Introducing Yale School Of Drama's Design Class Of 2020

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA introduces the 2020 Class of scenic, costume, lighting, sound, and projection designers, who graduated this week. A showcase of these artists' work will be held in New York when conditions allow. More information will be shared online at drama.yale.edu/designshowcase2020 when possible.

"We can't wait to be able to showcase the work of this extraordinary class of designers in a live event. We know it may be a while before that's possible, but we feel it's worth the wait for the face-to-face, person-to-person contact that is so essential to our professional theatre community. A website featuring some of the work that will be presented at the showcase is available in the meantime," said Design Department Co-Chair Stephen Strawbridge.

Co-Chair Michael Yeargan added, "This amazing group of designers has blossomed and turned the limitations of sheltering in place into an advantage. Online classes have opened up new ways of exploring space and the visual aspects of plays, operas and musicals. Please take a look and enjoy the excitement they are generating!"

The Design Department, encompassing scenic, costume, lighting, and projection design, is co-chaired by Stephen Strawbridge and Michael Yeargan. The department's faculty includes Joshua Benghiat, David Biedny, Oana Botez, Shawn Boyle, Alan Edwards, Maruti Evans, Marjorie Folkman, Jane Greenwood, Wendall K. Harrington, Riccardo Hernandez, Toni-Leslie James, Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, Manuel Barenboim Segal, Ilona Somogyi, Jennifer Tipton, and Ru-Jun Wang.

The faculty of the Sound Design Department, chaired by David Budries, includes Michael Backhaus, Charles Coes, Marcelo Dietrich, Konrad Kaczmarek, Frederick Kennedy, Beth Lake, Nick Lloyd, Bronwen MacArthur, Andrew Rovner, and Matthew Suttor.

ABOUT THE DESIGNERS

EVAN C. ANDERSON (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where he designed Pivot, Seven Spots On The Sun, and Much Ado About Nothing. His other credits include The Plot (Yale Repertory Theatre); Cock, Red Speedo, The Rules, Fade, One Big Breath (Yale Cabaret); Latinos Who Look Like Ricky Martin, The Swallow And The Tomcat (Yale Summer Cabaret); One Small Step (New Ohio); Treasure Island (Book-It Repertory Theatre); Every Five Minutes, The Motherfucker with the Hat (Washington Ensemble Theatre); The Realistic Joneses (New Century Theatre Company); The Holler Sessions (A Contemporary Theatre); Caught, and Grand Concourse (Seattle Public Theater). He is the recipient of the 2020 Burry Fredrik Fellowship, a graduate of the University of Washington, and is a company member of CabinFever. evancanderson.com

ALICIA J. AUSTIN (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where her credits include The Tempest and shakespeare's as u like it. Other work includes The Guadalupes, Camille: A Tearjerker (Yale Cabaret); The Conduct of Life, Bakkhai (Yale Summer Cabaret); Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally and (Baltimore Center Stage); and she was a Production Assistant on The Walt Disney Studios film, West Side Story. She is the recipient of the 2019 Princess Grace Award, Pierre Cardin Theater Honor. She was the costume designer for Yale Rep's production of Testmatch, which was scheduled for spring 2020. aliciajaustin.me

STEPHANIE BAHNIUK (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where her credits include YELL: a "documentary" of my time here, and Trouble in Mind. She is from Edmonton, Canada, and earned her B.F.A. in theatre design from the University of Alberta. Her credits include costumes for Manahatta (Yale Repertory Theatre); sets for Is God Is and The Light Fantastic, sets and lighting for How to Relearn Yourself, costumes for Cock, littleboy/littleman, the light is... and It's Not About My Mother (Yale Cabaret); costumes for The Swallow and the Tomcat, Latinos Who Look Like Ricky Martin (Yale Summer Cabaret); production design for Blood of Our Soil (Pyretic Productions); Stupid F-ing Bird (Edmonton Actors Theatre, 2017 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award, Outstanding Set Design); costume design for Jesus Christ Superstar (Mayfield Dinner Theatre); Twelfth Night (Studio Theatre); costumes and set Hansel and Gretel (Alberta Opera); lights for The Moon at Midnight (Prairie Dance Circuit); and assistant costume designer for Williamstown Theatre Festival. stephaniebahniuk.com

