Stefanos Lazaridis

Stefanos Lazaridis (28 July 1942 – 8 May 2010) was a British stage designer, best known for his work in opera. Originally intended for a business career, he studied stage design in London, and was quickly in demand in theatres and opera houses, working with John Copley and other directors.

Originally his style was lavish and naturalistic, but he changed to a less traditional style, working with David Pountney and other more avant garde directors at English National Opera and elsewhere.

He occasionally directed operas, and was for a short time director of the Greek National Opera.

Life and career Lazaridis was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, son of a prosperous expatriate Greek businessman, Nicholas Lazaridis. He was educated at the Greek School in Addis Ababa and the Ecole Internationale in Geneva. In 1962 he went to London to take a course in business administration, but instead enrolled at the Byam Shaw School of Art in Kensington and later transferred to the Central School of Speech and Drama where he studied theatre design. and he designed his first theatre production in Guildford in 1967, Tennessee Williams's Eccentricities of a Nightingale. He attracted attention for his designs for Antony Tudor's "Knight Errant" for The Royal Ballet's touring company in 1968, Together with the director Steven Pimlott, Lazaridis presented a 1989 Carmen in the vast Earls Court arena in London, which The Times considered "a new benchmark in the intelligent popularisation of opera.".

Between 2006 and 2007 Lazaridis was artistic director and general manager of the Greek National Opera; he found himself frustrated in his attempts to vitalise the company, and resigned. Pountney observed, "the Greeks have themselves to blame that they squandered such an astounding talent."

Lazaridis died of cancer at the age of 67. He was survived by Tim Williams, his partner of 47 years.