Who I am

I am a Scenic Designer, Storyteller, & Teacher! My work as a theatre artist is always rooted in the concept of Poetic Faith: a.k.a. “the willing suspension of disbelief.”

For me, Poetic Faith is a contract storytellers make with the audience. Meaning if you agree to be witness, I promise I will tell you a story to the best of my ability. Mentally, emotionally, intellectually, creatively; I believe that telling a good story visually means more than designing a “set.” You are creating the world where “it” will happen. Where the journey will begin and where it will end. That magical, mystical space where “it” can be anything. And not just a space for the audience, but for the performers who take us into and through that story. I love to collaborate with storytellers who share a similar view of the power of theatre in all varieties of live performance: Plays, Musicals, Opera, Dance, Puppetry, and so much more.

I am always looking to expand my collaborative storytelling family and try something new!

I believe that all theatrical storytellers share three common values: Creation, Discovery, & Collaboration, and we all have some combination of the three. My number one is “Discovery.” Each new project offers an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to innovate.

I am a student and steward of the Collaborative Storytelling Design Process: Dramaturgy, Research, Drawing/Sketching, Modeling, & Drafting. It’s my passion for “Discovery” that drives my learning & mastery of New/Emerging Technologies: 3D Rendering, Laser Cutting, & 3D Printing. The more tools I have, and knowing when to use them, the better stories I’ll tell.

As an educator, I have taught and mentored students at The University of Alabama Birmingham (Birmingham, AL), DePaul University (Chicago, IL), Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), and Linfield University (McMinnville, OR). I have also presented workshops on collaborative storytelling and technical design skills at the USITT Annual Conference, the American Theatre Teachers Conference, and the Alabama Thespians Highschool Theatre Festival. And I participated as a respondent at the “PRIMP” (Portfolio Reviews & Interview Materials Prep) sessions at the USITT Conference in Long Beach, CA this past Spring.

While serving as Resident Scenic Design Assistant at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I mentored interns and apprentices through the collaborative design process and taught them fundamental skills such as drafting, architectural modeling, and rendering.

In addition to designing my own work, I have been lucky to also work with many major theater companies as an associate designer to my friend and mentor Todd Rosenthal (Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Goodman, The Guthrie, The Alliance Theatre, 2nd Stage Theatre Broadway, Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway, The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Royal National Theatre of London, The Geffen Playhouse, & The Mark Taper Forum).

I am a graduate of Northwestern University’s Theatrical Design Program, a Participant & Presenter at Ming Cho Lee’s “Clambake Portfolio Review” and USITT’s Young Designer’s Forum.