In the Classroom: Bridget Catania

Students in the Production Design class have been working with master artist Bridget Catania, a scenic designer and artist who works extensively with Broadway set designer Anna Louizos (In the Heights). Catania has been sharing her multi-faceted career, which includes design for Off-Broadway and regional theater productions, as well as museums, the Met Gala, and The Drew Barrymore Show set. Students have been learning about set painting and the complexities of colors. This week, Bridget demonstrated the use of the “chip brush method” in painting wood. “A lot of scenic art is trial and error,” she said. “Half of design is conversation.”

“Bridget taught us a lot about shade and tone,” said Evelyn Engels, a first-year student. “I think it’s nice to learn different techniques. I never realized that you can create fake wood on wood! It’s interesting to see that Bridget doesn’t only do theater. We learned that there are many aspects to a career in scenic painting.”

Evelyn really enjoys her work in the Production Design class with like-minded peers. “One of the reasons I love coming to LIHSA is to really get a feel for how what I’m learning at this school can be applied in the real world. One day I would like to be working in the construction aspect of theater.”

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