Take Five! with Helen Hayes nominated Designers

Designers enliven the dark stage with light, color, texture and sound. 

Take Five! with designers:
Alejo Vietti, Cory Pattak, Debra Kim Sivigny, Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden, Helen Q Huang, Jason Lyons, Justin Schmitz, Kendra Rai, Kenny Neal, Lindsay Jones, Matthew Nielson, Milagros Ponce de León, Misha Kachman, Neil McFadden, Olivia Sebesky, Paige Hathaway, Patrick W. Lord, Reid May, Robert Croghan, Todd Robinson, Tom Teasley, William K. D’Eugenio and Zachary Borovay

(No time for a long read? Find nominees and shows using the Search box)

The nominees	Take Five!
	Zachary Borovay, Jesus Christ Superstar What was your favorite design choice in this show? We made a very conscious decision to blur the lines between video and lighting. What was your biggest challenge? Finding ways to make the projections feel organic in the round. What's a dream project of yours? Creating an original project with Disney. Where can we see your work next? I recently joined forces with a design firm out of Seattle called MODE Studios. We have some really awesome buns in the oven that I can't wait to talk about very soon. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? Getting together with our wonderful theater community,
	Robert Croghan, In the Heights, GALA Hispanic Theatre What was your favorite design choice in this show? While I loved them all, I think my modern interpretation of Usnavi in Act I was an accurate representation of a Dominican bodega store owner by today's context. What was your biggest challenge? With this cast predominantly from NYC, the rehearsals took place there instead of DC. Since I was DC based then, I wasn't able to conduct fittings until the cast arrived for tech. So our first two days of tech were pretty rough since I had 22 actors to fit into multiple looks & multiple shoes with not much fitting time allotted since the ensemble is on stage for a large chunk of the show. Thankfully, I had Moyenda Kulemeka (costume design assistant), and Jenny Cisneros (wardrobe supervisor) on deck to help make the vision possible! What's a dream project of yours? I would love to tackle "Light in the Piazza" at some point. I love designing for previous periods/eras AND since I am Italian, it seems like a perfect pairing! Where can we see your work next? I have a couple of projects down the turnpike currently. I am currently assisting on; the international productions & National Tour of "Anastasia", a new production of "Samson et Dalila" premiering at the MET Opera, "Botticelli in the Fire" at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? I am just excited to see the Salgado Productions family and cast members of "In the Heights - En Español"! With the cast being from all across the world, I'd love the opportunity to see everyone in the same room again!
	William K. D'Eugenio, Mnemonic, Theater Alliance What was your favorite design choice in this show? I love the language the whole team settled on for the sequences on the train. I felt really proud of how unified and dramatic we were while complementing the actors precise movement. What was your biggest challenge? Honestly I think the biggest challenge on this project was narrowing down our options. We had such a positive, collaborative environment going, that sometimes the team would develop 3 or 4 different ways to do a transition or how to frame a scene. Sometimes we'd fall in love with a version that ultimately didn't end up being the best for the story... and we'd have to kill the idea. It was always sad to let go of moments we found such beauty in. What's a dream project of yours? Since working on Mnemonic, which was originally conceived by Complicité, I have become fascinated by their work as a company. Any other project of theirs would be awesome to work on. Where can we see your work next? "True West" at Rep Stage. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? I can't wait to see the friends and colleagues who have been out of town or working so much that spending time together outside of work has been impossible. I'm really looking forward to all the familiar faces!
Paige Hathaway	Paige Hathaway What was your favorite design choice? For "Me... Jane", I was very happy with the canvas that we created for Olivia's beautiful projections. We created an interesting surface that afforded us some exciting aesthetic opportunities. For "Or,", I loved the eclectic furniture and dressing. The set was filled with anachronistic touches that still felt at home in the Jacobean apartment. What was your biggest challenge? For "Me... Jane", the greatest challenge was working with a script and score that kept changing. The script varied wildly from the beginning of the design process to the end of it, and it was a challenge to keep up with everything. For "Or,", the biggest challenge was making sure that our big scenic shift would work. The show began with a nearly bare stage and then an enormous apartment was revealed and tracked downstage. Making sure that all of that would function was tricky. What's a dream project of yours? I know it's a long shot, but I would love to design "The Great Comet of 1812". Where can we see your work next? "Trayf" by Lindsay Joelle at Theater J, directed by Derek Goldman. After that is "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" at The Muny in St. Louis. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? The Helen Hayes Awards are always a great time to catch up with people that I haven't seen or worked with recently- so I'm definitely looking forward to that!
