Join us on a captivating journey to Broadway as we explore the enchanting world of "Redwood", a new musical that intertwines theater with the timeless majesty of redwood trees. This episode takes you behind the scenes of this extraordinary production, starring the remarkable Idina Menzel and a redwood tree named Stella. Joining us is Emmy Award-winning scenic designer Jason Ardizzone-West, who shares his journey from architecture to creating breathtaking theatrical environments. Jason’s innovative designs transform Stella into a living symbol of resilience and the nurturing power of nature, making her an essential character in this poignant storytelling experience.
Discover how "Redwood" beautifully weaves together themes of connection, healing, and the intrinsic bond between humans and nature. Jason discusses his creative process and the artistic challenges faced in bringing the visual world of "Redwood" to life. Envisioning the stage as a canvas for protagonist Jesse's emotional journey, the set design invites audiences into a realm where the roots of history and ancestry intertwine with the narrative. The inclusion of Tikkun Olam adds depth, emphasizing the call to mending the world through small acts of hope and renewal.
Reflect on the wisdom whispered by the redwoods and the strength found in their unseen roots that ground us all. This episode explores how the metaphor of the trees amplifies the story’s core themes, encouraging listeners to embrace resilience and the interconnectedness of life. With heartfelt gratitude to Jason Ardizzone-West for his artistry, we are reminded of the profound impact that thoughtful design and storytelling can have on our lives, enriching our understanding of nature and ourselves. Tune in for an immersive journey of wonder, beauty, and inspiration that promises to linger long after the final curtain call.
Jason Ardizzone-West is an Emmy Award-winning stage designer based in New York whose work spans theater, concerts, dance, film, and architecture. From intimate black-box theaters to massive stadium arenas, he creates embracing environments that transform storytelling into shared, deeply human experiences. Originally trained as an architect, Jason brings an innate understanding of space, light, and time to his designs, crafting visual narratives that bridge the physical and emotional landscapes of performance. most recently, he designed the Broadway musical Redwood, which Jesse Green of The New York Times described as “among the most beautiful and wondrous theatrical creations I can recall.”
Jason has collaborated with visionary theater-makers such as Tina Landau, Richard Nelson, Es Devlin, Pam Mackinnon, Mira Nair, David Leveaux, Sheryl Kaller, Susan Stroman, and more. his work also extends to global superstars, including Lady Gaga, Lana del Rey, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Idina Menzel, Hikaru Utada, Usher, Phish, Pentatonix, and Florence + The Machine.
His achievements include an Emmy Award for Jesus Christ Superstar Live (nbc) and multiple nominations for his innovative contributions to theater and live performance. His designs have appeared in renowned institutions such as The Public Theater, The Atlantic Theater company, American Conservatory Theater, The Apollo, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, The Huntington, and St. Ann’s Warehouse, among many others.
This week’s episode was written and recorded in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes.
This episode was written, edited, and produced by Jonathan Zautner.
To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com and consider supporting us through our .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}Mark as PlayedTranscript
Episode Transcript
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(00:09):
This week, Tree Speech is going to Broadway.
So curtain up, light the lights.We've got nothing to hit but the
heights. And those heights, well, they're
towering. Because today we're focusing on
the new Broadway musical Redwood, starring the incredible
Idina Menzel and introducing A stunning new presence on the
(00:29):
theater scene, a Redwood tree named Stella.
There's always been a natural harmony between trees and
theater, an enduring connection that transcends mere scenery.
Perhaps it's the rich symbolism trees carry, or the way their
(00:52):
presence on stage transforms a space with light, shadow and
meaning. From the apple tree to desire
under the Elms, the cherry orchard into the woods, and
steel magnolias, trees have rooted themselves deeply in
theatrical storytelling. Shaping.
Themes, moods and dramatic resonance.
(01:15):
Today we are focusing on Redwood, the new Broadway
musical inspired by the extraordinary true story of
environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill.
In the late 1990s, Hill lived for two years, yes two years,
high in the branches of 1000 year old Redwood tree to prevent
(01:35):
it from being cut down. Conceived by director Tina
Landau in collaboration with Tony Award winner Idina Menzel,
Redwood follows the journey of Jesse, a woman with a successful
career and loving family whose life is upended by a traumatic
event. In search of healing, she leaves
(01:58):
everything behind and retreats to the Redwood forests of
Northern California. There, surrounded by ancient
trees and a new community, Jessebegins to rediscover herself,
finding connection, resilience, and the quiet strength to begin
again. Idina Menzel first encountered
(02:18):
Julia Butterfly Hill's story nearly 15 years ago.
She was so moved that she brought the idea to Landau, and
the two have been developing Redwood ever since.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Redwood at
the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, and let me tell you,
it's not every day you see a show where a tree takes center
(02:41):
stage. The production is absolutely
stunning, the story is deeply moving, the cast is packed with
powerhouse performers including Idina Menzel who sings while
climbing and hanging upside downfrom the tree, And the visuals?
Just spectacular. The show blends dynamic
(03:03):
projections with gorgeous large scale physical designs to create
immersive worlds both in the Redwood forest and inside
Jesse's emotional landscape. And then there's Stella.
Stella is the Redwood tree at the heart of the show.
Towering, majestic, built to scale, she's not just a set
(03:25):
piece. She's a character, a presence, a
force. Standing in her grounded
magnificence, Stella represents endurance, beauty, and the power
of nature to hold us when we fall apart.
I'm thrilled to share my conversation with the brilliant
(03:47):
scenic designer behind Stella and the entire world of Redwood,
Jason Artizone West. But first, a little bit about
our guest. Jason is an Emmy award-winning
stage designer whose work spans theater, concerts, dance, film,
and architecture. He's known for creating
immersive environments that elevate storytelling into
(04:09):
shared, deeply human experiences.
On his designs for Redwood, Jesse Green, the critic of The
New York Times, described them as among the most beautiful and
wondrous theatrical creations that he could recall.
Jason has worked with some of the biggest names in the world,
Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Florence and the
(04:33):
Machine, and of course Stella the Redwood.
His achievements include an Emmyfor Jesus Christ Superstar Live
on NBC and multiple nominations for his groundbreaking
contributions to live performance.
His designs have graced stages at the Public Theater, the
Apollo, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, and many, many
(04:55):
more. In our interview, Jason offers
an in depth look at how the breathtaking scenery for Redwood
came to life. We talk about his design
inspirations, how an eye injury shaped the visual language of
the show, and what advice he hasfor young designers.
Looking to work. In scenic design.
(05:15):
So without further ado, let's head into the forest and into
the mind of a visionary designer.
Well, hello, Jason. Welcome.
