As part of SMTD’s BFA in design & production curriculum, students display their work in an annual portfolio review, with faculty and guests reviewing their work and offering comments. The portfolios feature examples from coursework as well as hands-on production experiences in theatre, musical theatre, opera, and dance, including conceptual drawings and models, stage management materials, costumes, props, sets, lighting designs and more. The 2025 Design & Production Portfolio Exhibition was open to the public from January 24 to February 7 at the Duderstadt Center Gallery on North Campus.
The 2025 exhibition was highlighted in an article by The Michigan Daily, as well as in an article in Pulp published by the Ann Arbor District Library. Both publications shared student background stories and reflections on their work, as well as quotes from the head of the program, Christianne Myers, Claribel Baird Halstead Collegiate Professor of Theatre & Drama. Through their portfolio presentations, students articulate their decision-making and the evolution of their design process. As explained in the Pulp article by author Davi Napoleon:
Students show the research they do for projects as well as early drafts of what may be very different final products. “We emphasize the importance of process. Students talk about why something changed. It demonstrates flexibility and collaboration,” says Myers, noting that what comes up in a fitting room or dress rehearsal may significantly alter the look of a costume. The same is true for scenic and lighting projects. The idea isn’t to begin with a beautiful, finished rendering but an idea that’s subject to change.
Students’ growth as theatre artists and collaborators is at the heart of the annual portfolio exhibition – as well as a celebration of the often-underappreciated skills and leadership required in design and production work.
SMTD is proud to announce the students showcased in the 2025 exhibition, along with snapshots from their displays:
- Sammer Ali – Costume Designer
- Eliza Anker – Lighting Designer
- Justin Comini – Stage Manager
- Dallas Bellamy Fadul – Props Fabrication
- *Sydney Geysbeek – Lighting Design
- Ethan Hoffman – Lighting Design
- Shelby R. Holloway – Stage Management / Lighting Design
- Esther Hwang – Stage Manager / Production Manager
- Rachael Hymowitz – Costume Design & Construction
- Aspen Kinomoto – Costume Designer
- Lucy Knas – Costumes & Props
- Elianna Kruskal – Lighting Designer / Programmer
- Katie Kutzko – Stage Manager
- Talia Lev – Scenic Designer & Digital Artist
- Alex Li – Artisan & Designer
- Maya Liu – Stage Manager
- Yuchen Ma – Scenic Design
- Rachel Pfeil – Costumes
- Esmay Pricejones – Stage Manager
- Lindsay Robert – Stage Management
- Ceri Roberts – Scenic Designer
- Kayti Sanchez – Costume Design & Construction
- Lottie Stallings – Stage Manager / Arts Administrator
- Kathleen Stanton-Sharpless – Stage Manager
- Lauren Streng – Scenic Designer
- Ellie Van Engen – Costume Designer
- Ellie Vice – Scenic Paint
- Amber Walters – Multidisciplinary Artist / Stage Manager
- Frannie Walton – Stage Manager
- Summer Wasung – Costume Designer
- William Webster – Lighting Design
- Chloe Yoo – Stage Manager
- Tate Zeleznik – Theatre Artist
- Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky – Lighting Design and Production
- Sammer Ali – Costume Designer
- Eliza Anker – Lighting Designer
- Justin Comini – Stage Manager
- Dallas Bellamy Fadul – Props Fabrication
- *Sydney Geysbeek – Lighting Design
- Ethan Hoffman – Lighting Design
- Shelby R. Holloway – Stage Management / Lighting Design
- Esther Hwang – Stage Manager / Production Manager
- Rachael Hymowitz – Costume Design & Construction
- Aspen Kinomoto – Costume Designer
- Lucy Knas – Costumes & Props
- Elianna Kruskal – Lighting Designer / Programmer
- Katie Kutzko – Stage Manager
- Talia Lev – Scenic Designer & Digital Artist
- Alex Li – Artisan & Designer
- Maya Liu – Stage Manager
- Yuchen Ma – Scenic Design
- Rachel Pfeil – Costumes
- Esmay Pricejones – Stage Manager
- Lindsay Robert – Stage Management
- Ceri Roberts – Scenic Designer
- Kayti Sanchez – Costume Design & Construction
- Lottie Stallings – Stage Manager / Arts Administrator
- Kathleen Stanton-Sharpless – Stage Manager
- Lauren Streng – Scenic Designer
- Ellie Van Engen – Costume Designer
- Ellie Vice – Scenic Paint
- Amber Walters – Multidisciplinary Artist / Stage Manager
- Frannie Walton – Stage Manager
- Summer Wasung – Costume Designer
- William Webster – Lighting Design
- Chloe Yoo – Stage Manager
- Tate Zeleznik – Theatre Artist
- Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky – Lighting Design and Production
Sammer Ali
Costume Designer | Class of 2027
Sammer Ali Portfolio 2025 1
Ali’s final project from Intro to Design Rendering with Prof. Christianne Myers.
