American Idiot
Design Notes
For American Idiot on the Claire Trevor Theatre stage at UCI, directed by Andrew Palermo, I channeled Green Day’s raw energy into a visual world built on the tension between suburban monotony and urban decay—reimagined through a Southern California lens, specifically suburban Los Angeles.
A concrete pedestrian bridge in Irvine—linking campus to University Town Center—sparked the design metaphor. Modular concrete forms and industrial elements created a stark, permanent environment that felt emotionally suffocating, mirroring a generation’s disconnection and frustration in post-9/11 America.
We departed from the Broadway concept of heavy TV screens and leaned into immersion. Elizabeth Barrett’s projection design became a kinetic layer—trading static media for visceral spectacle and fluid transitions—so the score’s emotional undercurrents could take center stage within a minimalist frame.
Throughout the show, the set stayed unyielding while the characters fought to redefine themselves inside it. That resistance between space and identity amplified themes of rebellion and transformation—real and symbolic, grounded in place yet open to interpretation.
By fusing local architecture with the musical’s pulse, the set became both personal and political—an anthem poured in concrete.
