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Rodrigo Escalante
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I'm Rodrigo Escalante, a New York City based Scenic Designer and a resident of Hudson County in New Jersey where I enjoy a community that keeps me connected to my Central American roots. I was born and raised in El Salvador; and I'm proud for being raised in a country with a strong sense of community, hard work and righteousness, traits which I hope to bring to my theatre making process.
Some of my favorite design credits include: The world premiere of Vamonos at INTAR(HOLA Awards Outstanding Design Winner), El Otro Oz at Atlantic Theater (New York Times Critic's Pick), La Gringa at American Stage(Broadway World Tampa Best Scenic Design Winner), Once at Syracuse Stage, The Hunt's Point Ensemble and Public Theater's productions of Hamlet(2024) and Romeo and Juliet(2023)(Featured in the PBS Documentary 'The First Folio'), and Queen of Basel at Theaterworks Hartford.
My first experience with live event was attending the circus at a very young age, which is probably where my fascination for "spectacle" came from, later realizing designing stages was specifically what I wanted to do , and theatre came in even later. I have a fascination for spaces dedicated to performance and the agreement between audience and performers.
As a set designer, I believe in flexibility and adaptability in my process, I enjoy surprising the audience by transforming a space they are familiar with; as much as I like embracing the space, setting the stage for story-telling; when possible I like to preserve the presentational aspect of theatre, I think set design for theatre works best when honest and self-aware. I am passionate for theatre that feels like story-tellers on stage.
For me designing for the stage is about creating a space that makes you feel what the playwright or director intend, and does not necessarily adhere to location or time period. It's about a multi functional space, that can interpret reality and the aspects of daily life in a new light.
It is also important for me to balance the goals and limitations of each project, wether that's budget, space or other. I believe a successful design is not necessarily the most expensive or extravagant but the one that is able to balance all the constraints and goals.
I will forever be grateful to CK PRODUCTIONS in Long Island, NY, where I got my start in set design , that place was my sandbox as it allowed me to experiment with set design. I'm a graduate of the SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN in Savannah, Georgia.
Don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected] and follow my instagram @rodrigoescalantedesign
Some of my favorite design credits include: The world premiere of Vamonos at INTAR(HOLA Awards Outstanding Design Winner), El Otro Oz at Atlantic Theater (New York Times Critic's Pick), La Gringa at American Stage(Broadway World Tampa Best Scenic Design Winner), Once at Syracuse Stage, The Hunt's Point Ensemble and Public Theater's productions of Hamlet(2024) and Romeo and Juliet(2023)(Featured in the PBS Documentary 'The First Folio'), and Queen of Basel at Theaterworks Hartford.
My first experience with live event was attending the circus at a very young age, which is probably where my fascination for "spectacle" came from, later realizing designing stages was specifically what I wanted to do , and theatre came in even later. I have a fascination for spaces dedicated to performance and the agreement between audience and performers.
As a set designer, I believe in flexibility and adaptability in my process, I enjoy surprising the audience by transforming a space they are familiar with; as much as I like embracing the space, setting the stage for story-telling; when possible I like to preserve the presentational aspect of theatre, I think set design for theatre works best when honest and self-aware. I am passionate for theatre that feels like story-tellers on stage.
For me designing for the stage is about creating a space that makes you feel what the playwright or director intend, and does not necessarily adhere to location or time period. It's about a multi functional space, that can interpret reality and the aspects of daily life in a new light.
It is also important for me to balance the goals and limitations of each project, wether that's budget, space or other. I believe a successful design is not necessarily the most expensive or extravagant but the one that is able to balance all the constraints and goals.
I will forever be grateful to CK PRODUCTIONS in Long Island, NY, where I got my start in set design , that place was my sandbox as it allowed me to experiment with set design. I'm a graduate of the SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN in Savannah, Georgia.
Don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected] and follow my instagram @rodrigoescalantedesign
PRESS
"...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
"As I walked into American Stage downtown St. Pete, I was struck in awe by the wondrous set created by scene designer Rodrigo Escalante. Escalante created scenes for the theater’s production of Carmen Riviera’s OBIE award-winning play, La Gringa. I experienced two worlds entangled together in that theater. The beautiful, tropical jungle and mountain sides of Puerto Rico surround the living spaces of the extended family of the main protagonist, Maria. This environment is the visual representation of a theme in this play: the duality of life. This theme can create both harmony and conflict"
-Brian Shea for The Gabber
"Scenic designer Rodrigo Escalante created a lush set filled with live tropical plants and mulch. It serves many purposes for different scenes, like residential landscaping, but easily becomes Monchi's farm where Maria tries her hand at farming(which is hilarious). It also becomes El Yunque, a tropical rainforest where Maria, Monchi and Manolo have a spiritual experience"
-Tampa Bay News
"Rodrigo Escalante's set makes masterful use of every square inch of available space, giving the production a larger-than-life ambiance"
-The Bradenton Times
"The intimate setting of the theater contributes to the heightened emotional impact of the performances....The set is an apartment in the Bronx. Designed by Rodrigo Escalante, the limited space (i.e. kitchen, living room and bedroom) is used to great effect as characters pair off for conversations while accommodating all seven characters for most of the performance. Furniture, light fixtures, cabinets and appliances are all of the era and, rightly, slightly used"
-Theater Pizzaz (Walter Murphy)
"...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
...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
"...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
"As I walked into American Stage downtown St. Pete, I was struck in awe by the wondrous set created by scene designer Rodrigo Escalante. Escalante created scenes for the theater’s production of Carmen Riviera’s OBIE award-winning play, La Gringa. I experienced two worlds entangled together in that theater. The beautiful, tropical jungle and mountain sides of Puerto Rico surround the living spaces of the extended family of the main protagonist, Maria. This environment is the visual representation of a theme in this play: the duality of life. This theme can create both harmony and conflict"
-Brian Shea for The Gabber
"Scenic designer Rodrigo Escalante created a lush set filled with live tropical plants and mulch. It serves many purposes for different scenes, like residential landscaping, but easily becomes Monchi's farm where Maria tries her hand at farming(which is hilarious). It also becomes El Yunque, a tropical rainforest where Maria, Monchi and Manolo have a spiritual experience"
-Tampa Bay News
"Rodrigo Escalante's set makes masterful use of every square inch of available space, giving the production a larger-than-life ambiance"
-The Bradenton Times
"The intimate setting of the theater contributes to the heightened emotional impact of the performances....The set is an apartment in the Bronx. Designed by Rodrigo Escalante, the limited space (i.e. kitchen, living room and bedroom) is used to great effect as characters pair off for conversations while accommodating all seven characters for most of the performance. Furniture, light fixtures, cabinets and appliances are all of the era and, rightly, slightly used"
-Theater Pizzaz (Walter Murphy)
"...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
...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