	Helen Q. Huang What was your favorite design choice? I was very happy with the witty fabric choices we ended up with, and the playful mash-up of the period and contemporary styles, which supported really well the acting style of the production. What was your biggest challenge? I realized the first round of fabric swatch didn't work for my director, when I was already in New York shopping. I had to rethink the direction and making quickly decision. This is a normal part of the process, and the end result was better for it. What's a dream project of yours? To successfully capture a photo of the Northern Lights in Iceland! Where can we see your work next? Snow in Midsummer, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? seeing my fellow artists and the DC theatrical community come together for a fun night.
Lindsay Jones	Lindsay Jones What was your favorite design choice? Finding Heathcliff Saunders and Matt Deitchman, the two truly amazing musicians who performed all of the music that I composed for the show. What was your biggest challenge? Creating the sound of a large jet plane taking off, flying, experiencing turbulence, and ultimately crashing into the Earth. What's a dream project of yours? I have 5 plays left in Shakespeare's canon to do: Love's Labours Lost, King John, Winters Tale, Two Gentlemen Of Verona, and Coriolanus. If you're doing one of these shows, PLEASE CALL ME!!!!! Where can we see your work next? Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Alley Theatre in Houston, and Little Rock at the Sheen Center in NYC. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Seeing all of the amazing people of the DC theatre scene!
	Misha Kachman What was your favorite design choice? The bedazzled cat. What was your biggest challenge? Curating and handling literally thousands of pieces of set dressing, and devising a way to strike practically all of it during the act break — all thanks to Woolly's terrific prop master (and my dear friend and collaborator) Jenn Sheetz. What's a dream project of yours? The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer) by Richard Wagner Where can we see your work next? Botticelli in the Fire and Gloria at Woolly Mammoth, Mr. Burns at the Wilma Theater What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Seeing friends.
	Patrick W. Lord What was your favorite design choice? As cool as it was to project tattoos onto Carlos's body, or as epic as our montage through time, space, and nature scene was, I think at one point we all agreed that the train moments were some of the best, design wise. Lights, sound, and projections just came together in this beautiful way that synced perfectly with the actors and scenery that I think is an indicator of how detailed and thorough the collaboration was on this team, across the board. What was your biggest challenge? I love this show because it pushed all of us artistically. There was a narrative story, sure, but there were also so many layers that we could only unearth in the room together as a team, and connections that kept evolving throughout the entire tech process. The projection design pivoted from moment to moment between subtle movement to more literal imagery to the abstraction in between, but still needed to remain consistent and cohesive. What's a dream project of yours? It hasn't been written yet. Something big and bold, geared towards younger audiences but accessible in a much wider range. Something that is both intimate and epic at the same time- maybe a new musical? A story that deals with a serious an important issue we're facing these days. Even better if it comes with a team of female artists and artists of color as my collaborators. Where can we see your work next? Bridges of Madison County at Keegan Theatre, later in the summer. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Celebrating the two other projection designer nominees, Olivia Sebesky and Zachary Borovay. I'm grateful that the field of projection is finally starting to get recognition in DC, because there is a lot of exciting work being done with it in our city. Beyond that, I'm just looking forward to a fun night with some amazing collaborators and friends.
	Jason Lyons What was your favorite design choice? Being able to push a lot of sidelight through the apertures in the side walls What was your biggest challenge? Doing Superstar in the round. What's a dream project of yours? The Who's Tommy Where can we see your work next? Boston and Chicago for new musicals Born For This and Heartbreak Hotel What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Celebrating such an incredible Theatre Community
	Reid May, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom What was your favorite design choice in this show? I won’t ruin the end of the show, but my favorite design choice was this: a mostly legato solo trumpet sounding out into the aethers of Chicago. The sounds of a rotating vinyl record with light analog popping sneak in under the trumpet. A low-end spike in the record’s rotation occurs repeatedly at approximately the rhythm of a human heart beat. The trumpet approaches its last few notes. The record sounds get louder and stop a few seconds after a fade to black. What was your biggest challenge? The show takes place in a recording studio during a recording session, and there are several moments when the characters are performing takes of songs. For our production we decided we would have recorded music playback, and the actors would mime playing their instruments to it. My challenge was to make the music sound correct – acoustically and stylistically. Along with hiding speakers strategically all over the set, it was important to have multitrack recordings of the songs so that I would be able to mix the different instruments in the space in relation to the actors’ blocking. Lucky for me, the actors, director, and music director all made the miming part work. It was really great! What's a dream project of yours? I really, really, really want to work on another audio documentary/podcast in the near future. I don’t know what the story is yet, so if you have any suggestions… Where can we see your work next? I’m currently designing for a Fringe show called The Vandal with The Edge of the Universe Players 2, and after that I’ll be starting the season with NextStop Theatre Company on The Wedding Singer. You can also always hear what I’m working on with the live sound team at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? I love checking out new venues. I’m looking forward to hearing what the Anthem sounds like!
	Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden, In the Heights, GALA Hispanic Theatre What was your favorite design choice in this show? Creating an abstracted version of the world surrounding the street corner of the show, out of layers of graffiti and murals inspired by murals actually present in Washington Heights. What was your biggest challenge? It's a huge dance show! So the geometry of establishing all the specific locations required while still keeping wide open spaces for big dance numbers. It called for a lot of fluidity and creative use of space. What's a dream project of yours? This show was it! Otherwise, maybe a great professional production of Les Miserables. Where can we see your work next? Montgomery College -- Summer Dinner Theatre's productions of Sister Act and West Side Story this summer, and Longacre Lea's summer production this August. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? Seeing the company from In The Heights! They were such a wonderful collaborative family. Most live in NYC, so I'll be delighted to see them again.
	Neil McFadden, Misterman What was your favorite design choice in this show? More than any individual cue or sound, I would have to say that my favorite choices we the decision to really try to make the individual spaces come alive with the "practical" tape recorders on stage, and the choices of the brilliant actors who did the voiceover parts (credit for that goes to Rex Daugherty, not to me though). What was your biggest challenge? just trying to make the sound system work. The space had only been used as a dance studio before, and only had one (mono) sound line. Much thanks to Gordon Nimmo-Smith for his assistance! What's a dream project of yours? I don't know that I have a specific "dream project". Maybe just any show where I really like the script and the team working on it, and can really dig my sonic teeth into the design. Where can we see your work next? Currently running: "Fly By Night" at 1st Stage, and "Judy Moody & Stink: the Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt" at Adventure Theatre. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? Seeing friends that I have not seen nor worked with in a while. And hopefully seeing my wife, Elizabeth win for her set design of Gala's "In the Heights"!
	Kenny Neal What was your favorite design choice? Early on, director Rick Hammerly and I decided the sound design should completely embrace the manic energy of Junie's perspective on her world, so I had the opportunity to lean into the grade-school humor, heightened emotion, and over the top fantasy sequences with non-stop sound effects and composer Todd Robinson's music to create a live-action cartoon. It's one of favorite design aesthetics. What was your biggest challenge? Designing for Theatre for Young Audiences can be incredibly demanding-- it's not uncommon to create hundreds of sound cues for an hour-long production, so tech is intense. Being able to quickly edit music that was written weeks before to fit scenes and transitions is critical. If you are using voice-over recordings, you need to create versions of the show that incorporate understudies in different configurations. So while it's incredibly rewarding, it's a ton of work, and you need to be up to the challenge. What's a dream project of yours? I've been fortunate to have had the chance to design sound and compose music for so many types of theatre; my dream is to continue to work on all sorts of different productions with the artists in our incredibly diverse DC theatre community. Where can we see your work next? I wish I could say for sure! My production schedule is changing all the time, and just when I think I'm booked, I find a way to squeeze in a last-minute gig. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? After my first Helen Hayes Award nomination, I liked to joke that I looked forward to the day I could proudly call myself a TWO-time Helen Hayes Award loser. But maybe instead I should just say I'm looking forward to the new venue :)
	Matthew M. Nielson, Mnemonics and Still Life with Rocket What were your favorite design choices in these shows? Mnemonic - creating a sound design based entirely on soundscapes created with voices that bounce around the room and ambiences (no music). I took those voices and created full environments and soundscapes with them. Still Life With Rocket - getting to be part of creating the world of the story by writing songs that we used in the show. Also, I planned on speakers out in the halls for some preshow ambiences as the audience walked in, but they ended up coming in handy to create spaces that are bigger than the Anacostia Playhouse space. What were your biggest challenges? Mnemonic - recording, mastering, creating layers off effects and programming 100+ voice-over recordings. Still Life - writing full songs for a show. What's a dream project of yours? I've had a few ideas for musicals brewing in the back of my head for a while. I'd love to flesh those out. And get back to writing Troublesome Gap! Where can we see your work next? The Remains at Studio, Flood City at Theater Alliance, and The Legend of Georgia McBride at Round House. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? Seeing and catching up with longtime friends and collaborators.
