Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Ramillano.
Hi Leah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I discovered my passion for scenic design and the collaborative aspects of theatre in college at the University of Redlands, and it carried me through my father’s passing which happened 2 or 3 weeks into my freshman year. At that point, I felt so behind compared to folks who had been involved in theatre their whole lives, so I dove right in and busied myself with all things theatre – I think I did something ridiculous like 22 productions in 3 years, spanning in designing, writing, directing, and performing. After that, I went to grad school at the University of California, Irvine where I spent 3 years collaborating with people who would eventually become some of my closest friends.
I now work as a CAD Associate for Mattel’s Global Tradeshow Services department, while pursuing other scenic design opportunities that help fulfill my artistic hunger. It has been a wild balancing act at times, but I am grateful for how flexible my team at Mattel has been in order for me to feed my other passions.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been the smoothest road – but it has been incredibly rewarding, especially with the people I have been privileged to meet along the way, be they collaborators, mentors, or lifelong friends. I struggle with such a deep sense of imposter syndrome at times which can create an immense artistic blockage for me. It makes me feel like I am not the right person for the job at hand or that there are people who can do this far better than me. Other times, creative sparks are not always firing off the way you want them to so sometimes, it’s less about being inspired spontaneously with a stroke of genius, and more about seeking out (and not always easily or linearly) inspiration to keep going.
During the pandemic, I had to really take a look at my life and evaluate my priorities; I learned that being a designer full-time, reaching the regional theatre, or having a well-known name in the industry, was no longer a priority for me. I began to mourn the career I once wanted – which was painful to realize – but also came to discover a better sense of balance, self-worth, and groundedness. I am also very happy with taking a step back and taking on more assistant design roles. I started to compare my career to others’ less (though I can’t say that it doesn’t still happen!) and came to appreciate that I have a job that fits my lifestyle, that allows me to spend time with my partner, friends, and family, and that lets me be more selective of the work I say yes to.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a scenic designer that mainly works in theatre, but has also dabbled in virtual theatre, devised work, and immersive work. I’m fairly open to any sort of storytelling in any medium. I am extremely proud of one of my most recent projects which were “All the Town’s a Stage: A Winona Story,” which was a play created for and by the community of Winona, Minnesota produced by the Great River Shakespeare Festival that follows the Cornerstone Theater Company model or community-engaged project. This means that there is a long process (sometimes years) of collecting stories from the community and developing a play around them. Then, the people of that community are invited to audition and be part of the production, regardless of their level of theatre experience (as well as being part of the crew, design, outreach, etc.). These productions are normally not set in a traditional theatre and tickets are on a pay-what-you-can basis so that it is more accessible to folks who don’t normally go to the theatre; in this case, we were in a community center on an indoor basketball court.
The productions also include professional actors, directors, designers, etc so that the melding of professional folks and community folks uplifts the entire production process. It is an absolute labor of love to do this type of work, but I’ve found it to always be remarkably fulfilling and enriching, and although we are all working to get something wonderful by opening night, it truly enhances the importance of the journey rather than the destination. It is the type of work that helps people meet each other where they are and build up their sense of empathy and community. It also showcases how incredibly brave and beautifully vulnerable community members can be in choosing to be part of a play production when some of them may have never even watched a show before. It is hard for me to fully express the wildly elated and cathartic feeling of opening a community-engaged project. It is a rush like no other, and I feel so blessed every time I’ve gotten to be part of one.
Contact Info:
- Website: leahramillano.com
