Life & Work with Andrea of Sherman Oaks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea.

Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before jumping into scenic design, I was first introduced to the world of sculpture. I was lucky enough to have attended a high school that offered an “Intro to Ceramics” art class. I signed up for the course my sophomore year and loved it so much I decided to take all the ceramic art classes my high school offered. After three ceramic classes, I knew I wanted to focus on studying the Arts in college. During my time at CSUN, as I pursued my bachelor’s degree in the Arts, a friend convinced me to enroll in a theater design class my third year. I initially joined the class because I wanted to create miniature scale models (of theaters and sets) and instead found a new passion: scenic design. Being in the arts with a focus on 3D works, the transition to study theatrical stage design felt very natural. As I spent more time in the theater world, I found myself consistently drawn to incorporating narrative into my personal sculptures. Stage design became a way for me to support storytelling through sculpture. I see theatrical sets as large-scale 3D works that come together to create an environment, allowing the audience to step into the world of the character’s on stage. After a year of scenic design courses, I decided to minor in Technical Theater—this was the start of a pivot in my career. I connected with local designers to take on small gigs that involved prop making or model building for theater productions. These jobs allowed me to put into practice many of the skillsets I had gained from my sculpture background, such as working with several different materials— from welding to mold making to woodworking. Although every backstage job I took on was an opportunity to learn the inner workings of other designer’s sets, I realized I didn’t have enough experience or the strongest resume to really present myself as a designer. I decided to officially study scenic design and enrolled at UCI to pursue my master’s in Scenic Design. The completion of my master’s program provided me the experience to design at a university level, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with professionals that have worked at well-known regional theaters.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been a lot of ups and downs including many sleepless nights and what has felt like endless hours model building, but there have also been many rewarding moments seeing the show come together. I have always believed that “luck” is often about being in the right place at the right time, but it’s not purely chance— you have to actively put yourself there. As I began to focus more on scenic design, I did my best to immerse myself in the theater world, this included volunteering with summer Shakespeare shows in LA and striking each show of the CSUN theater department. It’s important to surround yourself in the work you want to do because that’s when opportunities come. I find myself using the word “opportunity” a lot, but I do think it’s an important to see every pivot as an opportunity to learn a new skill, take on a new gig, or follow a new path.
That mindset became especially important in 2020, when the pandemic brought the theater world to a sudden pause. Because theater depends so heavily on live audiences and collaboration, many projects were put on hold for independent designers and even larger companies. But that is what makes theater so magical and lively, it’s a performance of various components at the same time, working in harmony to deliver a seamless show. Lights and sound and set are changing in real time in front of the audience, taking them on a journey in just a couple hours.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work as a scenic designer centers on collaboration and storytelling. I work closely with directors, designers, and a production team to create environments that visually support the narrative and guide the audience through the story. For me, scenic design is about more than building a physical space, it’s about shaping an environment that enhances emotion, character, and movement onstage. I would say I take a more sculptural approach to design, focusing on how the material, texture and overall form can communicate meaning.
One of the aspects of theater I value most is the collaborative process. I enjoy design meetings where ideas are shared, challenged, and formed through conversation. We are all putting our work on stage (costumes, lights, etc.) and being open to collaboration and integrating ideas from my fellow designers ensures the show succeeds with a cohesive visual language. What I am most proud of is my ability to bridge artistic vision with practical execution. Working in a theatrical production shop for many years has provided me with a technical background that allows me to design with an understanding of how things are built and used onstage and help streamline the production process. That combination of sculptural thinking, technical knowledge, and collaborative mindset is what I believe sets me apart as a designer.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t be shy to talk about what you aspire to be in the future, even if you are in a completely different role than what you want to do next. Someone around you may be listening and just may happen to know of an opportunity for you. In my experience, the majority of the jobs I have taken on have been presented to me by word of mouth or letting people know I was open to work. My first internship out of college was at a design firm in studio city that designed the setups for many TV news stations around LA. I was volunteering two days a week at the CSUN production studio building sets for the theater department and in chatting with the scenic shop manager about looking for local small theaters to design for, he recommended me an internship at a company his friend worked at. I went in for an interview the next week and fortunately got the internship!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://andreavcorona.myportfolio.com

Image Credits
King Lear image, Photo Credit: Paul Kennedy
RENT image, Photo Credit: Paul Kennedy
Little Women, Photo Credit: Justin Marroquin