Etienne Pluss

Biography

Etienne Pluss was born in Geneva in 1971. Before his studies at the University of Art (UDK) in Berlin, he directed an art gallery in Geneva.

In 1996 he graduated in Set Design at the University of Art (UDK) in Berlin. He began his career as associated stage designer with Achim Freyer and Karl-Ernst Herrmann. Since 2000 he worked as set designer in Vienna (Burgtheater, Akademietheater, Theater in der Josefstadt, Volkstheater), at the Staatsoper Berlin, Frankfurt, Bonn and Hannover, at the Opera de Paris, Göteborg Opera, Prague National Opera, Theater Basel, Opera de Dijon and the Schauspielhaus in Leipzig, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Oslo and the Berliner Ensemble.

He collaborated with directors such as George Tabori, Katharina Thoma, Claus Guth, Philipp Himmelmann, Enrico Lübbe, Adriana Altaras, Patrick Schlösser, Philip Tiedemann and Nadja Loschky.

His most recent works include the set design of Violetter Schnee at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and La Bohème at the Opera National de Paris both directed by Claus Guth, as well as Elektra at the Oper Bonn and Tristan und Isolde directed at Oper Leipzig both directed by Enrico Lübbe, Martha directed by Katharina Thoma at Oper Frankfurt, Samson and Dalila directed by Damian Szifron at Staatsoper Berlin, Die Passagierin at Oper Graz directed by Nadja Loschky and Winterreise at Schauspiel Leipzig with director Enrico Lübbe. During the coronavirus crisis he designed La serve padrona for Oper Frankfurt (director Katarina Thoma).

He regularly designs set for fashion shows during the Fashion Weeks in Milan and Berlin.

He was invited to the Theatertreffen in Berlin 1998 and 1999 he got the Austrian Kainz Medal Award for the set design of Claus Peymann kauft sich eine Hose und geht mit mir essen.

In 2004, he was nominated for the Nestroy Theater Award for the set design of Die Zeit der Plancks at the Burgtheater in Vienna.

Etienne Pluss won the Faust Preis 2019 creating the set design of Violetter Schnee at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (director Claus Guth).