	Corey Pattak What was your favorite design choice in this show? There were so many. Creating The Club was a blast. The Fireworks at the end of Act 1 was an exhilarating sequence that was so detailed and complex. I think probably my favorite though was the Act 2 number 'Champagne' where Usnavi and Vanessa finally kiss. From day one, I imagined their meeting happening in the final shards of a New York sunset. The light cutting through high rises and fire escapes. The last five minutes of sun before it disappears for the night, when the light is exquisitely and almost unbearably orange. There’s no power, Usvavi’s bodega has been vandalized and ransacked, and they are standing there, finally being honest with each for the first time and maybe the last time. There was something almost post-apocalyptic about it. I wanted to see how orange and saturated I could make it, we took it pretty far and their kiss every night was one of my favorite moments. What was your biggest challenge? In the Heights is a big show with a lot of light cues but we still only had a couple days to put it together before there was an audience. We were cueing every second we could, early mornings, on the day off, it was a sprint to opening night for sure. What's a dream project of yours? Well certainly an exciting new musical that doesn't exist yet...I love being part of the DNA of a piece from the ground up. But as for existing shows, there are lots of great musicals on my bucket list I'm dying to do: Sweeney Todd, Parade, Urinetown, the biggest one is probably Tommy. That is one of the shows that made me want to be a lighting designer. I'd love a crack at it. Where can we see your work next? The Book of Joseph at Everyman Theatre, Prince of Egypt at Tuacahn Amphitheater, Xanadu at the Hangar Theatre What are you most looking forward to at the Helen Hayes Awards? I haven't seen many of my ITH collaborators since we did the show so it will be great to see them all again and celebrate together.
	Milagros Ponce de León What was your favorite design choice in this show? The tracking wall for the club scene. It was unexpected! What was your biggest challenge? Capturing the scale of Washington Heights in a 17' tall proscenium. What's a dream project of yours? Richard III Where can we see your work next? Imagination Stage and Ford's Theatre What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? I am teaching a class in Italy from May 8 through May 24 so I am totally heartbroken about missing the event this year!
	Kendra Rai, Round House Theatre and Synetic Theater What were your favorite design choices in these shows? For Or, I loved my Gorgeous blue silk gown for Holly Twyford that she wore wonderfully, as one would a comfortable pair of pajamas so in character!! For The Adventures of Peter Pan Tinker Bell's dress....I mean she could light up, and change her mood in light! What were your biggest challenges? For Or, King Charles wig..you had to have it but it is so BIG, was impossible to see actor, but luckily we all figured out how to loose it quickly! For The Adventures of Peter Pan keeping Captain Hooks boots up, Ryan Sellers is quite the mover, and can stage fight harder then anyone I have seen! But his boots could not fight as hard as he could. So we had to keep tightening them till they stayed up in the fights. What's a dream project of yours? Musical: Big Fish Play: Dracula... or because its my favorite book: Pride and Prejudice....Sorry could not pick just one. Where can we see your work next? Currently at Imagination Stage in Robin Hood, next up Elf at Olney Theatre Center What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? The new venue, I'm excited to see the new space. Also, as always getting to dance and catch up with my theatre Family. The local theatre artisans of the DC area.
	Todd Robinson What was your favorite design choice? composing high energy interactive (call and response kind of thing) music that the cast encouraged the audience to sing along with. What was your biggest challenge? The script gave VERY FEW "song lyrics" to work with. I mean almost nothing! So, creating full length musical numbers with very few lyrics was challenging, but fun! What's a dream project of yours? Compose more TYA shows, full length musicals and operas. Where can we see your work next? I am developing some shows as ongoing projects. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Spending the evening with my wife and our friends in the DC theater community.
