Scenic Design by Justin Thomas

Scenery is the container that holds a play, literally creating the world in which all of the action happens. In the world of performance-design, that text could be a poem, a play, a choreographic idea, a photograph, a film… but no matter the text, good scenery truly supports story-telling, holding a text from underneath and connecting to the core themes, actions, time, place, culture, spirituality, and emotion within.  

As a scenic designer, I create worlds that support and hold a text rather than sit on top. I approach collaborative and creative teams with questions, trying to detect, clarify, understand, and connect core elements of story to a text’s given. For example, I might ask a director where they envision a play on a style scale from naturalism to theatricalism/spectacle. When working with costume and lighting designers, I often ask what colors or textures they see when reading a script. I even use abstract and associative questions to help define the details for collaborative teams. “If this play were a fruit, what would it be an why? If this text/choreographic idea were a texture, would it be sharp and abrasive or smooth and cool?” While a bit strange, these questions help me engage collaborators to provide details and communicate the exactness of worlds that are “dark and imposing” or “light, cheerful, and bright.”

Whether the ultimate design is a bare stage, a multi-story building, or a world full of doors behind which characters hide, I begin with the text, explore and refine with collaborators, and support the action; I create visual worlds that are exciting, convincing, balanced, and beautiful, but most importantly, hold the text.

Scenic Design Portfolio