Sammer Ali Portfolio 2025 2
Example of Ali’s work as Stitcher on a costume for Elizabeth Cree with University Productions.
Sammer Ali Portfolio 2025 3
Ali’s work as Costume Designer on 33 Variations with Basement Arts.
Sammer Ali Portfolio 2025 4
Sketches and swatches from Ali’s costuming work for The Reckoning.
Eliza Anker
Lighting Designer | Class of 2027
Eliza Anker Portfolio 2025 1
Production photos and research from Anker’s work on I and You with Basement Arts.
Eliza Anker Portfolio 2025 2
Followspot Cue Sheet from Anker’s work as Lighting Associate on Jesus Christ Superstar with MUSKET.
Eliza Anker Portfolio 2025 3
Anker’s set rendering for Antigone from coursework with Prof. Kevin Judge.
Eliza Anker Portfolio 2025 4
As Associate Lighting Designer, Anker worked with this Lighting Plot for Stop Kiss in Arthur Miller Theatre.
Justin Comini
Stage Manager | Class of 2027 | Website
Justin Comini Portfolio 2025 1
Calling Script and Production Calendar from Comini’s role as Production Stage Manager on Pippin with Vanguard Theater Company.
Justin Comini Portfolio 2025 2
Comini’s Cast Breakdown charts for Act I of Pippin.
Justin Comini Portfolio 2025 3
Examples from Comini’s scenic design coursework.
Justin Comini Portfolio 2025 4
Production documents from Comini’s work on John Proctor Is the Villain as 1st Assistant Stage Manager.
Dallas Bellamy Fadul
Props Fabrication | Class of 2025
Dallas Bellamy Fadul Portfolio 2025 1
¼” Scale Model for Moulin Rouge produced by Fadul for scenic design coursework.
Dallas Bellamy Fadul Portfolio 2025 2
Examples of Fadul’s props: white house for Dancing in Memory Burning, story book for The Heart of Robin Hood and fake chicken for Stop Kiss.
Dallas Bellamy Fadul Portfolio 2025 3
Examples of Fadul’s scenic painting and prop work.
Dallas Bellamy Fadul Portfolio 2025 4
Hat and mask fabrication work by Fadul.
Sydney Geysbeek
Lighting Design | *Class of 2025 | Website
*As a fifth year senior, Geysbeek was not required to display work in the exhibition this year. We are pleased to share a link to their lighting design portfolio in a digital format.
Ethan Hoffman
Lighting Design | Class of 2026
Ethan Hoffman Portfolio 2025 1
Production photos of Hoffman’s lighting work on The Cherry Orchard, Stop Kiss, and Oklahoma!
Ethan Hoffman Portfolio 2025 2
Magic Sheet examples from Hoffman’s stage lighting work.
Ethan Hoffman Portfolio 2025 3
Hoffman’s channel hookup plans and production binders from past experiences.
Ethan Hoffman Portfolio 2025 4
Lighting plots, renderings, draftings, and video were also part of Hoffman’s portfolio display.
Shelby R. Holloway
Stage Management / Lighting Design | Class of 2027
Shelby Holloway Portfolio 2025 1
Showing Holloway’s research and development process for design rendering coursework.
Shelby Holloway Portfolio 2025 2
Production photo and Cue Sheet from Holloway’s work on Color Cabaret.
