Queen of Basel
Theatreworks Hartford - 2023.
By Hillary Bettis, Directed by: Cristina Angeles; Scenic Design:Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Emma Deane; Costume Design: Harry Nadal; Sound Design: German Martinez . Cast: Silvia Dionicio, Christine Spang, Kelvin Grullon
Theatreworks Hartford - 2023.
By Hillary Bettis, Directed by: Cristina Angeles; Scenic Design:Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Emma Deane; Costume Design: Harry Nadal; Sound Design: German Martinez . Cast: Silvia Dionicio, Christine Spang, Kelvin Grullon
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"...Rodrigo Escalante's set design is a suitably grungy back-room restaurant space with high small windows, tiled walls and a long metal prep table. It brings the heat just as the kitchen did in the noir movie "The Postman Always Rings Twice..." - Hartford Courant
"...Most impressive in this production, however, is Rodrigo Escalante’s superb set design. The detail of the kitchen is so raw and real ..." - Connecticut Critics Circle "...I like Rodrigo Escalante's set design, it is absolutely what a hotel janitor closet would look like, I could almost smell the mold and mildew growing in the corners and in the sink ..." - One Man's Opinion Theatre Review "Rodrigo Escalante's set design is the definition of realism: the moment we see this gray-hued, unused kitchen, a working sink, a filthy floor and stacked boxed against every available wall space-we are drawn into the claustrophobic world of the play" -Broadway World |
The African Company Presents Richard III
Great River Shakespeare Fesitval - 2022, In rep with "Always...Patsy Cline" and "Twelfth Night"
Design Selected for Prague Quadrennial 2023 USITT Exhibit.
By Carlyle Brown, Directed by: Corey Allen; Scenic Design:Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz; Costume Design: Harri Horsley; Hair and Makeup Design: Kenyana Trambles; Props Design: Ivy Trecani, Sound Design: Nate Brown; Stage Manager: Tenley Pitonzo. Photos by Lloyd Mulvey.
Great River Shakespeare Fesitval - 2022, In rep with "Always...Patsy Cline" and "Twelfth Night"
Design Selected for Prague Quadrennial 2023 USITT Exhibit.
By Carlyle Brown, Directed by: Corey Allen; Scenic Design:Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz; Costume Design: Harri Horsley; Hair and Makeup Design: Kenyana Trambles; Props Design: Ivy Trecani, Sound Design: Nate Brown; Stage Manager: Tenley Pitonzo. Photos by Lloyd Mulvey.
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Romeo and Juliet
The New School - New York, NY. - 2021
Directed by: Cristina Angeles; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Olivia Hern; Lighting Design by: Emma Deane; Sound Design by: DJ Potts; Fight Choreography by: Thomas Schall; Intimacy Direction by: Lauren DeLeon; Student Assistant Director:Hannah Penderson; Production Stage Manager: Jennifer Gallo; Assistant Stage Manager: Jenna Ng Lowry.
Production Photos by Nathaniel Johnston Photography.
The New School - New York, NY. - 2021
Directed by: Cristina Angeles; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Olivia Hern; Lighting Design by: Emma Deane; Sound Design by: DJ Potts; Fight Choreography by: Thomas Schall; Intimacy Direction by: Lauren DeLeon; Student Assistant Director:Hannah Penderson; Production Stage Manager: Jennifer Gallo; Assistant Stage Manager: Jenna Ng Lowry.
Production Photos by Nathaniel Johnston Photography.
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Always… Patsy Cline
Great River Shakespeare Festival -2022, In rep with "African Company Presents Richard III" and "Twelfth Night"
Directed by: Braxton Rae ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design by: Jacqueline Malenke; Costume Design: Rebecca Bernstein; Hair and Makeup Design: Kenyana Trambles; Music Direction: Brittany Proia; Sound Design by: Nate Brown; Stage Management: Madison Tarchala.
Great River Shakespeare Festival -2022, In rep with "African Company Presents Richard III" and "Twelfth Night"
Directed by: Braxton Rae ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design by: Jacqueline Malenke; Costume Design: Rebecca Bernstein; Hair and Makeup Design: Kenyana Trambles; Music Direction: Brittany Proia; Sound Design by: Nate Brown; Stage Management: Madison Tarchala.
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Fedra, Queen of Haiti
Barnard Theatre
Directed by: Tatyana-Marie Carlo ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Haydee Zelideth; Lighting Design by: Amara Mcneil; Sound Design by: Broken Chord.
Barnard Theatre
Directed by: Tatyana-Marie Carlo ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Haydee Zelideth; Lighting Design by: Amara Mcneil; Sound Design by: Broken Chord.
