Reid Thompson Design

Hi there -

My name is Reid Thompson, and I’m a scenic designer. I love my job: how every project brings a new set of challenges, engages with different stories and social issues, and stretches me to learn new things from a play, my collaborators, and my research. I’m inspired by the spaces we perform in and love to adapt existing spaces to serve the needs of storytelling. I’m also inspired by the accidental beauty of found utilitarian spaces; contemporary art (Félix González-Torres or Doris Salcedo, anyone?); and dance-theater, often from outside the United States, that strongly engages design and space (think Pina Bausch and Aurélien Bory). I also love smart comedy, especially when laughter and absurdity are tools to call out injustice.

My journey to design has been somewhat circuitous. I’m from Connecticut, a place caught between the dark thrum and energetic pull of New York City and the quiet, no-nonsense stability of New England. I studied fine art - painting and drawing - at The Art Institute of Chicago. After moving to New York, I continued my studio painting practice while working as a scenic artist for theater and opera, painting for Broadway shows and tours, and eventually for the Metropolitan Opera. After 10 years in New York, becoming a passionate opera and theater-goer, and designing small-scale projects, I enrolled at the Yale School of Drama to study design. YSD was, as promised, a boot camp of training and practice. But the great unexpected gift of my graduate training came from the exposure to my fellow students, who were from all over the world, studying every discipline of theater. 

I’m proud of the variety of my work - each project looks different because each project is different. My approach is to let the story, the music, my collaborators, and my research lead the way. I see my job as creating a synthesis between the needs of the storytelling, inspiration from colleagues, the discoveries of my design research, and the constraints of the performance space and resources provided.

I strive to practice anti-racist theater and am committed to the cause of dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy in our industry and our nation. If you are interested in what that means to me and my ever-evolving personal action steps, please get in touch.

I hope you will take a moment to look through some of my recent work. A professional bio is below, and you can see my full resume by clicking the link above. Thanks for visiting!