Shelby Holloway Portfolio 2025 3
Digital Prompts and paperwork from Holloway’s role as a 2nd Assistant Stage Manager on A Little Night Music.
Shelby Holloway Portfolio 2025 4
Production documents from Holloway’s work as Production Stage Manager for I and You.
Esther Hwang
Stage Manager / Production Manager | Class of 2026
Esther Hwang Portfolio 2025 1
A call script and other production documents were displayed from Hwang’s work as Production Stage Manager on John Proctor Is the Villain.
Esther Hwang Portfolio 2025 2
Photos and schedules Hwang used as production Stage Manager for the 2025 Musical Theatre Senior Entrance.
Esther Hwang Portfolio 2025 3
A scenic diagram Hwang created for work on Pippin: Her Life and Times, and production photos from Hwang’s role as Production Stage Manager on Catch Me If You Can with MUSKET.
Esther Hwang Portfolio 2025 4
Costume design research and renderings from Hwang’s coursework.
Rachael Hymowitz
Costume Design & Construction | Class of 2025
Rachael Hymowitz Portfolio 2025 1
Photos and Character/Scene Costume Breakdown from Hymowitz’s work on Don Giovanni and Eurydice.
Rachael Hymowitz Portfolio 2025 2
Production photos from Hymowitz’s costuming work on The Importance of Being Earnest.
Rachael Hymowitz Portfolio 2025 3
A horse head created by Hymowitz in a prop shop practicum.
Rachael Hymowitz Portfolio 2025 4
Half-scale blazer and pattern pieces for men’s tailoring created by Hymowitz.
Aspen Kinomoto
Costume Designer | Class of 2026
Aspen Kinomoto Portfolio 2025 1
Research and production photos from Kinomoto’s costume designs for I and You with Basement Arts.
Aspen Kinomoto Portfolio 2025 2
Example of costume armor for Julius Caesar crafted by Kinomoto.
Aspen Kinomoto Portfolio 2025 3
Kinomoto’s final project for design rendering coursework.
Aspen Kinomoto Portfolio 2025 4
Examples of tailoring by Kinomoto: a collar dickey, pockets, and half-scale blazer.
Lucy Knas
Costumes & Props | Class of 2026
Lucy Knas Portfolio 2025 1
Knas’s tattoo body suit design, paint & dye for Elizabeth Cree, and work as First Hand on Mother’s costume in Hänsel und Gretel.
Lucy Knas Portfolio 2025 2
Research, props, and production photos from Knas’s work on the opera Elizabeth Cree.
Lucy Knas Portfolio 2025 3
Production photos and a narrative of the Mother costume “From Sketch to Stage” from Knas’s work on the opera Hänsel und Gretel.
Lucy Knas Portfolio 2025 4
Michigan Junior Drum Major costume and pattern pieces, designed and constructed by Knas.
Elianna Kruskal
Lighting Designer / Programmer | Class of 2025 | Website
Elianna Kruskal Portfolio 2025 1
Production photographs and Lighting Cue Sheets from Kruskal’s work on Falsettos.
Elianna Kruskal Portfolio 2025 2
Kruskal displayed a Light Plot and other technical documents from their role as Lighting Designer for John Proctor Is the Villain.
Elianna Kruskal Portfolio 2025 3
Photographs from Kruskal’s work on lighting a dance performance at the Power Center.
Elianna Kruskal Portfolio 2025 4
Kruskal paired production photos with inspiration/ reference images, and highlighted work from an EOS Programming Independent Study.
Katie Kutzko
Stage Manager | Class of 2026
Katie Kutzko Portfolio 2025 1
Kutzko’s examples of artistic sketches and development work alongside a finished artwork.
Katie Kutzko Portfolio 2025 2
Paperwork from Kutzko’s role as Assistant Stage Manager on The Cunning Little Vixen and work on other theatrical performances.
Katie Kutzko Portfolio 2025 3
Close-up of a fox shadow puppet.
Katie Kutzko Portfolio 2025 4
Examples of renderings by Kutzko with inspiration photographs.
