Johan Engels has designed LA Opera productions of L'Elisir d'Amore (1996, 1999) and Otello (2008).

Johan Engels studied Fine Arts and Design at the University of Pretoria, South Africa then worked extensively in opera, ballet and theater. He moved to England in 1980 to study and work in Theatre Design.

Recent productions include Chorus, Houston Grand Opera; the sets for Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, Opera North with directors Tim Albery, Martin Duncan and John Fulljames; sets for Khovanschina, Welsh National Opera and Maskarade, Bregenz and Royal Opera Covent Garden; costumes for Osud, Vienna, and set for L'Etoile, Zurich, all with director David Pountney; Don Carlos, (set), WNO and Canadian Opera Co, directed by John Caird; Beatrice and Benedict, Chicago Opera Theatre, directed by Nicola Raab; Showboat, Cape Town Opera, directed by Janice Honeyman, also Nurnberg and Oslo; Cherry Orchard, Troilus and Cressida, Theatr Clwyd, directed by Terry Hands; set and costumes for Le Villi, directed by Karolin Gruber, Vienna State Opera; The Magic Flute, Volksoper Vienna, directed by Helmut Lohner.

Previous designs include Eight Little Greats, sets for all eight operas, Opera North, directed by David Pountney and Christopher Alden; two Sarah Brightman tours; costumes for New Year's Day concerts, 1998/99, 2003/04, Vienna; The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Simplicius, L'Amore dei Tre Re, Die Rose von Liebesgarten, Zurich Opera; Anything Goes for Grange Park Opera, The Devil's Wall by Smetana in Prague; Turandot (set), Salzburg Festival 2002, all with director David Pountney; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Theatre Clwyd and UK Tour, directed by Terry Hands; Spartacus and a one-act ballet made to Beethoven's 5th Symphony for the Vienna State Ballet, choreographed by Renato Zanella; Cinderella, Zurich Ballet, filmed for Swiss Television, choreographed by Heinz Spoerli; L'Elisir d'Amore, directed by Stephen Lawless and seen in Houston, Washington, Los Angeles, Madrid, Geneva and Graz; Il Ritorno d'Ulisse, directed by John Cox, performed at the Glimmerglass Festival and New York City Opera; productions of Richard 111, Hamlet and The Royal Hunt of the Sun performed in Japan.

His designs for Electra, first performed at the Chichester Festival Theatre with Zoe Wanamaker, went into the Donmar Theatre, London and then to Broadway. The Cherry Orchard and The Good Woman of Sharpeville, directed by Janet Suzman, was seen in South Africa and the UK on tour. He also designed Das Rheingold and Die Walküre for Opera de Marseilles, directed by Charles Roubaud. Musicals designed include The Boyfriend in a Cameron Mackintosh production and Mir wo Die Blumen Sind in Berlin with Terry Hands. Film includes Othello, directed by Janet Suzman on Channel 4 TV.