Emma Kingsbury has designed extensively for film, opera, ballet, television and theatre.
Emma is currently working with Teatro alla Scala (La Scala- Milan) costume designing The Ring Cycle with Director, Sir David McVicar 2024-26. Das Rheingold premieres October 2024.
Emma costume designed Blacklight starring Liam Neeson and directed by Mark Williams (Ozark). Blacklight was released in February 2022. In the Summer of 2021, Emma designed for HBO the unscripted TV Series, Finding Magic Mike premiering in December on HBO.
For San Francisco Ballet from 2020-23, Emma has designed for choreographers Helgi Tomasson, Dani Rowe and Yuka Oishi.
In the world of live performance, Emma designed sets and costumes for the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s new production of Cinderella, 2022. In February 2020, Emma designed sets and costumes The Firebird for Texas Ballet and in 2019, The Crucible for the Scottish Ballet, which won the 2019 UK Theatre Award for Dance and toured North America in 2023.
Emma has designed for a number of American ballet companies including Atlanta Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Oregon Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Smuin Ballet and Texas Ballet Theater.
A frequent designer for the L.A Philharmonic in Los Angeles, Emma has designed five productions for them in 2018/2019, including artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s concept opera Bliss, Costume Designer for Atlas: An Opera in Three Parts composed by Meredith Monk, and John Cage’s Europeras 1&2 at Sony Picture Studios. The latter two operas were directed by the visionary Yuval Sharon.
For Opera Australia in 2019, Emma designed the opera The Ghost Sonata directed by Greg Eldridge. Other operas include Salieri’s Der Rauchfangkehrer for Pinchgut Opera and Ich Habe Genug for Sydney Chamber Opera.
Other work includes costume designer for Andy X: The Movie, directed by Jim Sharman, Atomic: The Musical, Sydney/ New York productions, The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe touring Australia/ U.K. Emma's theatre design includes The Tempest, Oedipus Rex, The Winter’s Tale and The House of Bernarda Alba.
Emma’s film credits include The Wolverine (2013), God’s Of Egypt (2016), Truth (2015), Fool’s Paradise (2019), Dreamworks/Global Creatures How To Train Your Dragon, Childhood’s End (2016) Top of the Lake: China Girl (2017) and Legendary Entertainment’s Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018). Emma was costume designer for various productions created by the legendary Australian Artist/ Sculptor Ken Unsworth and the Australian Dance Artists.
Emma worked as an illustrator and costume designer for RWS Global, creating shows such as the WB 100th Celebration for Warner Bros in Abu Dhabi.
Emma is currently engaged to design new ballets for Pacific North-West Ballet (PNB), Australian Ballet, Oregon Ballet & Ballet X.
Emma Kingsbury trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia where she earnt her second bachelor’s degree in Design. Emma also holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts from The University of Melbourne.
Emma is a proud member of the Costume Designers Guild- CDG Local 892.
Emma Kingsbury is currently based in Northern California.