Talia Lev
Scenic Designer & Digital Artist | Class of 2026
Talia Lev Portfolio 2025 1
Lev’s scrim artwork designed for Titanic: The Musical.
Talia Lev Portfolio 2025 2
A scenic design model crafted by Lev for Godfather Death.
Talia Lev Portfolio 2025 3
Publicity art for Julius Caesar created by Lev.
Talia Lev Portfolio 2025 4
Lev displayed a set rendering, detailed drafting for fabrication, and a stage photo of the balcony ironwork produced for Twelfth Night.
Alex Li
Artisan & Designer | Class of 2025
Alex Li Portfolio 2025 1
Dresses designed for the annual Dance Concert by Li in a Costume Shop Practicum.
Alex Li Portfolio 2025 2
Block printing stamps crafted by Li.
Alex Li Portfolio 2025 3
Example of shadow puppetry Li created for Intro to Puppetry.
Alex Li Portfolio 2025 4
Li’s research and costume designs for The Reckoning produced for costume design coursework.
Maya Liu
Stage Manager | Class of 2026
Maya Liu Portfolio 2025 1
Paperwork binders from Liu’s work on productions including Silent Night, La bohème, and Cosi fan tutte with Wolf Trap Opera.
Maya Liu Portfolio 2025 2
Actor Furniture Shifts sheet and collaboratively-made Master Run from Liu’s work as 1st Assistant Stage Manager for A Little Night Music.
Maya Liu Portfolio 2025 3
Production photographs and Call Sheets from Liu’s role as Production Stage Manager on Hänsel und Gretel.
Maya Liu Portfolio 2025 4
Props paperwork from Liu’s role as Stage Manager for Seven Deadly Sins with the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic + Wolf Trap Opera.
Yuchen Ma
Scenic Design | Class of 2027
Yuchen Ma Portfolio 2025 1
Example of a scenic model crafted by Ma.
Yuchen Ma Portfolio 2025 2
Ma’s 2024 final project for coursework in scenic painting.
Yuchen Ma Portfolio 2025 3
Set and lighting design renderings created by Ma for Antigone.
Yuchen Ma Portfolio 2025 4
Examples of Yuchen Ma’s painting & design practice.
Rachel Pfeil
Costumes | Class of 2027
Rachel Pfeil Portfolio 2025 1
Pfeil’s final project from rendering coursework.
Rachel Pfeil Portfolio 2025 2
Production photos from Pfeil’s costuming work on A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
Rachel Pfeil Portfolio 2025 3
Examples of costume design research and sketches by Pfeil.
Rachel Pfeil Portfolio 2025 4
A scenic model created as part of Pfeil’s Intro to Design course.
Esmay Pricejones
Stage Manager | Class of 2025
Esmay Pricejones Portfolio 2025 1
A video display and paperwork binders from Pricejones’s work on multiple shows with University Productions.
Esmay Pricejones Portfolio 2025 2
Examples of production management documents from Pricejones’s role as Production Stage Manager for Twelfth Night.
Esmay Pricejones Portfolio 2025 3
Production designs by Pricejones for the band Covet created in musicology coursework.
Esmay Pricejones Portfolio 2025 4
The display highlighted production team experiences including Orpheus in the Underworld, Bonnets, The Heart of Robin Hood, The Cherry Orchard, and Twelfth Night.
Lindsay Robert
Stage Management | Class of 2027
Lindsay Robert Portfolio 2025 1
Production photos from Robert’s work as Lighting Designer on For Colored Girls with Basement Arts.
Lindsay Robert Portfolio 2025 2
Examples of rendering metal and tonal landscape from Robert’s design coursework.
Lindsay Robert Portfolio 2025 3
Who, What, Where Paperwork from Robert’s role as 1st Assistant Stage Manager for Julius Caesar.
Lindsay Robert Portfolio 2025 4
A “Dream Box” crafted by Lindsay Robert.
Ceri Roberts
Scenic Designer | Class of 2027
Ceri Roberts Portfolio 2025 1
Interior/ Exteriors Scenic Model crafted by Roberts for scenic design coursework.
