Head Over Heels
Design Notes
For Head Over Heels, I partnered with director Josh Walden to channel the bold, unapologetic spirit of the Go-Go’s and reimagine ancient Arcadia through the lens of 1980s club culture. We drew from the visual language of New York’s Palladium—where theatre, fashion, and music collided under pulsing lights and graphic intensity.
The set was built to feel like an immersive party. Pop Art motifs, geometric shapes, and vivid neon-inspired colors formed a modular world that transformed fluidly between scenes. Instead of medieval architecture, we leaned into a playful mashup—columns glowing in electric pinks, castle facades borrowing from record-sleeve graphics rather than stone.
A custom high-saturation palette amplified the show’s irreverent tone. Shifting panels, stylized platforms, and dynamic projection elements let each location evolve with the characters’ emotional arcs, creating a visual rhythm that matched the pulse of the Go-Go’s music.
Our goal was to honor the themes of transformation, identity, and freedom while embedding a pop sensibility that felt fresh and theatrical. Whether evoking a dance floor, a throne room, or a forest of fabulous confusion, the design kept its eye on the core: joy, rebellion, and love in all its forms.
Ultimately, the scenic world acted as a visual celebration—of queerness, of musical energy, and of theatre’s power to transport. This wasn’t nostalgia; it was momentum in full technicolor.