LIAM BELLMAN-SHARPE (SOUND DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where his credits include Mr. Burns, a post-electric play; shakespeare's as u like it; and The Tempest. Other credits include The American Unicorn (Long Wharf Theatre); Bakkhai (Yale Summer Cabaret); The Ugly One, Mud, Phosphene, and Camille: A Tearjerker (Yale Cabaret). With dancer Sarah Xiao, he has presented untitled semi-improvised dance/music piece (Yale Cabaret) and from/to nothing (International Festival of Arts & Ideas). Hailing from Melbourne, Liam's previous credits include Macbeth, Echo, Third Person (Union House Theatre); and Coriolanus (Burning House Theatre). Earlier this year, he wrote, composed, and directed Elon Musk and the Plan to Blow Up Mars the musical at Yale Cabaret. He holds a B.H.Mus from Melbourne Conservatorium. liambellmansharpe.com

EMMA DEANE (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where she designed Reykjavík, YELL: a "documentary" of my time here, Trouble in Mind, shakespeare's as u like it, and Romeo and Juliet. Her other credits include Manahatta (Yale Repertory Theatre); Little Boy/Little Man, The Light Fantastic, Burn Book, This Sweet Affliction, Mud, The Guadalupes, WOLF/ALICE, and Camille: A Tearjerker (Yale Cabaret); At The Krummholz (Yale's WVIT Fest); Pinocchio: A Folk Musical (Filament Theatre); Proof (North Park University); Still, The Amish Project (Interrobang Theatre Project); Hitler on the Roof (Akvavit Theatre); Scarcity (Redtwist Theatre); The Woman in Black (WildClaw); and Fight City (The Factory). She has worked with The Actors Gymnasium, Albany Park Theatre Project, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Theatre Seven, Bailiwick Chicago, The Building Stage, Buzz 22, Stage Left, Next Theatre Company, Silk Road Rising and The Gannon Center for Women and Leadership. She is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara nation and holds a B.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago. emmadeane.com

Christopher Evans (PROJECTION DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where his credits include LOCUSTS, The Tempest, Seven Spots On The Sun, and Sweat. Other design credits include The Plot (Yale Repertory Theatre); We Are Proud To Present A Presentation..., The Apple Tree, F Her, Wolf/Alice, The Ugly One, Non-Player Character (Yale Cabaret); Romeo and Juliet (Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park); The Woman in Black, Hello Again, and In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Reduxion Theatre). He holds a B.F.A. in theater arts design/tech from the University of Central Oklahoma, where his designs for Woyzeck earned The Hilton Worldwide Award for Special Achievement in Film and Projection. Design and EchoBOOM received awards from both the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas. christopherevansdesign.com

ELSA RINDE GIBSONBRADEN (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where her credits include shakespeare's as u like it and Othello. Her Yale Cabaret credits include Alma and Red Speedo as well as the Yale Summer Cabaret productions of The Swallow and the Tomcat and Latinos Who Look Like Ricky Martin. She holds a B.A. in theater from Barnard College, where she designed the set and projections for Hamletmachine, and the sets for The Maids, Top Girls, and The Long Goodbye. She was the production designer on the short film An Occurrence at Arverne, and has art-directed several shorts including Jack and Jill and Candace. She previously worked as an art department assistant and clearance coordinator on television shows including The Deuce (HBO), The Sinner (NBCU), Gotham (WB), and Elementary (CBS). She was the scenic designer for Yale Rep's production of Testmatch, which was scheduled for spring 2020. elsarinde.com

LILY GUERIN (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where her credits include Seven Spots On The Sun and The Tempest. Other credits include Phosphene, Burn Book, c*ck(Yale Cabaret); The Outgoing Tide (Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre); Hotel Sonder (Davenport Theatre); and Six Characters in Search of an Author (Robert Moss Theater). She has been production designer for two feature films, Pentimento and The Secret Dream. She has worked in the art departments for Blindspot (NBC) and Sublets (web series). She holds a B.F.A. in scenic design from Purchase College. She was the scenic designer for Yale Rep's production of A Raisin in the Sun, which was scheduled for spring 2020. lilyguerindesign.com

APRIL M. HICKMAN (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where her credits include Hamlet, Pivot, and Seven Spots On The Sun. Other credits include The Plot (Yale Repertory Theatre); We Are Proud To Present A Presentation..., How To Relearn Yourself, Is God Is, the feels...(kms), and Non-Player Character (Yale Cabaret). As a resident assistant at The Goodman Theatre and Arena Stage, she assisted several prominent costume designers, including Emily Rebholz, Jess Goldstein, Ilona Somogyi, Paul Tazewell, and Catherine Zuber. She was awarded the William R. Kenan, Jr. Costume Design Fellowship at the Kennedy Center in 2014. April received her B.F.A. in costume design from University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she designed Topdog/Underdog, Detective Story, and Innocent Thoughts, Harmless Intentions. aprilmhickman.com