To tree speech. Hello, it's very excited to be
(05:37):
with you. We are excited to speak with you
today as well. We know it's been a whirlwind
this past weekend as you were designing for Lady Gaga at
Coachella, and we've also been fortunate to have seen quite a
few of the productions that you have worked on.
And your designs continually take my breath away and have
greatly enhanced and sparked ourimaginations, whether it be in
(06:00):
theater, concert or on television.
Thank you. So I'd like to start sort of in
your early days. Can you tell us a little bit
about how you first came to scenic design and was there a
particular moment or project that pulled you in?
Yeah, I've basically been doing this my whole life.
I got, I got the theater bug really, really early, like when
(06:22):
I was six or something, my, my father was volunteering with the
local children's theater in Worcester, Mass, where I grew
up. And I just started tagging
along. And to make a Long story short,
by the time I was in high school, I was very, very
actively designing and building scenery for the local Worcester.
(06:43):
There was various theaters at the time there and I was doing
lighting design and, but really focusing on set design.
And I, I had this moment when I was applying to college where I,
I kind of got cold feet and was just worried about the
challenges of making a living asa theater professional, having
(07:04):
just seen, you know, even as a, as a teenager, just seeing my
colleagues and the mentors that I'm working with and happy, you
know, how tough the life is. And so I decided to kind of take
a detour and I, and I majored inarchitecture.
I went to Cornell and I did a very intensive five year
Bachelor of architecture programand kind of promised myself I
(07:26):
would focus on that, not do theater.
But of course very quickly started getting into all the
theater clubs and taking classesand independent studies at
Cornell and working in the sceneshop and, and very much kind of
was a architecture student also doing as much theater as
possible. But I graduated, I got my
license, I got a proper job and I worked as an architect for
(07:50):
about a decade, getting closer to theater by finding a, a firm
that designed theaters. And I located myself in New York
City to be kind of close to the theater scene there in hopes of
finding some way to moonlight asa set designer, which I, I did
I, you know, started designing off Off Broadway in my spare
time as I was working as an architect.
(08:13):
But I, I, I had sort of a epiphany somewhat related to
911, you know, witnessing that and somewhat related to my wife
and I having kids, where I just realized I wasn't actually
pursuing, I wasn't following my bliss, you know, as Joseph
Campbell describes it. And so I quit.
And with the very deep and generous support of my wife and
(08:38):
my family, I went back to schooland I got my MFA at NYU,
graduated in 2012. And since then, I've just been
very grateful to be, you know, doing a lot of really
interesting work and, and makinga living as a set designer
finally, after quite a, quite a meandering path.
(08:59):
And and we're. All the better for.
It and you have. Quite a list of.
Of projects in your resume. So you've done a lot of work
then in not a very long amount of time on your website, there's
info regarding how you develop designs.
And one of the the things that'sfeatured is what you term
(09:22):
spatial dramaturgy. I'm wondering, can you tell us
what that phrase means and how you use it in your designs?
And then how you as you came to scenic and set design, how you
began to craft your your own style.
Yeah, spatial dramaturgy. I, I made the term up as far as
(09:43):
I know, you know, dramaturgy in theater is the, is the sort of
study of the play in the contextof, of history and society and
culture. And, you know, I, I, I think
with my roots in architecture, I've always just been interested
in observing and thinking about how humans attract with space.
(10:03):
And over the years, I realized that part of my process was and
collecting photographs that I had taken of things that
interest me out in the world, which got easier once iPhones
came into into the picture. And I realized that if I saw
some really interesting kind of trace of human activity in
(10:24):
space, I could take a picture ofit.
And I consider myself sort of anamateur photographer and I love
photography as well. And I'm, I'm sort of drawn to
stories that I find in spaces. I'm sort of particularly
interested in ghost architecture.
And so that's sort of where they're like used to be a
building next to another building, but the, the one
(10:45):
building has been removed, but the shape of the removed
building is still intact and, and present on the remaining
building. And I just find textures and
visual opportunities like that just full of really interesting
storytelling, even without active humans involved, just
like seeing the braces of human presence.
(11:10):
That's like an over analytical description of of spatial
dramaturgy. But the way the way it works is
I just kind of like, I try to bevery present as I'm living my
days and walking through the world and I take pictures and
make sketches of things that I find meaningful and interesting.
And then inevitably, if I'm working on a, a design for
(11:31):
anything, a play, a musical, a concert, I will find myself
making a connection to somethingthat I've seen, something that
I've photographed, that feels conceptually connected to a
particular project that I'm working on.
And then of course, I'll sort ofexpand the, the research from
there quite a bit. But it's it's become a really
(11:53):
interesting process that I just sort of recognized
retrospectively I was doing. So I've made-up a name for it
about facial dramaturgy. Yeah, I love that.
And I think that makes so much sense.
As we'll talk about when we viewmany of your sets, there's
worlds of themselves that sort of stand up on their own with
(12:17):
without the play. Of course, they enhance it, but
they also stir the imagination and the senses.
And I can see how this path of architecture into spatial
dramaturgy, into your interests combined to create these
magnificent worlds. So we'll talk about Redwood in a
moment, but some of the other productions that you've designed
(12:40):
to include Rite of Spring, The Grove, Our Town, The Night
Falls, The Bluest Eye, Lana Del Rey's concerts, to name a few.
And the thing that combines all of these is that trees are
featured as a centerpiece to allof the design elements.
Can you share with us what treesmean to you and why they are so
(13:02):
prominent in your work on stage?I mean, similar to theater.
I have always been a tree hugger, you know, like I was, I
was the artistic kid in school and so I was a painter and a
sculptor and I still am. But I was, I was sort of
obsessed in, in middle school and high school with, with
drawing and painting trees. And I didn't know why.
(13:26):
I just liked them, you know, I couldn't articulate any
particularly deep reason. But I think as I've aged, I, I
have come to understand more about why and what draws me to
trees and, and why I find myselfkind of drawn to, to projects
that are somehow wanting to articulate an idea about them.
(13:48):
Just as an example, I, I was having a problem with my, I, I
got attacked randomly and someone like sucker punched me
in the face and, and so I, my retina was partially coming
unattached. So I had to get laser surgery.
I had this incredible experience, very painful getting
(14:09):
laser surgery to reattach your retina.
But when they were zapping my eye, I saw this impression of
put it inside of my eye like I saw the vein, the kind of radial
branching vein pattern of the backside of my eyeball every
time they hit it with the laser.And simultaneously, I was
(14:32):
looking out the window and I could see this beautiful tree
outside my retinal specialist's office window.
And I, I was like, Oh my God, it's all the same.
