Jay Tyson

Originally from the small town of Battle Ground, WA, Jay Tyson (they/them) is a multidisciplinary designer for stage and screen. Having experienced the confusion and discomfort that comes from growing up as a queer, trans, neurodivergent kid without the vocabulary or representation to make sense of these identities, their primary goals now center around creating that representation and challenging familiar narratives. Through art, music, and design, they deconstruct everything they’ve known, including looking at who makes art, whose stories get told, how they get told, how audiences engage with and become impacted by art, and whether or not anything truly has to stay “the way it is” as so many insist it must.

While studying at Whitman, they worked on theatrical productions that tackled topics from school shootings to misogynistic views of aging, as well as short narrative films and a documentary that went on to be shown in festivals. After graduating magna cum laude with a BA in theatre and film & media studies in 2021, they became a graduate student in UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film, and Television, where they further developed practical skills such as graphic design, physical and digital model-making, rendering concept art, drafting, researching, and communicating rich worldbuilding through pitch decks. Concurrently, they continued designing theatrical productions, such as the world premiere of the opera The Grand Hotel Tartarus as well as Tell Me I’m Gorgeous (At the End of the World), which explored the intersection of racial and queer dynamics within the community of Fire Island. In addition to working on 20+ plays, musicals, and operas in academic theater, they have designed for square product theater in Colorado (2022) and Pacific Resident Theater in Los Angeles (2024). Their scenic and costume work has received critical recognition through the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, including the Regional and National Awards for Excellence in Scenic Design (2020), a position as the Francis Starr Todd Design Fellow with the Seven Devil’s Playwrights Conference (2020), and an internship with the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas’ summer training program (2021).

After graduating with an MFA in scenic and production design in the spring of 2025, Jay plans on continuing their work in art departments and learning the ins and outs of studios until they can lead departments as a production designer of larger films.

Research Interests

Scenic and Production Design

Selected accomplishments and professional work

“Demolition,” Pacific Resident Theater, Scenic Designer (2024)

“The Grand Hotel Tartarus,” UCLA, Scenic and Props Designer (2024)

“Tell Me I’m Gorgeous (At the End of the World),” UCLA, Scenic and Props Designer (2023)

John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Fellowship (2022)

National Award for Excellence in Scenic Design, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (2020)

Education

BA, Theatre and Film & Media Studies, Whitman College
MFA, Theater, UCLA (in progress)