	Justin Schmitz What was your favorite design choice? I enjoyed bringing the reverb processing to this piece. It really allowed the space of Source Theater to become a large concert hall when needed and then an extremely intimate bathroom conversation location. What was your biggest challenge? The physical space of the room at Source. It's very tricky to design a sound system and work around all of the elements in the room including scenery, lighting, performers, and audience seating risers. What's a dream project of yours? to one day design for the Olympics opening ceremony, I think that would be an incredible opportunity! Where can we see your work next? Right now at Imagination Stage in Robin Hood, and at Theater J for TRAYF. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? Sitting with my family! Really! I didn't get to bring them last year, and I am honored that this year they not only get to come and see the whole event, but also that they will be celebrating by my side all night long.
	Debra Kim Sivigny, Forgotten Kingdoms, Hello, My Name Is... and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom What were your favorite design choices in these shows? Forgotten Kingdoms: We used reclaimed wood for the house siding. The weather-worn materials added authenticity and integrity--so much that Indonesians who came to the show recognized their childhood memories. The irregular placement of the boards also allowed light to pour through the cracks in a gorgeous way. Hello, My Name Is...: The room of wadded paper shreds and letters was one of my favorite uses of space and movement. I had dreamed about a "man versus paper" movement piece from the play's conception, and Jon Jon Johnson used it beautifully with Yasmin Tuazon's choreography and Randy Baker's direction. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: It was so fun to get inside the brains of August Wilson's characters--they're so deep and complex--and they cry out to look fabulous despite their trials. The tiny character details matter so much--specifically, THE SHOES. What were your biggest challenges? Forgotten Kingdoms: Creating an abstraction of water and horizon. Hello, My Name Is...: Writing and designing/building simultaneously! Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: Creating a variety of looks for men--making each one distinctive and memorable. What's a dream project of yours? I would love to create another site-specific/reactive/immersive piece--this time for a large audience. I am making plans to create a piece about North Korean refugees--anybody want to build me a large fishing boat? Where can we see your work next? I am back at 1st Stage in June costume designing "Swimming With Whales" by Bob Bartlett. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? Being with my community.
	Tom Teasley What was your favorite design choice? I loved how Allison Stockman integrated the music, text and movement into one complete artistic statement. As always, A.J. Guban's set design was a piece of art. What was your biggest challenge? Being a percussionist it is always a challenge to maintian the energy desired while keeping volume in check. I was also playing a variety of flutes, keyboards and other wind instruments while triggering electronics and running sound. Perhaps I could grow another limb ;) What's a dream project of yours? I'd like to have another try at "The Conference of the Birds" It is one of the deepest pieces of literature I ever experienced. Where can we see your work next? I'm taking some time away for theatre to concentrate on instrumental collaborations, my work with healing sound. I do plan to join WIT for an improv collaboration mid June. All my work schedule is available online. I hope to return to Constellation next season for "The White Snake". What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? It's always a delight to see the theatre artists in D.C. together in one place. It's a rich community and I'm honored for my time to be involved.
	Alejo Vietti What was your favorite design choice? The vintage printed cotton lawn that we used for Donna McKechnie's picnic dress. It's really hard to come by real vintage fabrics, that are in good shape, and with enough yardage. What was your biggest challenge? Shoes for the dance numbers! Shoes are always challenge in a dance show! What's a dream project of yours? Any project that involves working with people I love and admire. Where can we see your work next? In a revival of Smokey Joe's Cafe in NYC. In the new William Finn musical The Royal Family of Broadway in the Bershires. And in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame in Stuttgart, Germany. What are you most looking forward to the Helen Hayes Awards? To see people I love that I haven't seen for a while!
	Olivia Sebesky, Me...Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall, The Kennedy Center What was your favorite design choice in this show? I loved the concept that the projections could bring Jane Goodall’s field journal to life so that became the aesthetic that threaded through the entire show. I am always excited when I can create hand-painted graphics for a project because that’s when I am really in my element! What was your biggest challenge? The set was cleverly designed so that I could make a collage of projection using the various panels on the structure. I wanted the option to put content on each panel individually, in specific groups, or as one whole image. It required a ton of programming in order to have that flexibility. What's a dream project of yours? I’d love to design a concert for Fleetwood Mac, The Decemberists, Blind Pilot…. Where can we see your work next? Right now I am in tech for James Taylor’s 2018 Tour which kicks off next week and tours through end of the summer. Following that, I am designing Set and Projections for How To Catch A Star at Kennedy Center. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards? I am looking forward to meeting more of the artists in this thriving D.C. theater community!