We're like this organic branching structure.
This is what kind of combines all of our life forces together.
Of course, you can see this pattern in so many places, not
(14:53):
just trees or lanes, but like neural paths and stalking
patterns and material and familytrees and, and our relationship
to each other through time. And there's just this kind of
beautiful, beautiful universality to that structure
and, and those organic life forms that I just find deeply
(15:17):
meaningful. And I and I I just find the the
pattern and the ideas popping upa lot in in different projects.
What a remarkable experience to witness all of those things all
at the same time. And I'm so sorry it had to
happen in that way. Thank you.
Well, it ended up being a very positive thing for a lot of
(15:37):
reasons this this sort of being one of them.
So I but thank you. It's amazing.
Well, let's talk about Redwood from the beginning then.
When you read the script for Redwood for the first time or or
whatever was presented to you, I'm not sure what were some of
the initial images, colors, or textures that came to mind?
(15:57):
Had you spent a lot of time amongst redwoods?
Were you familiar with that typeof tree and that?
Area or or. How did thing?
What was the spark for what the design would later become?
One of the many great things about this process with Redwood
is the collaboration with Tina Landau, the director and writer
and and Co conceiver. She Co conceived this with Idina
(16:20):
Menzel. And so even before I read this
script, Tina had shared with me her treatment of it.
And she, before I even came to the project, had already had a
lot of design related ideas about how she wanted to do this
piece of musical theatre. And knew, for example, that she
(16:43):
really wanted to use video somehow as a tool to help, you
know, articulate the kind of psychological space in the vast
array of different places and brain places that we go in the
story. But she also knew that she
really wanted something very, very tangible to be physically
present. That was this tree named Stella,
(17:07):
who's kind of the the other maincharacter of the story besides
Idina Menzel. So Tina had no idea what it all
looked like, but she knew that she wanted a kind of realistic
presence of a Redwood tree, but that she didn't want that to be
there all the time. And she didn't want any like,
fake foliage or, you know, any, you know, Disney level attempts
(17:30):
at recreating in a kind of literal way, a Redwood forest
because of course, you can't possibly come close to, you
know, reproducing a Redwood forest on stage.
So even before I started thinking about it, there was
already kind of a strong conceptual statement about the
design, which is it's going to be this kind of abstract
(17:54):
approach, this, this, you know, transformative ability to shift
languages. So that was, that was really
valuable to, for, for me as a set designer to kind of start my
process with such a beautifully articulated creative statement
from the director and the the writer.
But then I read when I listened to the music and read the script
(18:16):
trying like struggling with like, oh, how am I going to do
this? Have a realistic tree that's not
always there and it's abstract, but it's, but it's tangible in
the script. There's this and, and if you
saw, you probably remember this,there's, there's a story that
the character Becca tells Adina's character Jesse, which
is a, a Jewish creation story called Tikkun Alam.
(18:39):
And it's A, and I'd never heard of it before and I was sort of
blown away just reading it and and learning more about it, you
know, but it's, it's basically the very simple version of it is
in the beginning of time, God sends his light to earth in
these vessels and the vessels can't contain the strength of
(18:59):
God's light, so they shatter into millions of pieces and the
light scatters across the universe and God creates humans
in order to attempt to gather the light and repair what what's
broken. As I said, that's an over
simplistic restate restating of this creation myth.
But the the essence of, you know, humans purpose being to
(19:23):
try to gather light and repair that which has been broken.
Very, very connected to what Redwood is about with Adina's
character Jesse, trying to figure out how to come to terms
with her grief and the loss of her son and her her broken
marriage and all just like how do you repair.
(19:46):
But I also, I realized that thisstory, Tikkun Alam also kind of
describes my approach to theatremaking or why I think I'm
interested in being a theatre designer, is that I think of
theatre kind of as us humans attempting to gather together
and collect light and story and share it with each other.
(20:09):
And if not, you know, repair theuniverse, at least try to
collectively come to terms with the human condition through.
Communal shared storytelling, sothat like, that story became
really, really kind of deeply inspirational.
Or how I was going to try to find my way into the spatial
design for Redwood. The notion of trying to kind of
(20:33):
find what that might look like. A broken vessel that is in the
midst of being put back togetherand also being inspired by my
the memory of seeing the inside of my eyeball and the sort of
branching structure that also looks like a, a root system.
And so the, the, the physical design of Redwood is, is
(20:59):
simultaneously inspired by the idea of an empty vessel, the
cross section of Redwood tree, the inside of an eyeball with a
radial root system and map of the universe.
You know, it's all, all these, all these ideas sort of went
into how to try to think of a space that can simultaneously be
(21:24):
an empty abstract container for light in that it is literally
made out of a material that delivers light through little
pixels. And it is there to emit image
and light and collect light fromwithout.
And then at the very center of it and sort of occupying the the
(21:46):
heart, the very geometric centerand the kind of spiritual center
is our tree, Stella, who is thisvery in the midst of this open,
abstract, digital transformativespace.
We have this extraordinarily tangible, sculpted, textured,
correctly scaled cross section of a real Redwood 3.
(22:09):
And it can rotate into the middle of the space or it can
rotate out of the space. And on the backside has another
LED screen which sort of joins the empty space.
And at the very center of that revolving platform is a space
where Spencer, the the characterof the Jesse's son who has died
(22:31):
of an overdose, appears in the middle of this city and in the
middle of this space. It's very, it's a very simple
idea, but it's very complicated in terms of how it works and how
it gets there and how how it's all related to itself.
It all makes sense now. I think you feel that you don't
need to know all of that information as an audience
(22:52):
member, but you feel how the themusic is intertwined in the
design and you feel part of it almost in an immersive way
because it it does come out intothe audience and, and, and
surrounds you. It's all consuming in a really
beautiful and and powerful way. The visual stay with you, I
(23:13):
think, because they're so pronounced and they're so close.
Then once you had all of these ideas and you're starting this
process of of putting them together, were there particular
challenges that you had in translating these themes and
weaving these separate elements into one cohesive design and
(23:34):
into the physical visual world on stage?
It took me a while. It took us a while to kind of
figure out that there only needed to be 1 tree.
And that was interesting cuz early on there's this, I
remember feeling like, well, we're supposed to be in a forest
and there's multiple trees, so there should be a few trees.
(23:57):
And so the original design, I kind of forgot about this until
the other day when I looked backand saw, but the original design
had two physical trees that would rotate into space.
And then we realized that was too much.
So then there was just one tree.It was Stella, but she, she
wasn't always in the middle. She sort of tracked to another
(24:20):
position and see was Stella, butin two different places.
