Elisabeth Goulding
Scenic Design and Assorted Stagecraft
Biography
I am a graduate of Brigham Young University, where I studied scenic and costume design. While there I worked as the draftsperson for the BYU scene shop, where my experiences included working closely with the technical director and the scene shop, learning methods of construction and tracking receipts and inventory. While at BYU, I was involved with 11 theatre productions as lead scenic designer (both student and faculty directed). I also took classes on scenic design and construction, scenic art, costuming, costume construction, puppetry, and projections. Currently, I am the Assistant Technical Director at Hale Center Theater Orem where my duties include construction drafting for scenery and managing budgets and purchasing for the scene shop.
Recent Productions
Cosí fan Tutte
BYU Opera, February 2024
A classic Mozart opera about gender and marriage, this production of Cosí fan Tutte was set in a 1970s Las Vegas casino following two couples as they create tests to prove their faithfulness to their loves at the challenge of a meddling old bartender. Taking place on a thrust stage and featuring a live orchestra upstage, I took inspiration from both 70s iconography and live TV stages of the time to create a sleek and energetic look evocative of Vegas at its height.
Pride and Prejudice
BYU Arts Production, March 2022
In this less traditional retelling of the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice emphasized movement and celebration in every aspect of its creation, creating a narrative that was both moving and playful. Set on a circular revolving stage framed by elegant translucent drapery, this design aimed for that intersection between gracefulness and energy with a variety of levels made up of the very novels and letters that are so central to the heart of the story.
Zemire et Azor
BYU Opera, October 2021
Zemire et Azor is a lesser known opera adaptation of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. My first foray into designing for opera, I was able to work with a brand new opera director and collaborate with a team of student puppet designers who created the 10' tall beast puppet central to the narrative. This project challenged me to work with a smaller budget and to design around the large movements of the puppet.
Illusionary Tales: The Turn of the Screw
BYU Arts Production, April 2021
Illusionary Tales is a collection of three short, legend-inspired scripts written by local playwrights and commissioned by Brigham Young University: Balete Drive, For Such A Time As This, and A Tell-Tale Heart. To produce theatre safely under pandemic restrictions, two of three actors were projected onto the playing space using methods we created as a team (from little prior experience) involving heavy experimenting with mockups and projectors.
Stagecraft & Projects
