There’s a fine line between chaos and absurdity. And it just broke.

Marisol by Jose Rivera at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre.

Set Designer and Charge Scenic Artist: Hailey J. Strader

Director: Liz Fisher

Photographer: Jessica Attie

As the set designer for Frozen Jr. at TexARTS, I rendered, built and painted the set in under three weeks.

This window display design was showcased in Austin’s 2nd Street District at Hemline. Our team had a $500 budget and two weeks to design, build and install in time for the winter holiday shopping season. This project was on display from Thanksgivings ‘18 until New Years ‘19.

When does a dangerous idea become a heinous crime? My project, a conceptual theatrical design of Jennifer Haley’s play The Nether, pushes audiences to deeply consider the ethical dilemmas that could arise from virtual reality. My design emphasizes the isolation and dark reality of the real world while highlighting the surface level beauty of the virtual. This setting acts as an extreme contrast to the horrific actions that happen within the virtual world, making audiences fight to reach a clear resolution. 

This is a collection of scenic painting projects completed under Karen Maness at the Texas Performing Arts Center.

This is a conceptual set design of Othello. Othello is a dark, haunting play about Iago sinking Othello into deep anxiety, and I wanted the set to reflect that. The floor is crashing waves, since the unpredictability of the ocean and rain is a constant theme throughout Othello. Jagged abstract forms jet out of all four walls of the theatre, surrounding the audience like Iago does to Othello. Gentle moss hangs against these structures on each Vom top, expressing the ways Iago mascaraed as friend, only to try and kill the king, like moss does to a tree. Desdemona’s blind love for Othello is represented in the sheer fabric of a curtain draped across the stage. The curtain, delicate as Desdemona, later becomes stained in her blood, the green standing as a contrast to the deep red. 

My conceptual set design for La Traviata centers around Violetta’s illness. As the play moves forward, her sickness becomes worse and worse. Her sickness is shown through cooper lines crossing over each other on the furniture. They become more dense on the set as time goes on. Colors slowly fade through each act. The flower chandelier that was once open in Act I is now wilted and closed in Act III. The portal has waved metallic details, moving like DNA across the borders. Large, thick curtains show wealth in Acts I and II.II, while thinner fabrics show the opposite. Act II has vibrant life in its earthy greens, contrasting against Violetta fight for health. 

As the assistant set designer for Mary Moody Northen Theater’s production of Three Musketeers, I worked directly with set designer Jessica Colley-Mitchell to realize her vision for this 1620s landscape.

Playwright: Megan Monagan Rivas

Director: Michelle Polgar

Set Design: Jessica Colley-Mitchell

Costume Design: Susan Branch Towne

Lighting Design: Kathryn Eader

Sound Design: K. Eliot Haynes

Makeup and Hair Design: Tara Cooper 

Properties Design: Leilah Stewart

Production Stage Manager: Robert Tolaro

Fight Director: David M. Long

This was my first window display design highlighted in the 2nd Street Shopping District during the winter holidays. I had a $500 budget for materials and about 3 weeks to plan, build, and install. We collaborated closely with the store’s owner to create a design with the elegance and sophistication of League of Rebels interior. 

This is a conceptual set design of Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park. This show flips between 1959 and 2009, and I wanted to highlight the changes between the decades long difference. Act I shows the house still relatively fresh, with this bungalow about 20 years old. The wallpaper is vibrant with newly painted walls around it. Going into the changes in Act II, small things are replaced and modified. Walls are knocked down going into the kitchen. Leftover paint and wallpaper is faded. Carpet is added to the living room. New white doors are added. The sky behind them is darker as tall complexes build up around them. A lot has changed, but many things haven’t, paralleling to the main conflict in the play.