2019 was a banner year for set designer Rachel Hauck. Two of her designs were on Broadway in acclaimed productions: the Tony-nominated play “What the Constitution to Me” and the musical “Hadestown,” which not only won the Tony for Best Musical but also earned Rachel her first Tony for scenic design.

The recognition came after almost three decades of consistent work in the theater, starting in her hometown of Los Angeles and then in regional theaters all over the country, from the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she worked several summers, to the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference in Connecticut, where she served as the resident set designer for 10 years.

When she and her partner and frequent collaborator, director Lisa Peterson, moved from Los Angeles to New York, Rachel quickly established herself as one of the most in-demand designers for the city’s most vibrant Off-Broadway theaters, and in 2016 she received an Obie Award for sustained excellence of set design.

In this interview with Pier Carlo Talenti and Rob Kramer, Rachel describes the full impact of the pandemic shutdown on her own career and the theatrical ecosystem as a whole. She also enumerates the systemic changes that must take place in the field to ensure that gifted designers of all kinds can enjoy sustainable and lasting careers.

https://constitutionbroadway.com/

https://www.hadestown.com/