And that didn't make any sense either.
And so I was kind of, I was really just scratching my head
about it. And I guess it was sort of not
right at the very beginning, actually, as I'm talking about
it, that the simplicity of the circular cross section of a tree
or the circular radial organization of my vein
(24:45):
structure and my eyeball wasn't lit until later.
That that became really helpful in sort of simplifying the
design and had this kind of aha moment where I realized that
there should just be one tree. Her name is Stella and she's
always in the middle And and that is what's important is that
she's in the middle. She can come and go out of
(25:07):
space. The the middle of the rotating
platform that she's on is represents the heart word that
they talk about, which is the strongest part of the tree, but
it's not physicalized except forby this character Spencer, who
is the only person who stands right in the middle there at the
very end of the musical. So yeah, it was it.
It was interesting to kind of beflailing about in the beginning
(25:31):
trying to figure out what is thebalance between literal and and
abstract and and just sort of letting the simplicity of this
diagram from the natural world help kind of focus the design
and focus our approach to the staging.
Right. And the reveal of Stella, so
(25:53):
magnificent. I remember I, I had seen
production photos and I entered the theater and there's no sign
of Stella. I, I didn't know where she would
come from. And the way that she's revealed,
we won't give anything away, butit's it does.
Take your breath away. I wonder then how, how do you
think about the audience's experience as they walk into the
(26:15):
space? So in this case, it's, it's a
pretty blank canvas. You know, you're not given a lot
of clues. It does look very modern and
abstract, as you've said. What goes through your mind as
you're thinking about their experience entering this space?
I know there is some audio, there's sound and other elements
at play, but as far as visuals, you're not, you're not given
(26:35):
very much. Yeah, yeah.
And that was a choice for sure. And part of what the whole
creative team really was trying to do was to kind of break the
audience's expectations of what they might think they were going
to walk into knowing that they were coming to a musical about
(26:57):
Redwood trees that took place inthe Redwood forest.
And kind of, you know, wanting to just from the very moment of
entering the theater, make it very clear that this is not
going to be an attempt to pretend that we're in the
Redwood forest. This is not going to be an
attempt to recreate the Redwood forest.
You can't do that. You just can't do it.
(27:19):
As I already said, what we were really more interested in was
exploring the the psychological space and the emotional space as
opposed to the literal space. And so we, I often say that the
the, the play takes place insideJesse's brain much more so than
it takes place in the car or in the Redwood forest or in New
(27:41):
York City. We're sort of in her mind's
space. And so the choice to have the
audience walk into a kind of blank, empty space is connected
to that. It's also connected to this
concept of an empty vessel. And we haven't yet gathered the
light. We just have the vessel.
And we're we're going to put it together through the telling of
(28:05):
this story. But also, we wanted the musical
starts with Jesse running away from New York City.
She's in the car again, not literally in her car.
She's sort of in her head because she's just like driving
non-stop across the country, reliving all of these snippets
of memory and being haunted by her son and haunted by her, her
(28:29):
crumbling marriage with her wifeMel.
And we're shifting all over the place as her brain is shifting
all over the place. And it's not until she arrives
at the Redwood forest at the endof this first song where she
experiences seeing the forest for the first time and, and, you
know, looking up for the first time and sort of getting outside
(28:52):
of her head for the first time. So the audience goes on that
journey with her. And it's not until she sees the
forest that audience sees the forest.
Wouldn't want to give it away 'cause it's not there yet, you
know. So it really was the only way to
start as far as I'm concerned. As a designer, do you find
(29:15):
yourself changed by the world's you help create?
Has Redwood, for instance, left any lasting impression on you
personally? Every show I work on I think
changes me and leaves an impression.
I mean, I am very humbly grateful to be in a position
where I'm able to, you know, sayyes to projects that I am moved
(29:39):
by and have a, a, a real kind ofspiritual connection to.
I, you know, I find myself sort of being able to learn something
new from the research of, of working on a show or getting to
collaborate with new people thatI haven't.
And I'm always learning something new, always and
(29:59):
getting to take that and makes my life richer.
It makes my, my work richer. I bring lessons I've learned in
the theatre world into the concert design world and vice
versa. You know, like the technology of
concert is something that theatres kind of shy away from.
And so I, you know, like I find myself cross pollinating
(30:20):
between, between media a lot. It's it's really one of the
wonderful things about I think working in the theater is that
that kind of constant learning that happens.
I'm sure, which is so exciting. Through all of that, I know that
your work inspires many, many people, including young artists.
(30:43):
And I wonder what advice would you give to a young scenic
designer or young designer who dreams of working at the level
that you are at my. Advice is to pursue what is
interesting and to reject any notions of boundaries between
different types of art forms. I really like it when the
(31:04):
boundaries are blurred between, you know, what my job is as a
set designer versus this person's job as a lighting
designer versus that, you know, like for example, with with
Brentwood Hana Kim, who is the video designer and I, our work
is very tangled together in terms of like what is video
(31:25):
design? What is set design?
Also the lighting designer too, just the you could extend that
too to the sound design. Like all the whole creative team
really gets tangled together really beautifully in Redwood,
But I also really like blending and blurring those boundaries as
I was sort of starting to talk about between different types of
(31:48):
of expression. So like I really like bouncing
from designing big musicals to small plays to scrappy, weird
immersive things to very large scale pop star concerts, TV,
film. Like they're all kind of the
same Uber design journey for me conceptually, that is very
(32:12):
fruitful and interesting. But also, and this gets maybe to
the kind of advice for young people entering the profession
question. It's a hard profession to
survive in, you know, the scale of finances and theatre.
I don't think I'm giving anything away to to say that
it's not it's not so robust. And so I sort of think having a
(32:37):
diverse range of scales and types of projects is also a
requirement if, if you don't happen to come from money or if
you don't happen to be married to someone who can support you.
If you're trying to make a living out of a designer in the
theater, I think it's very smartto also be working in other
(33:00):
corners of of the industry that are in different scales in terms
of the the fees and the budgets and everything.
Thank you for those insights andthat really great advice.
Well, Jason, this has been such a pleasure here.
Design and art evoke such a strong reaction and delight in
the audiences that are fortunateto see it.
(33:22):
We are so thankful for the ways you bring the brilliance of
nature and the wild outdoors to life on stage and many of your
works. And we'll be watching to see all
of the wonderful things that youwill continue to create.
So thank you so much for talkingwith us today.
Thank you. It was my deep pleasure to talk
to you. I love that this podcast exists,
(33:43):
by the way, and I was very happyto talk to you about trees.
Thank you it. Was wonderful.
