Jesus Christ Superstar

For Jesus Christ Superstar, I wanted the world to feel like an urban alleyway that had become a gathering place, a refuge, a battleground, and eventually a kind of makeshift public stage.

The core of the set was two nine-by-twelve-foot buildings placed on opposing angles, connected by a footbridge. That central bridge gave the design its silhouette and created a powerful elevated playing area, while the open…

For Jesus Christ Superstar, I wanted the world to feel like an urban alleyway that had become a gathering place, a refuge, a battleground, and eventually a kind of makeshift public stage.

The core of the set was two nine-by-twelve-foot buildings placed on opposing angles, connected by a footbridge. That central bridge gave the design its silhouette and created a powerful elevated playing area, while the open space beneath it allowed performers to enter from the rear and emerge directly into the action.

The architecture was intentionally built for movement. A movable staircase could be repositioned as needed, creating changing routes to the upper levels. Fixed ladders gave the cast additional vertical access, and a dumpster provided another mid-level platform for performance and staging. Together, these elements gave the ensemble multiple levels of height and energy without requiring a major scene shift.

The production also relied on flying elements for side entrances and aerial dance moments, so the scenic environment needed to leave enough visual and physical space for those effects to work. The alleyway structure created a grounded frame around those moments without competing with them.

Budget was a major consideration. The front brick treatment used wallpaper rather than individually painted masonry, which kept the build affordable while still creating a convincing brick façade from the audience. The rest of the environment was then aggressively distressed with aging, damage, grime, and broken architectural texture to make the world feel rough, neglected, and real.

I designed the set and was directly involved in the build, helping bring the structural and scenic concept from design into the finished production.