"...Upon entering the Minor Latham Playhouse, my fellow audience members and I were immediately met with the aesthetic spectacle the show would continue to deliver throughout its run. The set--designed by Rodrigo Escalante–was gorgeous, its soft white and orange tones and lush green plant accents contrasted with the sinister metal spikes that decorated the edges of the stage and the ceiling, a foreboding hint at the violent events of the play to come..." - BWOG
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Mary Stuart
Lee Strasberg/NYU - New York, NY
When using proscenium style, I love justifying the separation between stage and audience, with that in mind I was inspired in museums and museum exhibits. With this being a theatre piece based in history, the Director and I were interested in how history is portrayed and biased, we were also interested in how together as an audience can judge a figure or story, and emphasize how women in positions of power are placed in a pedestal and judged with a higher standard. The commonalties between a stage and a museum display were interesting for me to explore.
Directed by: Nicholas Polonio ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Keyon Woods; Lighting Design by: Erin MacDevitt ; Sound Design by: Chelsea Daniels.
Lee Strasberg/NYU - New York, NY
When using proscenium style, I love justifying the separation between stage and audience, with that in mind I was inspired in museums and museum exhibits. With this being a theatre piece based in history, the Director and I were interested in how history is portrayed and biased, we were also interested in how together as an audience can judge a figure or story, and emphasize how women in positions of power are placed in a pedestal and judged with a higher standard. The commonalties between a stage and a museum display were interesting for me to explore.
Directed by: Nicholas Polonio ; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Costumes by: Keyon Woods; Lighting Design by: Erin MacDevitt ; Sound Design by: Chelsea Daniels.
Production Photo.
Production Photo
Production Photo
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Rendering
Production Photo
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Fruma-Sarah(Waiting in the Wings)
The Cell Theatre - New York, NY.
Off-Broadway production starring Emmy nominee Jackie Hoffman and Kelly Kinsella, the set consisted of creating the backstage wing of a community theatre during a production of "Fiddler on the Roof", with a constrained time and space the design became about finding the essential, I also had fun playing with perspective and placing elements in a unnatural layout. Directed by: Braden M. Burns, Play by: E. Dale Smith, Sound Design: Germán Martínez, Lighting Design: Dan Alaimo, Costume Design: Bobby Goodrich.
The Cell Theatre - New York, NY.
Off-Broadway production starring Emmy nominee Jackie Hoffman and Kelly Kinsella, the set consisted of creating the backstage wing of a community theatre during a production of "Fiddler on the Roof", with a constrained time and space the design became about finding the essential, I also had fun playing with perspective and placing elements in a unnatural layout. Directed by: Braden M. Burns, Play by: E. Dale Smith, Sound Design: Germán Martínez, Lighting Design: Dan Alaimo, Costume Design: Bobby Goodrich.
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"...Rodrigo Escalante’s set brilliantly re-creates the tangle of ropes, pulleys and mysterious rows of handles that is the backstage of a theater...."
-theaterscene.net "...The rest of the modest production is just right, including Rodrigo Escalante's arrangement of stage curtains and rigging..." -Lighting & Sound America |
Color Sketch.
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Pencil Sketch.
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Ragtime
The Lucas Theatre - Savannah, GA
It was a great experience to design for such a big historic theatre, the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, GA. This was such a big show with a very constrained budget and quick turnaround, I approached it with a very simplistic design. Due to an unexpected turn of events, I also designed projections for this one. Directed by: Michael Wainstein, Costumes by Dawn Testa, Lighting by Jordan Wiggins, Musical Direction by Kevin Wallace.
The Lucas Theatre - Savannah, GA
It was a great experience to design for such a big historic theatre, the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, GA. This was such a big show with a very constrained budget and quick turnaround, I approached it with a very simplistic design. Due to an unexpected turn of events, I also designed projections for this one. Directed by: Michael Wainstein, Costumes by Dawn Testa, Lighting by Jordan Wiggins, Musical Direction by Kevin Wallace.
Production Photo, bows after a performance of Ragtime.
Production Photo. Opening Number
"...The scenic design by Rodrigo Escalante expertly complements the show, framing the stage with an immense proscenium that, with the help of Jordan Wiggins’s old-fashioned lighting, give turn-of-the-century flavor to the setting. Platforms and staircases on either side help give depth and height to the onstage picture, and occasional projections complement the onstage action" - District
"...And while the lavish casting is certainly a trademark of Ragtime, the sumptuous set is not to be ignored..." - Connect Savannah
"...And while the lavish casting is certainly a trademark of Ragtime, the sumptuous set is not to be ignored..." - Connect Savannah
Production Photo.
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Production Photo. Baseball
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Scale Model.
Paint Elevation. The wall at the back of the stage was massive and had to be built in parts for assembly at the theatre. I designed rivets around each section of the wall, so in case visible to the audience, the seams would look intentional.
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Production Photo. Make Them Hear You
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Production Photo. Mr President.
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Production Photo. Crime of The Century
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Romeo and Juliet
The Public Theater/ Hunt's Point Alliance for Children - 2023
A Romeo and Juliet featuring the Hunt's Point Shakespeare Ensemble - a group of middle schoolers from the Hunt's Point community in The Bronx which performed at two different venues!
