A Drama Desk Award-winning scenic designer, David Korins designed the sets for Hamilton, the hip-hop musical hit moving from The Public Theatre to Broadway in July. He recently designed Motown, The Musical, and the revival of Annie. Thomas Kail, the director of Hamilton, will present a Live Design Award for Design Achievement to the show’s design team, including Korins, Howell Binkley (lighting), Nevin Steinberg (sound), and Paul Tazewell (costumes) at NYU on Thursday evening, June 4 as part of the Live Design New York Master Classes.
Live Design: What is your favorite thing about your work as a designer?
David Korins: One of my favorite things about working as a spatial designer is the wide variety of projects I get to work on. My work takes me from theater and opera to live concerts and music festivals, film, and television sets to interior design and restaurants, and I love discovering the unique complexities of each style and finding unexpected intersections of techniques and disciplines. I’ve been lucky to be able to work on a diverse range of projects with an incredibly talented pool of collaborators who inspire me every day.
LD: How do you approach a new project in terms of research and design intent?
DK: My goal for any project is for people to feel, experience, and connect with the story to the fullest extent. I begin with a completely blank slate, without any preconceived notion of what the piece should look or feel like. Instead, I pay close attention to the needs of the piece and listen to my collaborators to figure out the exact way to present the story. It’s important to me that the design complement and enhance the piece rather than distract from it, so I strive to best serve the needs of any project with as few elements as possible.
I begin by researching, sketching, and, most importantly, having conversations with my collaborators. All the design process tools, from sketches and renderings to models and drafting, are just tools for communication. The real design work happens in dialogue with directors, other designers, writers, and actors.
LD: What advice would you give to young designers just entering the business?
DK: Always keep your eyes open to your surroundings. The world is full of design, and there is something to be learned from all of it if you are looking with an attentive and critical eye. We learn more from our failures than our successes. Lean into experiences that are difficult and challenging and try and learn what you can, even if you’re learning what not to do. Otherwise: hard work and preparedness beats luck and circumstance every day. There is no substitution for working harder than you think you possibly can.
LD: What would you say is your biggest achievement thus far?
DK: To be in a place where I get to work every day on projects that inspire me and among collaborators who excite and challenge me. I’m surrounded by an incredibly talented pool of artists, producers and managers and am lucky and honored to be in the room with them every day.