Behind the curtain

Rose Beale has been making props at Glyndebourne for 30 years. She tells Simone Hellyer what it’s like to work in the wings of the renowned opera house

- Simone Hellyer

Glyndebourne is well known for its world-class opera productions. And as audiences know, they are a treat for the eyes as well as the ears. The intricate and visually arresting props needed to bring a performance to life are the work of Glyndebourne’s in-house prop team.

Senior prop-maker Rose Beale has been at Glyndebourne for 30 years. A Lewes local and a talented artist and sculptor, Rose joined the team somewhat by accident. “I had done a fine art degree and was trying to find a job. Although I was local, I didn’t really know what Glyndebourne was all about. My sister Blossom started working at Glyndebourne as a dresser and she got me in to see half of the production of Porgy and Bess, which really inspired me,” she says, adding: “I was then involved in an emergency prop-making project after my sister volunteered me. There was a painted library for a production of Falstaff and the director suddenly decided that he wanted books and scrolls to be hurled about, but the props department was at full capacity. And once I’d landed there, I just kept going.”