Ceri Roberts Portfolio 2025 2
Performance photos from Roberts’s work on scenic design for the directing thesis presentation of The Accidental Death of An Anarchist.
Ceri Roberts Portfolio 2025 3
A rendering by Roberts for the scenic design of I and You with Basement Arts.
Ceri Roberts Portfolio 2025 4
Examples of scenic painting work by Roberts for the operas Orpheus in the Underworld and Elizabeth Cree.
Kayti Sanchez
Costume Design & Construction | Class of 2026
Kayti Sanchez Portfolio 2025 1
Costume research and conceptual design by Sanchez for Bella: An American Tall Tale.
Kayti Sanchez Portfolio 2025 2
Renderings, clog designs, and skirt construction photos from Sanchez’s role as Assistant Costume Designer for Elizabeth Cree.
Kayti Sanchez Portfolio 2025 3
A half-scale jacket crafted by Sanchez displaying tailoring skills.
Kayti Sanchez Portfolio 2025 4
A collar dickey created by Sanchez, shown with photos from its construction.
Lottie Stallings
Stage Manager / Arts Administrator | Class of 2025
Lottie Stallings Portfolio 2025 1
Stallings’s costume design project inspired by The Heart of Robin Hood.
Lottie Stallings Portfolio 2025 2
Examples of paperwork from Stallings’s experiences working on Guys & Dolls and other musicals, and for Theatre Under The Stars summer camp.
Lottie Stallings Portfolio 2025 3
Run Sheet and production images from Stallings’s role as Stage Manager for the song cycle Isn’t It Queer?
Lottie Stallings Portfolio 2025 4
The display also highlighted Stallings’s leadership on a project to restore 70 Barbie dolls to like-new condition and gift them to the Michigan Foster Care Closet.
Kathleen Stanton-Sharpless
Stage Manager | Class of 2026
Kathleen Stanton Sharpless Portfolio 2025 1
Production photos, a calling score, rehearsal calendars and a binder of paperwork from Stanton-Sharpless’s role as Production Stage Manager on Jesus Christ Superstar with MUSKET.
Kathleen Stanton Sharpless Portfolio 2025 2
Stanton-Sharpless served as Production Stage Manager for The Grown-Ups and displayed photos along with a Blocking/ Calling Script.
Kathleen Stanton Sharpless Portfolio 2025 3
Stanton-Sharpless’s Spot Sheet and Magic Sheet from work as Assistant Lighting Director for A Little Night Music in the Power Center.
Kathleen Stanton Sharpless Portfolio 2025 4
Examples of a Digital Blocking Script and Rehearsal Report, with production photos, from Stanton-Sharpless’s stage management work on Falsettos.
Lauren Streng
Scenic Designer | Class of 2026
Lauren Streng Portfolio 2025 1
A lantern-inspired scenic model crafted by Streng.
Lauren Streng Portfolio 2025 2
Production photos from Streng’s role as Scenic Designer for 33 Variations.
Lauren Streng Portfolio 2025 3
A sheet music sculpture Streng produced for 33 Variations.
Lauren Streng Portfolio 2025 4
Streng displayed this scenic painting and other examples of scenic modeling and rendering work.
Ellie Van Engen
Costume Designer | Class of 2026 | Website
Ellie Van Engen Portfolio 2025 1
Costume armor designed for Julius Caesar and other costume design work for Pippin: Her Life and Times by Van Engen.
Ellie Van Engen Portfolio 2025 2
Van Engen’s costume design renderings for Julius Caesar with University Productions.
Ellie Van Engen Portfolio 2025 3
Van Engen’s costume design renderings for Bella: An American Tall Tale.
Ellie Van Engen Portfolio 2025 4
Example of millinery work by Van Engen – a half-scale top hat.
Ellie Vice
Scenic Paint | Class of 2025 | Website
Ellie Vice Portfolio 2025 1
Paint sample board and recipes for After The Dance created by Vice as part of practicum coursework.
Ellie Vice Portfolio 2025 2
Vice’s scenic study for After The Dance and other examples of paint studies.
Ellie Vice Portfolio 2025 3
Fall and Winter landscapes painted by Vice for practicum coursework.