SARAH KARL (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A candidate at Yale School of Drama. Her work includes The Plot (Yale Repertory Theatre); Hamlet, The Seagull (Yale School of Drama); Agreste (Drylands), The Rules, Truck II (Yale Cabaret); Love's Labour's Lost, Middletown, and Blood Wedding (NYU Tisch Meisner Studio). Associate scenic design credits include the 2019 Carlotta Festival of New Plays (Yale School of Drama) and SONOS-Gorillaz Spirit House (Pro-Ject). She received a B.F.A. in scenic design and a minor in visual arts from SUNY Purchase. sarahkarldesign.com

ALEXANDER MCCARGAR (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where his work includes Trouble in Mind. With strong interests in opera and experimental performance, he enjoys reinterpreting and challenging classic works. Before applying to Yale, he was the assistant to the Curator of Models and Drawings at the Austrian National Theater Museum. He worked on performance installations including Essence 16 in Vienna, Zeroone in Stuttgart and VISIONS: Beyond Media in Florence, Italy. He holds a B.Arch. and B.F.A. in Architecture with a minor in Art History from Rhode Island School of Design, and in 2015 was awarded a Fulbright Grant to research cross-collaboration in opera. In July 2019 he was selected as a participant for the workshop Opera and New Technologies held at the Festival International d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence and in January 2020 was awarded a Beinecke Library Graduate Research Fellowship for studies on depictions of the Other in Baroque stage and costume design. He is a current member of ENOA (European Network of Opera Academies). alexandermccargar.com

DAKOTA STIPP (SOUND DESIGNER) is a designer, software developer, and composer whose recent work is informed by media theory, algorithmic processes, hyperreality, and the shared liminal spaces of performance and ritual. He is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where his designs include Alice, Othello, and The Seagull. He co-created
I=N=T=E=R=F=A=C=E and The Rules (Yale Cabaret); and was the associate sound designer for The Siblings Play (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); and Girls (Yale Repertory Theatre). Dakota holds a B.A. in computer science. dakotastipp.com

Erin Sullivan (PROJECTION DESIGNER) is a projection designer and film editor based in New York City. She has a passion for experimental storytelling through film and performance. Her sculptural projection installation Spine Lines was exhibited at The Prague Quadrennial Performance of Design and Space. Recent credits for theater include Auntie Vanya (Ars Nova Festival), This American Wife (New York Theater Workshop), and Jeremy O. Harris' YELL: A Documentary of my Time Here (Yale School of Drama). She was the visual effects editor for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Studios) and The Goldfinch (Warner Brothers); and produced and edited the stop-motion feature film In Reality, which won the Special Jury Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival. erinmsullivan.com

EMILY DUNCAN WILSON (SOUND DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where she designed Hamlet, YELL: a "documentary" of my time here, Trouble in Mind, and blues for miss lucille. Her other credits include The Plot (sound design and original music) and El Huracán (assistant sound designer) at Yale Repertory Theatre; design work on Red Speedo, benjisun presents: bodyssey, Truck II, Agreste (drylands) (Yale Cabaret); All's Well That Ends Well; Shakespeare in the Dark: Macbeth (Past is Prologue Productions); and assistant work on American Girl Live! (Mills Entertainment); and Twin Size Beds (The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival). Emily is also a professional orchestra pit woodwind doubler and has played in multiple New London Barn Playhouse productions, and for Fun Home and Alice at Yale School of Drama. She holds a B.A. in music with a concentration in multiple woodwind performance from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. emilyduncanwilson.com

YUNZHU ZENG (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate at Yale School of Drama, where she designed the costumes for LOCUSTS. Credits include makeup for The Light Fantastic and costumes for Untitled Ke$ha Project, The Rules, Red Speedo, and Rubberneck (Yale Cabaret). She holds a B.F.A. in costume and makeup design from Beijing Dance Academy, where her designs appeared in musical Grease, Rent, and A Kite on the Horizon, among others. Other credits include Where Is My Maple Town (Theater Row Studio). She assisted Sophia Choi on An Enemy of the People, and Cole McCarty on Kiss (Yale Repertory Theatre). She was the costume designer for Yale Rep's production of A Raisin in the Sun, which was scheduled for spring 2020. yunzhuzeng.com

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