Erhard Rom became enamored with opera after seeing his first live performance at the age of eight. At home, he built a stage from a box and made paper figures to reenact the opera. Later, he created more sophisticated sets on a custom-made scale model of the Seattle Opera House, complete with dimmable stage lighting and battens for manipulating scenery. By age 13, Erhard was using painted and costumed plaster figures manipulated by sticks to put on live performances accompanied by a recording of the opera.

Here, Erhard Rom stages a scene from "Manon Lescaut" on his scale model opera stage. Rom went on to study music and design in college and became a professional set designer, creating hundred of sets for professional opera and theater productions across the US and internationally. Rom is still designing sets as of 2025.

Caption information source: "Erhard loves opera" by Thora Qaddumi, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 5, 1973, p. A11
Caption information source: Erhard Rom Set Design website at https://www.erhardrom.com/bio