Thank you. I remember when I was in the
(34:06):
audience of Redwood, and as the show ended and the final note
faded and the stage fell quiet, we in the audience were left
with something deeper than applause.
Stillness, like the hush beneaththe forest canopy.
Unknowing. As Jason mentioned, at the
center of every Redwood there ishardwood, ancient, dark, and
(34:30):
strong. It does not grow anymore, It
does not bend toward the light, but it holds the tree upright
through storms, through fire, through centuries.
It is the memory of all that came before and the promise that
the tree will endure. We too, carry Hartwood within
(34:51):
us, the quiet core made from love and loss, from song sung
and stories lived. It's where the pain lives and
the beauty. It's the place we return to when
the world asks us to remember who we are.
In Redwood, we witness people searching through bloodlines and
(35:11):
branches reaching toward healing.
And just like those towering trees, they find strength not
just in what's visible, but in what's buried deep, sacred,
unseen, and eternal. And in this sacred search, we
are reminded of, to Koon Alam, the call to repair the world.
(35:34):
Not in grand, sweeping acts, butin the quiet, daily tending of
what's broken. The mending of memory, the
holding of grief, the planting of hope.
So today, whether you walk through a forest or just feel
the rustle of your own spirit, listen closely.
(35:55):
The trees are not only speaking,they are singing.
Singing of roots and ancestors, of strength and survival, and of
the heartwood that holds us all.Until next time, may you walk
gently and listen deeply. A special thank you to Jason
(36:29):
Artizone W for his time and generosity, and thank you for
joining Tree Speech today.
This week, Tree Speech is going to Broadway.
So curtain up, light the lights.We've got nothing to hit but the
heights. And those heights, well, they're
towering. Because today we're focusing on
the new Broadway musical Redwood, starring the incredible
Idina Menzel and introducing A stunning new presence on the
(00:29):
theater scene, a Redwood tree named Stella.
There's always been a natural harmony between trees and
theater, an enduring connection that transcends mere scenery.
Perhaps it's the rich symbolism trees carry, or the way their
(00:52):
presence on stage transforms a space with light, shadow and
meaning. From the apple tree to desire
under the Elms, the cherry orchard into the woods, and
steel magnolias, trees have rooted themselves deeply in
theatrical storytelling. Shaping.
Themes, moods and dramatic resonance.
(01:15):
Today we are focusing on Redwood, the new Broadway
musical inspired by the extraordinary true story of
environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill.
In the late 1990s, Hill lived for two years, yes two years,
high in the branches of 1000 year old Redwood tree to prevent
(01:35):
it from being cut down. Conceived by director Tina
Landau in collaboration with Tony Award winner Idina Menzel,
Redwood follows the journey of Jesse, a woman with a successful
career and loving family whose life is upended by a traumatic
event. In search of healing, she leaves
(01:58):
everything behind and retreats to the Redwood forests of
Northern California. There, surrounded by ancient
trees and a new community, Jessebegins to rediscover herself,
finding connection, resilience, and the quiet strength to begin
again. Idina Menzel first encountered
(02:18):
Julia Butterfly Hill's story nearly 15 years ago.
She was so moved that she brought the idea to Landau, and
the two have been developing Redwood ever since.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Redwood at
the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, and let me tell you,
it's not every day you see a show where a tree takes center
(02:41):
stage. The production is absolutely
stunning, the story is deeply moving, the cast is packed with
powerhouse performers including Idina Menzel who sings while
climbing and hanging upside downfrom the tree, And the visuals?
Just spectacular. The show blends dynamic
(03:03):
projections with gorgeous large scale physical designs to create
immersive worlds both in the Redwood forest and inside
Jesse's emotional landscape. And then there's Stella.
Stella is the Redwood tree at the heart of the show.
Towering, majestic, built to scale, she's not just a set
(03:25):
piece. She's a character, a presence, a
force. Standing in her grounded
magnificence, Stella represents endurance, beauty, and the power
of nature to hold us when we fall apart.
I'm thrilled to share my conversation with the brilliant
(03:47):
scenic designer behind Stella and the entire world of Redwood,
Jason Artizone West. But first, a little bit about
our guest. Jason is an Emmy award-winning
stage designer whose work spans theater, concerts, dance, film,
and architecture. He's known for creating
immersive environments that elevate storytelling into
(04:09):
shared, deeply human experiences.
On his designs for Redwood, Jesse Green, the critic of The
New York Times, described them as among the most beautiful and
wondrous theatrical creations that he could recall.
Jason has worked with some of the biggest names in the world,
Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Florence and the
(04:33):
Machine, and of course Stella the Redwood.
His achievements include an Emmyfor Jesus Christ Superstar Live
on NBC and multiple nominations for his groundbreaking
contributions to live performance.
His designs have graced stages at the Public Theater, the
Apollo, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, and many, many
(04:55):
more. In our interview, Jason offers
an in depth look at how the breathtaking scenery for Redwood
came to life. We talk about his design
inspirations, how an eye injury shaped the visual language of
the show, and what advice he hasfor young designers.
Looking to work. In scenic design.
(05:15):
So without further ado, let's head into the forest and into
the mind of a visionary designer.
Well, hello, Jason. Welcome.
To tree speech. Hello, it's very excited to be
(05:37):
with you. We are excited to speak with you
today as well. We know it's been a whirlwind
this past weekend as you were designing for Lady Gaga at
Coachella, and we've also been fortunate to have seen quite a
few of the productions that you have worked on.
And your designs continually take my breath away and have
greatly enhanced and sparked ourimaginations, whether it be in
(06:00):
theater, concert or on television.
Thank you. So I'd like to start sort of in
your early days. Can you tell us a little bit
about how you first came to scenic design and was there a
particular moment or project that pulled you in?
Yeah, I've basically been doing this my whole life.
I got, I got the theater bug really, really early, like when
(06:22):
I was six or something, my, my father was volunteering with the
local children's theater in Worcester, Mass, where I grew
up. And I just started tagging
along. And to make a Long story short,
by the time I was in high school, I was very, very
actively designing and building scenery for the local Worcester.
(06:43):
There was various theaters at the time there and I was doing
lighting design and, but really focusing on set design.
And I, I had this moment when I was applying to college where I,
I kind of got cold feet and was just worried about the
challenges of making a living asa theater professional, having
(07:04):
just seen, you know, even as a, as a teenager, just seeing my
colleagues and the mentors that I'm working with and happy, you
know, how tough the life is. And so I decided to kind of take
a detour and I, and I majored inarchitecture.
I went to Cornell and I did a very intensive five year
Bachelor of architecture programand kind of promised myself I
(07:26):
would focus on that, not do theater.
