Montana Levi Blanco Costumes Two Met Opera Productions Using Archived Pieces

Montana Levi Blanco has been hired to costume two back-to-back productions for the Metropolitan Opera this season, a task no designer has undertaken in decades. Faced with the impossibility of creating nearly 800 costumes from scratch given the time, energy, and resources required, Blanco instead turned to the Met's existing closets and attic. The productions are Macbeth and Lincoln in the Bardo. By repurposing archived costumes, Blanco avoided the need to build hundreds of new pieces. The New York Times reported on his approach on September 22, 2026. The scale of the assignment—two full operas in a single season—is unprecedented in recent memory. Blanco's survival instincts led him to rely on the company's vast costume collection rather than starting from zero. The Met's costume archive, accumulated over decades of productions, provided the foundation for his designs. This strategy allowed him to meet the demands of the schedule while maintaining creative control. The article highlights the logistical challenges of costuming multiple operas simultaneously and the resourcefulness required. No further details about the specific designs or production dates were provided in the source.