American Scenic Designer Ralph Funicello made his San Diego Opera debut designing Don Quixote in 2009. He has designed the scenery for over 225 productions of plays throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is an Associate Artist at the Old Globe Theatre and has worked extensively with the Mark Taper Forum, the South Coast Rep, the Seattle Rep, and the American Conservatory Theatre where he was Director of Design from 1988 - 1990. His work has also been seen On and Off Broadway, and at the Lincoln Center Theatre, the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Milwaukee Rep, the American Festival Theatre, the Berkeley Rep, the Denver Center Theatre Company, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, the Stratford Festival in Ontario, and New York City Opera. His work has been exhibited at the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts in New York City, the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, Tiffany & Co. San Diego, the Chevron Gallery in San Francisco, The Prague Quadrennial, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, and the Exhibition of Stage Design in Beijing. He has been nominated for a N.Y. Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucile Lortel, and Tony Award. He has received The Merritt Award for Excellence In Design and Collaboration and his designs have been recognized by the Area Theatre Critics’ Circle, the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle, Dramalogue Magazine, Backstage West and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Funicello has served on the Theatre Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was the United States Representative to the Scenography Commission of the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians from 1994-2001.