Designer Michael Curry BFA’81 has helped bring to life the Olympics, The Lion King, the Eras Tour, and much more, winning two Emmy Awards in the process. At Michael Curry Design, his 55,000-square-foot workshop in Scappoose, Oregon, he and sixty-three employees invent, create, and repair puppets, costumes, props, and sets. Curry, who lives in Portland with his wife, Julia, is currently producer and designer on Awakening in Las Vegas. He’ll also be playing a big part in Portland’s renaissance, starting with leading an initiative to renovate the city’s iconic Keller Auditorium.

What did you study at the Museum Art School, now PNCA?

I was a fine arts major—a sculptor and painter. I went there because they offered a formal, classical art education that required life drawing. In those years, we were studying drawing from cadavers up at Portland State. Abstract Expressionism was having its heyday, so it was hard to find instructors who could give good instruction in figurative classical work. I did take an illustration class, and I’m glad I did, because I learned a great deal about the world of commercial art and the economics of art.

How did you move into theater from there?

I was successful as a gallery artist. I went to New York and continued showing in galleries. I’ve always been fascinated by movement—I was a champion wrestler when I was young. In New York in the ’80s, there was a lot of avant-garde work on the street. I loved it! Long story short: I started making sculptures that moved. I did a series of floating heads that I put in the Hudson River—giant Styrofoam heads of philosophers. I did angels that had wings that would open. I did street performances. Then, in 1988, I was offered an amazing opportunity to work on the Siegfried and Roy Show in Las Vegas. The world’s leading production designer at that time, John Napier, invited me to come to his studio. He took me down a row of about five big things in development, and I had an opinion about how I would create all of them. I got the job.

Where is your What was it like to collaborate with director Julie Taymor on The Lion King?

I had done three shows with Julie before The Lion King. Julie was the avant-garde wunderkind—she was just emerging. When the producers said, “We would like to invite Julie Taymor,” I laughed my head off. I said, “It’ll be the greatest decision you ever make, but you are going to have to let her do what she wants to do.” She’s brilliant. Admittedly, I’m a lot more technical than she is. I do the lion’s share—no pun intended!—of the engineering. Julie is the costume designer. I’m the puppet and mask co-designer. Anybody else, I would say, “It’s a completely equal partnership.” But she’s Julie Taymor! It’s literally like working with Picasso. She’s been a huge influence to the art industry in general.

The Lion King has now been on Broadway for twenty-eight years. What happens when the puppets fall apart? Do you repair them?

Absolutely. We still do the principal puppets and the masks. We have over fifty shows out there in the world, many of which are in fifteen- to twenty-year runs. So we’ve rebuilt and replaced and refitted and rehearsed. We used to cast the masks in plaster, put straws in your nose and all that. But we do a lot of digital scanning now. We’ve embraced technology in a great way, and it’s made us a viable player out here in Oregon. You don’t have to be in New York or L.A. anymore.

As research for The Lion King, you studied the African art exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In what other places did you find inspiration?

We went to the Bronx Zoo a lot. I went to Africa. I’ve always been a fan of animal anatomy and human anatomy. I studied it in school diligently—and it paid dividends. It’s weird how many stories are told through animals. Fables and mythology—they’re often told through animals.

“I’ve always been fascinated by movement — I was a champion wrestler when I was young.”

How do you define success in a production?

There are two measures: my own gut and then the audience’s reaction. In theater, people are very vocal; they let you know right away. But for me, success is if the idea is original and I brought something of myself into it. I want to discover through the process. If I know the outcome, it’s less exciting for me.

You’ve worked on the Super Bowl with Madonna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, and others. Do you have a most memorable halftime show?

The lion from the Katy Perry show was astounding. That was the most watched event in history at the time.

What was it like to work with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour?

The whole process was great, and the outcome was extraordinary. I like her message, and she’s a great person. What’s amazing about meeting these extraordinary people is that they’re quite approachable. They want to be the best. And so if they’re told that you’re the best in your business, they take you really seriously and treat you with respect. I do what’s called production design. And that might be scenery; it might be costumes. For Madonna, we do scenery. For Taylor, we did scenery and props. It’s hard to define, because many times, we create a character and the environment that it lives in, and the costuming of the performers who are either performing it or are a part of the picture. This is what I learned in art school: composition. The foundational training I got at PNCA was key to it. I would not have the success I’ve had without those foundational skills.

What do you say to young people who want to pursue the arts?

Learn to draw. And learn to speak about your work. Most artists have this acceptance that they’re socially awkward and misunderstood. That’s baloney. Learn to speak clearly and precisely about your work, because you’ll find there are many points in your career where your success will be dependent on that moment.

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Hannah Wallace is a Portland-based freelance journalist. She writes about arts, culture, agriculture, climate, and more.