Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 11 - safronia

23 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Theater, Guthrie Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, The Old Globe, and Trinity Repertory Company. Lighting designers are supported by the Mary-Louise and James S.Aagaard endowment in honor of Duane Schuler. STEPHANIE FARINA SOUND DESIGNER Previously at Lyric: Sound mixing for six productions since 2017/18, most recently West Side Story and The Factotum (both 2022/23). The Chicago-based sound designer, mixer, and educator has provided sound design for Highways and Valley (Michigan Opera Theatre); Sister Act, Beautiful and Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Drury Lane Theatre); Titanque (Porchlight Music Theatre); Falsettos (Court Theatre); Dreamgirls (McCarter Theatre); Revolution(s), The Color Purple, Naicrema Society , and New Stages 2022, 2023, and 2024 (Goodman Theatre); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Fannie (Indiana Repertory Theater); and Annie (Musical Theatre Works). Associate Sound Design credits include Life After and Music Man (Goodman Theatre); Forever Plaid, Mamma Mia , and 42nd St. (Drury Lane Theatre); Once on this Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Fannie (Seattle Rep, Goodman Theatre); and Fun Home (Kansas City Rep). At Lyric, she provided front- of-house mixing for Fiddler on the Roof, Twilight: Gods, West Side Story , and Jesus Christ Superstar . Other mixing credits include Blue and Twilight: Gods (Michigan Opera Theatre), and 10 years at the Goodman Theatre. Farina is Head of Sound Design at The Theatre School at DePaul University. VAM STUDIO VIDEO DESIGNER Lyric debut The Barcelona-based, award-winning production company was founded by married creative partners Vincent Martell and Jordan Phelps. Their practice centers on surrealist image-making and visual world- building — translating emotional and psychological landscapes into immersive environments across film and live performance. For nearly a decade, VAM’s work has been a fixture of the visual arts scenes in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, presented internationally and featured in Vogue , Rolling Stone , the New York Times , Pitchfork, and NPR, among others. VAM has created and directed work for global brands including Apple, Nike, Dr. Martens, and Red Bull, and for artists including Jamila Woods, Madison McFerrin, and Esperanza Spalding, spanning moving image and live performance. KIA SMITH CHOREOGRAPHER Lyric debut Smith is a Chicago native and the Founder of South Chicago Dance Theatre. As a freelance choreographer, her recent and upcoming commissions include Madison Ballet, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Chicago Opera Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago, Opera Laguna, and Scottish Ballet School. Smith’s first evening length work, Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley for South Chicago Dance Theatre premiered at the Auditorium Theater of Chicago in 2023 and she was named one of Dance Magazine ’s 25 To Watch for 2024. Smith was an Ann & Weston Hicks Choreographic Fellow at the renowned Jacob’s Pillow festival and the first fellow in the festival’s history to be presented by the Pillow. She was a 2022 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist.