Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Martino.
Kristen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a Scenic Designer for Theatre. I design the physical worlds of the plays that appear on stage. I have always been around the stage. At the age of 2, I started taking dance classes in my hometown near New Orleans and continued with them all the way through college. In high school, a lot of my friends were a part of the theatre group inspired me to audition for the fall musical. I instantly fell in love with theatre. This pushed me to want to be a theatre major in college, but I found that I did not really enjoy being on stage as much as I loved helping out behind the scenes.
I began taking more and more classes that included stage management, painting, carpentry, welding, lighting, and more. I began my time in college at the Northwestern State University of Louisiana and finished my BFA in Scenic Design at Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. I decided to continue my Scenic Design education by attending grad school and began my search. After considering many schools, I landed at Indiana University. During my time at IU, I was able to take classes in scenic design, drafting, rendering and other specialties including puppets and mask making.
Once I had completed my MFA, I made the decision to pursue a freelance career track rather than a full-time job at one theatre. Many theaters hire per show for their designers so a freelance path is quite common. Chicago and New York are definitely the most popular cities to start a career for theatre, but I knew Chicago was the place for me. I had visited a few times prior and fell in love with it. So in 2016, I moved all of my belongings to Chicago and started an internship I had lined up with a local established Scenic Designer, Kevin Depinet. I worked in his studio located in Evanston, IL where I was able to build scale models, produce drafting and paint elevations and any other materials needed for the productions he was working on at the time.
Once my internship was complete with him he offered me an associate position to stay working with him in his studio and I am still there. Model making is my specialty, but I still work on creating the 3D digital models, draftings, and paint elevations as well. Kevin designs at many of the major theatres here in the Chicago area, but also around the country and internationally as well. Having the opportunity to assist at those theatres has been incredibly rewarding. I also was offered several of my own scenic designs around the country since grad school including Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples, FL; Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo, MI; and Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre in Grand Lake, CO.
I am also the Scenic and Lighting Designer and mentor at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL and have several upcoming shows in the Chicago area with theatres such as Marriott Theatre, Piven Theatre Workshop, and Red Twist Theatre. I am also excited to be a part of design team representing the United States with the 2019 Prague Quadrennial. The PQ is essentially like the Olympics of stage design where 70+ countries from around the world are represented. Matthew Wofford, Christopher Rhoton and I will be designing the emerging artist exhibit that will explore the themes of “Porous Borders”.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It is a constant struggle to always find new work as a freelance artist. You have to constantly keep your ears and eyes open to what theatres have openings, when they will be doing their seasonal hiring, and who to keep in contact with at the theatres you are interested in working with. This means watching several of the job posting websites available, going to opening night parties and talking with other artists about upcoming productions and just being a likable human being that people want to collaborate with on a production.
It is often who you know that gets you in the door with a new company and not being from Chicago originally or not attending a school here, it has been more of a struggle for me to find those open doors. They are there, just not as easy to get through. Stress is also a big struggle. Not having a fixed income can often be scary. If I am not actively looking for design opportunities, it could mean that 6 to 8 months down the road having a stressful month financially. Especially while I am just starting out.
Please tell us about Kristen Martino Designs.
Well, I create entire worlds. I love designing for theater because you often get to design the impossible and then brainstorm through how to make it come to life. I have worked in all genres of theatre including musicals, plays, new works, contemporaries, classics, and operas. I have done both comedy and drama and find that I don’t always have a preference. I honestly enjoy when I am working on multiple shows to have a variety in front of me. As a design associate, I love working with the scale models.
This means building an entire theater and the set within it to a specified scale (usually 1/4″=1′-0″). This means that I build furniture that is small enough to fit on a penny. As a designer myself, I love the collaboration that comes with designing a show. Working with a director to determine what the right setting for a production can be fascinating and inspiring. Once that conversation is had, I will go and begin researching. I love looking at images of artwork, sculptures and architecture for inspiration. I also love just observing textures.
The rust on the CTA train bridges, the rocks along the edges of the beaches, even the different bricks used to build all of the buildings of Chicago- all inspire me for different projects. Once I find a few images that inspire me I begin sketching or building a model or building a 3D computer model of the show. Each show has a different feeling to it so each has a different method of communication of the ideas. Once I have something to show the director we then meet again to discuss what we like and don’t like and what path to continue forward with.
The other members of the design team (lights, costumes, sound, projections) will often collaborate on these ideas as well. Once the design is locked down I can draft the scenic pieces to be built and painted by a scene shop. Then all that is left is watching it come together as a show. What sets me apart is how I love talking with the director about the story of the show before we ever even discuss what the set should be. I love knowing what makes the story special and that often inspires a much deeper understanding of what the set should be on stage.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Every year growing up getting to dance on stage in my recitals. They were truly magical for me as a young child and then gaining more and more responsibility with helping to run them as I got older taught me so many skills I still use today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristenmartino.com
- Email: kristenmartino.design@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenmartino.design/
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