*photos from Load-In
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The Buddy Holly Story
Cape Fear Regional Theatre - North Carolina 2022
Directed by: Suzanne Agins; Musical Direction by: James Dobinson; Choreography by: Randy Davis; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting by: Elizabeth M. Stewart; Costumes by: Megan Rutherford; Sound Design by: Brandon Reed; Props by: Matthew Decker; Hair and Makeup by: Kiara Kirkland.
Cape Fear Regional Theatre - North Carolina 2022
Directed by: Suzanne Agins; Musical Direction by: James Dobinson; Choreography by: Randy Davis; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting by: Elizabeth M. Stewart; Costumes by: Megan Rutherford; Sound Design by: Brandon Reed; Props by: Matthew Decker; Hair and Makeup by: Kiara Kirkland.
"The scenery and props were simple but worked and allowed scenes to be changed quickly" - City View NC
Godspell
The Little Theatre - Queens, NY.
The Director's vision was to have this production set in a warehouse. It was very fun for me to have a design informed by very industrial settings which is something I've always been inspired by. Directed by: Rick Roemer, Costumes by Heather McDevitt, Lighting by Joe Cantalupo, Musical Direction by: Matthew DeMaria
The Little Theatre - Queens, NY.
The Director's vision was to have this production set in a warehouse. It was very fun for me to have a design informed by very industrial settings which is something I've always been inspired by. Directed by: Rick Roemer, Costumes by Heather McDevitt, Lighting by Joe Cantalupo, Musical Direction by: Matthew DeMaria
Rendering for production.
In the Initial design a massive wall was gonna hide the actual back wall of the theatre, due to budget constraints I had to come up with a solution. The solution was to only have a partial back wall that informed the location.
Research/ Mood Board
Production Photo.
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Production Photo
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We Have Apples
West End Theatre - New York, NY.
"We Have Apples follows Jane, a quirky 19 year old who is determined to overcome her mental illness and become a successful writer. Paralyzed by the intensity of Depression, Jane's illness personified, Jane is forced to check into a psychiatric facility. In the facility, she bonds with the other patients in a writing group and falls in love with her psychiatrist's son." Book & Lyrics: Rachel Griffin and Aaron Accurso, Directed by: Gina Rattan, Choreography by: Sarah O'Gleby, Costumes by : Alixandra Eilsen, Lighting by: David Sexton, Sound Design by: Jessica Mcllquham.
West End Theatre - New York, NY.
"We Have Apples follows Jane, a quirky 19 year old who is determined to overcome her mental illness and become a successful writer. Paralyzed by the intensity of Depression, Jane's illness personified, Jane is forced to check into a psychiatric facility. In the facility, she bonds with the other patients in a writing group and falls in love with her psychiatrist's son." Book & Lyrics: Rachel Griffin and Aaron Accurso, Directed by: Gina Rattan, Choreography by: Sarah O'Gleby, Costumes by : Alixandra Eilsen, Lighting by: David Sexton, Sound Design by: Jessica Mcllquham.
Set before a performance.
Tech Rehearsals
Bows after a performance
Speech and Debate
St Johns University - Queens, NY
Directed by: Aaron Van Syoc; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design by: Joe Cantalupo.
St Johns University - Queens, NY
Directed by: Aaron Van Syoc; Scenic Design by: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design by: Joe Cantalupo.
Production Photo
Production Photo
Production Photo
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Scale White Model
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World Builders
Opera House Arts - Stonington, Maine.
By Johnna Adams, Directed by: Cait Robinson; Scenic Design: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Jenn Fok; Costume Design: Jennifer Paar; Sound Design: Tyler Walker; Stage Manager: Jennie Davis; Assistant Director: Julia Cooke; Scenic Painter: Jess Ploszaj; Technical Director: Theodore Dumas; Production Manager: Chloe Morrell. Photos by Kat Moraros
Opera House Arts - Stonington, Maine.
By Johnna Adams, Directed by: Cait Robinson; Scenic Design: Rodrigo Escalante; Lighting Design: Jenn Fok; Costume Design: Jennifer Paar; Sound Design: Tyler Walker; Stage Manager: Jennie Davis; Assistant Director: Julia Cooke; Scenic Painter: Jess Ploszaj; Technical Director: Theodore Dumas; Production Manager: Chloe Morrell. Photos by Kat Moraros
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Othello The Remix
Concept for a new adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. Set made with repurposed shipping containers that would act as dioramas for the different scenes, the layout of platforms provides easy access in and out of the stage.
Concept for a new adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. Set made with repurposed shipping containers that would act as dioramas for the different scenes, the layout of platforms provides easy access in and out of the stage.
3D Rendering
Miniature Scale Model
It's all in the details.
Hand-Drafting.
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Hand-drafted section.
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Broadcast Set Design
Practicing 3D rendering skills and design while quarantining at home.
Practicing 3D rendering skills and design while quarantining at home.
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