But of course very quickly started getting into all the
theater clubs and taking classesand independent studies at
Cornell and working in the sceneshop and, and very much kind of
was a architecture student also doing as much theater as
possible. But I graduated, I got my
license, I got a proper job and I worked as an architect for
(07:50):
about a decade, getting closer to theater by finding a, a firm
that designed theaters. And I located myself in New York
City to be kind of close to the theater scene there in hopes of
finding some way to moonlight asa set designer, which I, I did
I, you know, started designing off Off Broadway in my spare
time as I was working as an architect.
(08:13):
But I, I, I had sort of a epiphany somewhat related to
911, you know, witnessing that and somewhat related to my wife
and I having kids, where I just realized I wasn't actually
pursuing, I wasn't following my bliss, you know, as Joseph
Campbell describes it. And so I quit.
And with the very deep and generous support of my wife and
(08:38):
my family, I went back to schooland I got my MFA at NYU,
graduated in 2012. And since then, I've just been
very grateful to be, you know, doing a lot of really
interesting work and, and makinga living as a set designer
finally, after quite a, quite a meandering path.
(08:59):
And and we're. All the better for.
It and you have. Quite a list of.
Of projects in your resume. So you've done a lot of work
then in not a very long amount of time on your website, there's
info regarding how you develop designs.
And one of the the things that'sfeatured is what you term
(09:22):
spatial dramaturgy. I'm wondering, can you tell us
what that phrase means and how you use it in your designs?
And then how you as you came to scenic and set design, how you
began to craft your your own style.
Yeah, spatial dramaturgy. I, I made the term up as far as
(09:43):
I know, you know, dramaturgy in theater is the, is the sort of
study of the play in the contextof, of history and society and
culture. And, you know, I, I, I think
with my roots in architecture, I've always just been interested
in observing and thinking about how humans attract with space.
(10:03):
And over the years, I realized that part of my process was and
collecting photographs that I had taken of things that
interest me out in the world, which got easier once iPhones
came into into the picture. And I realized that if I saw
some really interesting kind of trace of human activity in
(10:24):
space, I could take a picture ofit.
And I consider myself sort of anamateur photographer and I love
photography as well. And I'm, I'm sort of drawn to
stories that I find in spaces. I'm sort of particularly
interested in ghost architecture.
And so that's sort of where they're like used to be a
building next to another building, but the, the one
(10:45):
building has been removed, but the shape of the removed
building is still intact and, and present on the remaining
building. And I just find textures and
visual opportunities like that just full of really interesting
storytelling, even without active humans involved, just
like seeing the braces of human presence.
(11:10):
That's like an over analytical description of of spatial
dramaturgy. But the way the way it works is
I just kind of like, I try to bevery present as I'm living my
days and walking through the world and I take pictures and
make sketches of things that I find meaningful and interesting.
And then inevitably, if I'm working on a, a design for
(11:31):
anything, a play, a musical, a concert, I will find myself
making a connection to somethingthat I've seen, something that
I've photographed, that feels conceptually connected to a
particular project that I'm working on.
And then of course, I'll sort ofexpand the, the research from
there quite a bit. But it's it's become a really
(11:53):
interesting process that I just sort of recognized
retrospectively I was doing. So I've made-up a name for it
about facial dramaturgy. Yeah, I love that.
And I think that makes so much sense.
As we'll talk about when we viewmany of your sets, there's
worlds of themselves that sort of stand up on their own with
(12:17):
without the play. Of course, they enhance it, but
they also stir the imagination and the senses.
And I can see how this path of architecture into spatial
dramaturgy, into your interests combined to create these
magnificent worlds. So we'll talk about Redwood in a
moment, but some of the other productions that you've designed
(12:40):
to include Rite of Spring, The Grove, Our Town, The Night
Falls, The Bluest Eye, Lana Del Rey's concerts, to name a few.
And the thing that combines all of these is that trees are
featured as a centerpiece to allof the design elements.
Can you share with us what treesmean to you and why they are so
(13:02):
prominent in your work on stage?I mean, similar to theater.
I have always been a tree hugger, you know, like I was, I
was the artistic kid in school and so I was a painter and a
sculptor and I still am. But I was, I was sort of
obsessed in, in middle school and high school with, with
drawing and painting trees. And I didn't know why.
(13:26):
I just liked them, you know, I couldn't articulate any
particularly deep reason. But I think as I've aged, I, I
have come to understand more about why and what draws me to
trees and, and why I find myselfkind of drawn to, to projects
that are somehow wanting to articulate an idea about them.
(13:48):
Just as an example, I, I was having a problem with my, I, I
got attacked randomly and someone like sucker punched me
in the face and, and so I, my retina was partially coming
unattached. So I had to get laser surgery.
I had this incredible experience, very painful getting
(14:09):
laser surgery to reattach your retina.
But when they were zapping my eye, I saw this impression of
put it inside of my eye like I saw the vein, the kind of radial
branching vein pattern of the backside of my eyeball every
time they hit it with the laser.And simultaneously, I was
(14:32):
looking out the window and I could see this beautiful tree
outside my retinal specialist's office window.
And I, I was like, Oh my God, it's all the same.
We're like this organic branching structure.
This is what kind of combines all of our life forces together.
Of course, you can see this pattern in so many places, not
(14:53):
just trees or lanes, but like neural paths and stalking
patterns and material and familytrees and, and our relationship
to each other through time. And there's just this kind of
beautiful, beautiful universality to that structure
and, and those organic life forms that I just find deeply
(15:17):
meaningful. And I and I I just find the the
pattern and the ideas popping upa lot in in different projects.
What a remarkable experience to witness all of those things all
at the same time. And I'm so sorry it had to
happen in that way. Thank you.
Well, it ended up being a very positive thing for a lot of
(15:37):
reasons this this sort of being one of them.
So I but thank you. It's amazing.
Well, let's talk about Redwood from the beginning then.
When you read the script for Redwood for the first time or or
whatever was presented to you, I'm not sure what were some of
the initial images, colors, or textures that came to mind?
(15:57):
Had you spent a lot of time amongst redwoods?
Were you familiar with that typeof tree and that?
Area or or. How did thing?
What was the spark for what the design would later become?
One of the many great things about this process with Redwood
is the collaboration with Tina Landau, the director and writer
and and Co conceiver. She Co conceived this with Idina
(16:20):
Menzel. And so even before I read this
script, Tina had shared with me her treatment of it.
