Dan Potra

Available to hire

I’m a Sydney-based designer and illustrator creating visual worlds for stage and screen.

About

I’m a Sydney-based designer and illustrator creating visual worlds for stage and screen. My work spans theatre, opera, and arena spectaculars — including How to Train Your Dragon: The Arena Spectacular for DreamWorks — where storytelling and visual imagination drive every decision.

I specialise in concept illustration and world-building, using drawing and design to translate creative ideas into vivid, cinematic environments. Collaboration is central to my process: I thrive in creative workshops, working closely with directors and production teams to shape narrative, atmosphere, and tone. Whether sketching early concepts or refining on-screen details, my goal is always to design with impact — creating spaces and imagery that connect emotionally and visually with audiences.

  • Joined October 2025

Languages

  • EnglishFluent
  • FrenchAdvanced
  • Romanian, Moldavian, MoldovanFluent
  • GermanBeginner
  • ItalianIntermediate

Industry experience

  • Media & Entertainment

Projects · 3

A fresh, imaginative take on the beloved musical, bringing familiar characters to life in surprising new ways. Ingenious costume and prop transformations, fully visible on stage, transformed the performance before the audience’s eyes. Dynamic projections and a mobile, kinetic set created stunning, seamless scene changes. While the characters remained instantly recognisable, their reinterpretation made every moment delightfully unpredictable.
For more info please visit this page on my website: https://www.twine.net/signin

  • Concept Artist
  • Costume Designer
  • Designer
  • +4

A fresh, imaginative take on the beloved musical, bringing familiar characters to life in surprising new ways. Ingenious costume and prop transformations, fully visible on stage, transformed the performance before the audience’s eyes. Dynamic projections and a mobile, kinetic set created stunning, seamless scene changes. While the characters remained instantly recognisable, their reinterpretation made every moment delightfully unpredictable.
For more info please visit this page on my website: https://www.twine.net/signin

  • Concept Artist
  • Costume Designer
  • Set Designer

A large-scale stage reinterpretation of the beloved animated feature, this production brought all the iconic characters to life for a live audience. It featured fully animated, large-scale dragon puppets of breathtaking scale and detail. Dynamic video projections expanded the cinematic world onto the stage, seamlessly interacting with both the set and aerial performances. While remaining true to the spirit of the original film, I reimagined the environments in a hand-drawn visual style to heighten the sense of movement and energy. The characters were redesigned to suit the grand proportions and physical demands of the arena setting.
For further details, please check it on my website page: https://www.twine.net/signin

  • 2D Animator
  • Concept Artist
  • Costume Designer
  • +1

Education

Diploma · National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)1989 – 1992

Previous studies : N. Grigorescu Art Institute, Bucharest, Romania

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