Company

For Company at the University of California, Irvine, directed by Eli Simon with music direction by Lex Leigh and choreography by Allison Eversol, I designed a scenic world rooted in both personal observation and thematic resonance. My inspiration began during a solo trip to New York City in the spring prior to the production. I was 31, single, and surrounded by friends in their late 20s—many coupled, some newly married. I stayed in their apartments across the city and noticed a striking commonality: white or cream walls, heavy trim layered in decades of paint, and a sense that no one truly lived inside. Life happened outside—in the city, in motion, not within those rooms.

That sensibility became the foundation for this design.

Onstage, two coupled buildings frame stage right—architecturally linked, echoing domestic partnership. In contrast, the lone red-brick structure on stage left stands apart, reflecting Bobby’s solitude and emotional remove. Fire escapes, stoops, and ladders rise throughout the set, offering both physical and metaphorical mobility. Backlit windows glow in purples, pinks, and blues, suggesting private lives just out of reach.

A dynamic color-shifting cyc forms the skyline, transitioning with mood and music. This abstract cityscape—sometimes blue and expansive, other times pulsing with disco energy—captures the shifting emotional rhythm of Sondheim’s nonlinear world. The orchestra sits embedded between buildings, grounding the city in sound.

Rather than literal apartments, the design creates a landscape of longing—an exterior world where people connect, drift, and circle around love. It’s a New York built from memory and movement, shaped by what we see from the outside looking in. The set, like the city, holds the ache and possibility of modern adulthood—imperfect, exhilarating, and always just out of reach.

Scenic Design — Musical

University of California, Irvine — November 2019

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Theater stage with a miniature urban cityscape set, featuring buildings with lit windows, ladder-like structures hanging, and a small orchestra or band performing behind a railing, illuminated by dramatic purple and yellow lights.
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A theatrical stage scene with actors in colorful costumes, performing a musical number with expressive poses, set against a city-like backdrop with painted buildings, steps, and stairs.
A young man holding a colorful toy, looking concerned or confused on stage with a group of people in the background.
A man in a light blue shirt performing on stage with a group of nine people standing behind him, with purple and blue lighting and a brick building backdrop.
A woman in a white dress singing on stage with colorful umbrellas held by others behind her.
A diverse group of people performing on stage with a cityscape backdrop featuring apartment buildings, some with windows lit up, and disco balls hanging from the ceiling.
A man in a light blue shirt and dark pants stands on stage holding a red tie, with several people standing on a dark stage with purple lighting in the background.
The image shows a stage scene with a brick apartment set in the background. There are three actors: one sitting on the steps in a white shirt and tie, another sitting on the ground in a red jacket and pink shorts, and a third actor in the background
A woman in a wedding dress leaning forward and talking to a seated man in a white tuxedo on a stage.
A man wearing a tuxedo stands on stage with a serious expression, illuminated by stage lights, with a dark background and blue windows, and a woman in the background reading from a paper.
Six actors singing on stage with a brick building backdrop.
A theatrical performance on stage with three actors, one actor giving a piggyback ride to another, in a cityscape setting with a bar cart and spectators in the background.
A woman singing passionately on stage, holding a martini glass, under a spotlight with a dark background and purple lighting.

Creative Team

Music & Lyrics byStephen Sondheim
Book byGeorge Furth
Directed byEli Simon
Music DirectionLex Leigh
ChoreographyAllison Eversol
Scenic DesignBrandon PT Davis
Costume DesignCassie DeFile
Lighting DesignJacob P. Brinkman
Sound DesignGarrett Gagnon