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UIL Theatrical Design is a state contest in which Texas students technically design aspects of a prompted show. The options of design are costuming, hair and makeup, scenic, and marketing, and students must justify, render, and present their designs. Catherine Garza has participated in this from her freshman to junior year of high school, qualifying to state all three years, and winning state championship for a group entry, as well as sixth place in her individual scenic entry. She has done costuming, scenic, and hair and makeup design for various shows as Man of La Mancha, Murder on the Orient Express, and Dorothy Louise's Frankenstein, respectively.
This competition allowed her to truly understand and practice the design process and creativity.
Individual Scenic Design for Dorothy Louise's Frankenstein
6th Place at State
My design was pulled from the idea that the story of Frankenstein forces people to face the uncomfortable. It resonated with the German Expressionist movement from the early 20th century as well as religious symbols such as cathedrals and pipe organs. This movement was a way to reject Western conventionalism and use warped shapes and harsh contrast to portray emotion and abstract ideas, making an overall distorted and unsettling look. I utilize these to create a conjunction with the gothic themes of the script and an art movement that represents a warped replication of reality.
2023, 11th grade
Group Hair and Makeup Design for Dorothy Louise's Frankenstein
State Championship
The story of Frankenstein makes people become conscious of their own prejudice against others. This prejudice stems from the idea of what is “ugly” and therefore strange and different. The artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat was extremely chaotic and unconventional, in addition to standing against racial and class discrimination of his time. In congruence, the makeup design for Mary Shelley is the least artistic with a strict color palette and blended shades, while those for her characters are more abstract and closer to ideas of Basquiat, with Creature being the furthest from considered beauty.
2023, 11th grade
Individual Scenic Design for Murder on the Orient Express
State Qualifying
My design is inspired by the how historical events influence design and art style and the way that mirrors how the story is affected by Daisy Armstrong’s murder. The contrast between modern art deco and more run down aspects calls back to the Great Depression and how differs from the rich lifestyle of the 1920s, before the character’s lives fell apart.
2022, 10th grade
Individual Costume Design for Man of la Mancha
State Qualifying
My designs were heavily inspired by this artwork by Scott Gustafson, which caught my attention as it highlights the sun and the skies, which are elements that prisoners often lack and would find intriguing in the escapism. In staging, the most prominent and theatrical elements would be taken from the trunk, while the other, more makeshift, parts of the costumes, such as the shaving basin, would be found in the prison set, taken last minute by the characters.
2021, 9th grade
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