And she, before I even came to the project, had already had a
lot of design related ideas about how she wanted to do this
piece of musical theatre. And knew, for example, that she
(16:43):
really wanted to use video somehow as a tool to help, you
know, articulate the kind of psychological space in the vast
array of different places and brain places that we go in the
story. But she also knew that she
really wanted something very, very tangible to be physically
present. That was this tree named Stella,
(17:07):
who's kind of the the other maincharacter of the story besides
Idina Menzel. So Tina had no idea what it all
looked like, but she knew that she wanted a kind of realistic
presence of a Redwood tree, but that she didn't want that to be
there all the time. And she didn't want any like,
fake foliage or, you know, any, you know, Disney level attempts
(17:30):
at recreating in a kind of literal way, a Redwood forest
because of course, you can't possibly come close to, you
know, reproducing a Redwood forest on stage.
So even before I started thinking about it, there was
already kind of a strong conceptual statement about the
design, which is it's going to be this kind of abstract
(17:54):
approach, this, this, you know, transformative ability to shift
languages. So that was, that was really
valuable to, for, for me as a set designer to kind of start my
process with such a beautifully articulated creative statement
from the director and the the writer.
But then I read when I listened to the music and read the script
(18:16):
trying like struggling with like, oh, how am I going to do
this? Have a realistic tree that's not
always there and it's abstract, but it's, but it's tangible in
the script. There's this and, and if you
saw, you probably remember this,there's, there's a story that
the character Becca tells Adina's character Jesse, which
is a, a Jewish creation story called Tikkun Alam.
(18:39):
And it's A, and I'd never heard of it before and I was sort of
blown away just reading it and and learning more about it, you
know, but it's, it's basically the very simple version of it is
in the beginning of time, God sends his light to earth in
these vessels and the vessels can't contain the strength of
(18:59):
God's light, so they shatter into millions of pieces and the
light scatters across the universe and God creates humans
in order to attempt to gather the light and repair what what's
broken. As I said, that's an over
simplistic restate restating of this creation myth.
But the the essence of, you know, humans purpose being to
(19:23):
try to gather light and repair that which has been broken.
Very, very connected to what Redwood is about with Adina's
character Jesse, trying to figure out how to come to terms
with her grief and the loss of her son and her her broken
marriage and all just like how do you repair.
(19:46):
But I also, I realized that thisstory, Tikkun Alam also kind of
describes my approach to theatremaking or why I think I'm
interested in being a theatre designer, is that I think of
theatre kind of as us humans attempting to gather together
and collect light and story and share it with each other.
(20:09):
And if not, you know, repair theuniverse, at least try to
collectively come to terms with the human condition through.
Communal shared storytelling, sothat like, that story became
really, really kind of deeply inspirational.
Or how I was going to try to find my way into the spatial
design for Redwood. The notion of trying to kind of
(20:33):
find what that might look like. A broken vessel that is in the
midst of being put back togetherand also being inspired by my
the memory of seeing the inside of my eyeball and the sort of
branching structure that also looks like a, a root system.
And so the, the, the physical design of Redwood is, is
(20:59):
simultaneously inspired by the idea of an empty vessel, the
cross section of Redwood tree, the inside of an eyeball with a
radial root system and map of the universe.
You know, it's all, all these, all these ideas sort of went
into how to try to think of a space that can simultaneously be
(21:24):
an empty abstract container for light in that it is literally
made out of a material that delivers light through little
pixels. And it is there to emit image
and light and collect light fromwithout.
And then at the very center of it and sort of occupying the the
(21:46):
heart, the very geometric centerand the kind of spiritual center
is our tree, Stella, who is thisvery in the midst of this open,
abstract, digital transformativespace.
We have this extraordinarily tangible, sculpted, textured,
correctly scaled cross section of a real Redwood 3.
(22:09):
And it can rotate into the middle of the space or it can
rotate out of the space. And on the backside has another
LED screen which sort of joins the empty space.
And at the very center of that revolving platform is a space
where Spencer, the the characterof the Jesse's son who has died
(22:31):
of an overdose, appears in the middle of this city and in the
middle of this space. It's very, it's a very simple
idea, but it's very complicated in terms of how it works and how
it gets there and how how it's all related to itself.
It all makes sense now. I think you feel that you don't
need to know all of that information as an audience
(22:52):
member, but you feel how the themusic is intertwined in the
design and you feel part of it almost in an immersive way
because it it does come out intothe audience and, and, and
surrounds you. It's all consuming in a really
beautiful and and powerful way. The visual stay with you, I
(23:13):
think, because they're so pronounced and they're so close.
Then once you had all of these ideas and you're starting this
process of of putting them together, were there particular
challenges that you had in translating these themes and
weaving these separate elements into one cohesive design and
(23:34):
into the physical visual world on stage?
It took me a while. It took us a while to kind of
figure out that there only needed to be 1 tree.
And that was interesting cuz early on there's this, I
remember feeling like, well, we're supposed to be in a forest
and there's multiple trees, so there should be a few trees.
(23:57):
And so the original design, I kind of forgot about this until
the other day when I looked backand saw, but the original design
had two physical trees that would rotate into space.
And then we realized that was too much.
So then there was just one tree.It was Stella, but she, she
wasn't always in the middle. She sort of tracked to another
(24:20):
position and see was Stella, butin two different places.
And that didn't make any sense either.
And so I was kind of, I was really just scratching my head
about it. And I guess it was sort of not
right at the very beginning, actually, as I'm talking about
it, that the simplicity of the circular cross section of a tree
or the circular radial organization of my vein
(24:45):
structure and my eyeball wasn't lit until later.
That that became really helpful in sort of simplifying the
design and had this kind of aha moment where I realized that
there should just be one tree. Her name is Stella and she's
always in the middle And and that is what's important is that
she's in the middle. She can come and go out of
(25:07):
space. The the middle of the rotating
platform that she's on is represents the heart word that
they talk about, which is the strongest part of the tree, but
it's not physicalized except forby this character Spencer, who
is the only person who stands right in the middle there at the
very end of the musical. So yeah, it was it.
It was interesting to kind of beflailing about in the beginning
(25:31):
trying to figure out what is thebalance between literal and and
abstract and and just sort of letting the simplicity of this
diagram from the natural world help kind of focus the design
and focus our approach to the staging.
Right. And the reveal of Stella, so
(25:53):
magnificent. I remember I, I had seen
production photos and I entered the theater and there's no sign
of Stella. I, I didn't know where she would
come from. And the way that she's revealed,
we won't give anything away, butit's it does.
Take your breath away. I wonder then how, how do you
think about the audience's experience as they walk into the
(26:15):
space? So in this case, it's, it's a
pretty blank canvas. You know, you're not given a lot
of clues. It does look very modern and
abstract, as you've said. What goes through your mind as
you're thinking about their experience entering this space?
