Tracy Grant Lord designed her first opera at 23 and has since been in demand for shows by the Royal New Zealand Ballet, NZ Opera, Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, Singapore Dance Theatre and regional theatre and ballet companies. Her work on the RNZB’s 2023 production of Romeo & Juliet contributed to a stand-out production that was nominated for an Olivier award when it toured the UK. For the RBNZ’s pre-Christmas tour of The Nutcracker, the costumes alone call for 5000m of fabric, 15,000 crystals and 10,000 sequins – but she and artistic director Ty King-Wall are promising to bring a distinct “summer in Aotearoa” twist to the production.
What is your earliest memory?
Wandering through a garden in the arms of my grandfather as he named all the flowers and trees for me. It’s a very early memory often retold by my parents and was formative, as I have investigated life ever since through flora and especially trees.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
To be an archaeologist was my dream job. I imagined a lifetime of exploration and exotic discovery wearing gorgeous block colour khaki drills with beautiful handmade boots. I was drawn to the androgyny of the role as I was born into a time when women really could do anything.
When were you happiest?
Waking up in the morning on one of my dad’s various motorboats to the smell of fresh fish cooking in the pan and surrounded by the sea with the beginning of a brand-new beautiful day beneath a big blue sky.
What makes you unhappy?
Anyone or anything that is hurting in any way. I find this all too difficult. It has a visceral effect on me and I certainly avoid seeing or hearing it.
What’s your greatest fear?
Heights are a reasonably big one and the idea of being in the air is at the upper limit of my tolerance of reality. Therefore, the process of flying as a means of travel becomes a fantasy for me, so I can suspend belief and create a safe space to go to in my head whenever I need to do it.
What trait in yourself do you least like?
I blush far too easily, and when I can feel it happening and others are aware of it, of course it grows disproportionately to the original cause.
What trait in others do you least like?
Bigotry is one of the most infuriating failings of people, and it enrages me.
What characteristics do you most value in your friends?
I did think loyalty was a key value, but know sometimes that can be tested. My good and true friends can really make me laugh and I wouldn’t lose that for anything.
Apart from any property, what’s the most expensive thing you have bought?
I think this could be a piece of furniture potentially or even a carpet. Expensive purchases are a pretty rare occurrence for me.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?
A painting that I did.
What is your most treasured possession?
My scale ruler.
What was the last book you read?
The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgård.
Who are your favourite writers?
My most prolific reading is of playwrights and the classical scribes: William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Creating resounding ideas and imagery are very hard to beat.
Who is your favourite fictional character?
Pippi Longstocking.
What book do you recommend to others to read?
The Elements of Style: A Practical Encyclopedia of Interior Architectural Details (Revised Edition), by Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth Cromley.
The title of your autobiography would be …
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, this is your beginners call.
What words or phrase do you overuse?
Darling.
What is the artwork you could look at endlessly?
Any sky painted by JMW Turner.
What particular artistic talent would you like to have?
Singing.
What has been your most enjoyable live theatre experience?
Any final curtain on any opening night of my own.
What is your favourite film?
The African Queen.
If a movie was made of your life, which song would be played over the end credits?
Hold On by Wilson Phillips.
Who would play you?
Pippi.
What song always gets you dancing?
Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader.
What streaming series or favourite TV show do you recommend?
Outrageous ‒ we’ve just seen the first series of it, which was pretty magnificent.
If you weren’t a scenographer, what would you be doing instead?
I like to hope it would be archaeology.
Which talent or skill do you wish you had?
I wish I could speak French, followed by Portuguese, as they are both mother tongues for my grandchildren.
Do you have a skill or ability that might surprise people?
I actually think I am quite a good singer.
Which three people, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with?
Josef Svoboda [the Czech scenic designer], Bill Nighy and Cher.
Where is your favourite place in New Zealand?
The Coromandel.
What is your favourite place outside Aotearoa?
Brittany [in France] and Sintra [Portugal].
What is a destination you’d love to visit sometime?
Coastal Scotland.
A building you admire?
The Palais Garnier opera house in Paris.
A good day starts with …
Seeing the sunrise over the water from a mountainside.
What can’t you resist on a restaurant menu?
Oysters.
What is your guilty pleasure?
A quite dirty vodka martini.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Nutcracker: Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Auckland and Palmerston North, October 30-December 20. See rnzb.org.nz