Ellie Vice Portfolio 2025 4
Sketchbooks and other stage painting work, as well as examples of Vice’s photography work for The Michigan Daily.
Amber Walters
Multidisciplinary Artist / Stage Manager | Class of 2026
Amber Walters Portfolio 2025 1
Examples of Rehearsal Reports created by Walters as Stage Manager for Untitled.
Amber Walters Portfolio 2025 2
Walters’s handmade poster for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.
Amber Walters Portfolio 2025 3
Walters’s final project for the course Intro to Printmaking.
Amber Walters Portfolio 2025 4
The display included event flyers and photos and this screen-printed garment from Walters work with the University Musical Society Student Committee (UMS SC).
Frannie Walton
Stage Manager | Class of 2026
Frannie Walton Portfolio 2025 1
Rehearsal calendar, example blocking page, and photographs from Walton’s role as Production Stage Manager for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
Frannie Walton Portfolio 2025 2
Daily call and production meeting notes from Walton’s role as Production Stage Manager on the studio musical The Government Inspector.
Frannie Walton Portfolio 2025 3
Set design and costume design course projects by Walton.
Frannie Walton Portfolio 2025 4
Scenic models crafted by Walton.
Summer Wasung
Costume Designer | Class of 2025
Summer Wasung Portfolio 2025 1
Wasung’s costume design for Esther’s wedding dress produced for Intimate Apparel – a 1960s to 1905 dress reconstruction project.
Summer Wasung Portfolio 2025 2
Design renderings and scenic model created by Wasung.
Summer Wasung Portfolio 2025 3
Examples of costume design renderings by Wasung with fabric as inspiration.
Summer Wasung Portfolio 2025 4
Wasung displayed example costume renderings and designs as a costume history timeline.
William Webster
Lighting Design | Class of 2025 | Website
William Webster Portfolio 2025 1
Design binders from Webster’s roles as Lighting Designer for A Few Good Men, Catch Me If You Can, and Arbor Falls.
William Webster Portfolio 2025 2
Webster’s Magic Sheet produced for the lighting design of Arbor Falls in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
William Webster Portfolio 2025 3
Production photos and Webster’s lighting design statement from Arbor Falls.
William Webster Portfolio 2025 4
Conceptual renderings and a drafting sample from Webster’s work as Lighting Designer on A Few Good Men at the Power Center.
Chloe Yoo
Stage Manager | Class of 2027
Chloe Yoo Portfolio 2025 1
Yoo’s props preset image sheet created for Hänsel und Gretel with University Productions.
Chloe Yoo Portfolio 2025 2
Yoo’s Who, What, Where sheet supporting stage management for Catch Me If You Can with MUSKET.
Chloe Yoo Portfolio 2025 3
Examples of process and final project artwork from Yoo’s design rendering coursework.
Chloe Yoo Portfolio 2025 4
Selective Realism scenic design model crafted by Yoo for coursework.
Tate Zeleznik
Theatre Artist | Class of 2027 | Website
Tate Zeleznik Portfolio 2025 1
Zeleznik’s lighting design plan and stage photographs from Murder On The Orient Express at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
Tate Zeleznik Portfolio 2025 2
Examples of design rendering work by Zeleznik.
Tate Zeleznik Portfolio 2025 3
Scenic model crafted by Zeleznik for Intro to Design coursework.
Tate Zeleznik Portfolio 2025 4
Production photos showing Zeleznik’s work on lighting design for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.
Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky
Lighting Design and Production | Class of 2025
Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky Portfolio 2025 1
Magic Sheet and Spot Cue Sheet from Znamensky’s role as Assistant Lighting Designer for Hänsel und Gretel with University Productions.
Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky Portfolio 2025 2
Display of Znamensky’s research and preliminary sketches for lighting design on The Government Inspector.
Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky Portfolio 2025 3
Production photos and photometrics calculations from Znamensky’s assistant lighting design work on Hänsel und Gretel and Imogen Says Nothing at the Power Center.
Gabriela Ribeiro Znamensky Portfolio 2025 4
Research, Magic Sheet, Cue Sheet, and Overhead Plot from Znamensky’s lighting design work for True West.