From the late 1930s onwards, Nolan had been involved in stage design and this remained an important part of his work.  In the 1980s he forged a highly productive relationship with the opera director, Elijah Moshkinsky, also an Australian.  The first results of this, were the sets and costumes for the Royal Opera for Moshinsky’s production of Saint-Saën’s Samson et Dalila in 1981, which are generally considered to be his most important achievement in the field of stage design. Nolan produced designs for everything from backdrops and gauzes to the costumes of the principal singers.