemporary style to audiences worldwide, including: Aida for the 2023 Centenary Arena di Verona Opera Festival, broadcast live worldwide on RAI1 and revived in 2024, 2025, and 2026; Eduardo e Cristina at the 2023 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (RAI5); Oedipe for the 2025 Enescu Festival in Bucharest; Ariane et Barbe-Bleue, Rusalka, and Nabucco at the Opéra National du Capitole de Toulouse; Tosca in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow; Nabucco for the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Korean National Opera; Alcina, Norma, Ariodante, and Lucia di Lammermoor at the Opéra de Lausanne; Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Lausanne/Israeli Opera/Royal Opera Wallonie and Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich); Roméo et Juliette and Das Rheingold at the NCPA in Beijing; Boris Godunov and Andrea Chénier at the Korea National Opera; Otello in Budapest; Tristan und Isolde, opening production of the 77th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Il Trovatore at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens; and La Forza del Destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma.
Faust, Turandot, and Thaïs at the Teatro Regio in Turin.
He exhibited the costumes from the Centenary production of Aida from the Arena Opera Festival at Milan Design Week 2024. He created a new production of Nabucco for the opening of the 2025 Festival. He returns to the 103rd Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2026 for Aida and Nabucco.
Biography updated in July 2026