I know there is some audio, there's sound and other elements
at play, but as far as visuals, you're not, you're not given
(26:35):
very much. Yeah, yeah.
And that was a choice for sure. And part of what the whole
creative team really was trying to do was to kind of break the
audience's expectations of what they might think they were going
to walk into knowing that they were coming to a musical about
(26:57):
Redwood trees that took place inthe Redwood forest.
And kind of, you know, wanting to just from the very moment of
entering the theater, make it very clear that this is not
going to be an attempt to pretend that we're in the
Redwood forest. This is not going to be an
attempt to recreate the Redwood forest.
You can't do that. You just can't do it.
(27:19):
As I already said, what we were really more interested in was
exploring the the psychological space and the emotional space as
opposed to the literal space. And so we, I often say that the
the, the play takes place insideJesse's brain much more so than
it takes place in the car or in the Redwood forest or in New
(27:41):
York City. We're sort of in her mind's
space. And so the choice to have the
audience walk into a kind of blank, empty space is connected
to that. It's also connected to this
concept of an empty vessel. And we haven't yet gathered the
light. We just have the vessel.
And we're we're going to put it together through the telling of
(28:05):
this story. But also, we wanted the musical
starts with Jesse running away from New York City.
She's in the car again, not literally in her car.
She's sort of in her head because she's just like driving
non-stop across the country, reliving all of these snippets
of memory and being haunted by her son and haunted by her, her
(28:29):
crumbling marriage with her wifeMel.
And we're shifting all over the place as her brain is shifting
all over the place. And it's not until she arrives
at the Redwood forest at the endof this first song where she
experiences seeing the forest for the first time and, and, you
know, looking up for the first time and sort of getting outside
(28:52):
of her head for the first time. So the audience goes on that
journey with her. And it's not until she sees the
forest that audience sees the forest.
Wouldn't want to give it away 'cause it's not there yet, you
know. So it really was the only way to
start as far as I'm concerned. As a designer, do you find
(29:15):
yourself changed by the world's you help create?
Has Redwood, for instance, left any lasting impression on you
personally? Every show I work on I think
changes me and leaves an impression.
I mean, I am very humbly grateful to be in a position
where I'm able to, you know, sayyes to projects that I am moved
(29:39):
by and have a, a, a real kind ofspiritual connection to.
I, you know, I find myself sort of being able to learn something
new from the research of, of working on a show or getting to
collaborate with new people thatI haven't.
And I'm always learning something new, always and
(29:59):
getting to take that and makes my life richer.
It makes my, my work richer. I bring lessons I've learned in
the theatre world into the concert design world and vice
versa. You know, like the technology of
concert is something that theatres kind of shy away from.
And so I, you know, like I find myself cross pollinating
(30:20):
between, between media a lot. It's it's really one of the
wonderful things about I think working in the theater is that
that kind of constant learning that happens.
I'm sure, which is so exciting. Through all of that, I know that
your work inspires many, many people, including young artists.
(30:43):
And I wonder what advice would you give to a young scenic
designer or young designer who dreams of working at the level
that you are at my. Advice is to pursue what is
interesting and to reject any notions of boundaries between
different types of art forms. I really like it when the
(31:04):
boundaries are blurred between, you know, what my job is as a
set designer versus this person's job as a lighting
designer versus that, you know, like for example, with with
Brentwood Hana Kim, who is the video designer and I, our work
is very tangled together in terms of like what is video
(31:25):
design? What is set design?
Also the lighting designer too, just the you could extend that
too to the sound design. Like all the whole creative team
really gets tangled together really beautifully in Redwood,
But I also really like blending and blurring those boundaries as
I was sort of starting to talk about between different types of
(31:48):
of expression. So like I really like bouncing
from designing big musicals to small plays to scrappy, weird
immersive things to very large scale pop star concerts, TV,
film. Like they're all kind of the
same Uber design journey for me conceptually, that is very
(32:12):
fruitful and interesting. But also, and this gets maybe to
the kind of advice for young people entering the profession
question. It's a hard profession to
survive in, you know, the scale of finances and theatre.
I don't think I'm giving anything away to to say that
it's not it's not so robust. And so I sort of think having a
(32:37):
diverse range of scales and types of projects is also a
requirement if, if you don't happen to come from money or if
you don't happen to be married to someone who can support you.
If you're trying to make a living out of a designer in the
theater, I think it's very smartto also be working in other
(33:00):
corners of of the industry that are in different scales in terms
of the the fees and the budgets and everything.
Thank you for those insights andthat really great advice.
Well, Jason, this has been such a pleasure here.
Design and art evoke such a strong reaction and delight in
the audiences that are fortunateto see it.
(33:22):
We are so thankful for the ways you bring the brilliance of
nature and the wild outdoors to life on stage and many of your
works. And we'll be watching to see all
of the wonderful things that youwill continue to create.
So thank you so much for talkingwith us today.
Thank you. It was my deep pleasure to talk
to you. I love that this podcast exists,
(33:43):
by the way, and I was very happyto talk to you about trees.
Thank you it. Was wonderful.
Thank you. I remember when I was in the
(34:06):
audience of Redwood, and as the show ended and the final note
faded and the stage fell quiet, we in the audience were left
with something deeper than applause.
Stillness, like the hush beneaththe forest canopy.
Unknowing. As Jason mentioned, at the
center of every Redwood there ishardwood, ancient, dark, and
(34:30):
strong. It does not grow anymore, It
does not bend toward the light, but it holds the tree upright
through storms, through fire, through centuries.
It is the memory of all that came before and the promise that
the tree will endure. We too, carry Hartwood within
(34:51):
us, the quiet core made from love and loss, from song sung
and stories lived. It's where the pain lives and
the beauty. It's the place we return to when
the world asks us to remember who we are.
In Redwood, we witness people searching through bloodlines and
(35:11):
branches reaching toward healing.
And just like those towering trees, they find strength not
just in what's visible, but in what's buried deep, sacred,
unseen, and eternal. And in this sacred search, we
are reminded of, to Koon Alam, the call to repair the world.
(35:34):
Not in grand, sweeping acts, butin the quiet, daily tending of
what's broken. The mending of memory, the
holding of grief, the planting of hope.
So today, whether you walk through a forest or just feel
the rustle of your own spirit, listen closely.
(35:55):
The trees are not only speaking,they are singing.
Singing of roots and ancestors, of strength and survival, and of
the heartwood that holds us all.Until next time, may you walk
gently and listen deeply. A special thank you to Jason
(36:29):
Artizone W for his time and generosity, and thank you for
joining Tree Speech today.
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