Senior Spotlight: 'Emerging Creatives' from CCM Theatre Design and Production
MFA Stage Design students Gabby Trice and Regan Densmore share their experience
Third-year MFA Stage Design students Gabby Trice and Regan Densmore recently represented the UC College-Conservatory of Music at the USITT Emerging Creatives Showcase. Selected from a small cohort of rising theatre designers, both students presented models, renderings and process materials on the expo floor, offering industry professionals a behind-the-scenes look at their work.
Regan Densmore and her display at the USITT Conference. Photo/Provided.
Trice featured designs from CCM's productions of La Finta Giardiniera and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, and additional production work. Densmore showcased projects including CCM's productions of Cendrillon and HAIR, and a conceptual design for Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.
The experience provided invaluable exposure, sparking conversations with designers, educators and fellow artists from across the country.
“It was incredibly rewarding to share work I’ve spent years developing and to engage in meaningful dialogue with professionals in the field,” Densmore shared. For Trice, the showcase also led to numerous professional connections and opportunities to discuss her evolving artistic voice.
Participation in the program required a rigorous application process, including curated portfolios, artistic statements and letters of recommendation, highlighting the depth and range of each student’s design practice. Both students also took full advantage of the USITT conference’s educational sessions, further expanding their industry knowledge and networks.
Gabby Trice and her display at the USITT Conference. Photo/Provided.
At CCM, Trice and Densmore credit their rapid artistic growth to the Theatre Design and Production Department's immersive training and mentorship.
“CCM has pushed me in every way possible,” Trice noted, emphasizing the impact of faculty members such as Charlie Calvert and Jessica Secrest. "My work has grown exponentially, and I've been able to very quickly build my portfolio to include a wide array of design styles."
Densmore echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the balance between classroom and production experience. “My studio classes allowed me to hone my craft and focus on my process as a scenic designer,” she said. “The mainstage shows gave me a wide range of portfolio pieces and allowed me to practice real-world designing with a production team and fast-paced decision-making.”
As graduation approaches, both designers are already building impressive new chapters. Trice has multiple productions scheduled with companies including Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Charlotte Children’s Theatre, with plans to relocate to New York City. Densmore will return to the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute this summer as scenic charge and props supervisor before also pursuing freelance scenic design in New York.
Shortly after celebrating their graduations at CCM's Graduation Convocation ceremony on May 1, Trice and Densmore will travel to New York to participate in the National Design Portfolio Review (NDPR). The event introduces talented, emerging designers to the industry and welcomes presenters representing costume design, production and scenic design, lighting and projection design, media design and sound design.
Trice and Densmore will present at NDPR with fellow graduating CCM classmates Taylor Helms (MFA Stage Design, '26), Jules Cabrera (MFA Lighting Design and Technology, '26) and Maura Kesterson (MFA Costume Design and Technology, '26).
"I'm so, so grateful to all the absolutely wonderful professors, directors and fellow students I've been able to collaborate with and get to know during my time here," Trice said. "It's difficult to express just how much they will be missed."
Featured image at the top: CCM's Opera Series production of La Finta Giardiniera. Photo/ Mark Lyons.
Mya Gibson
CCM Graduate Assistant, Marketing + Communications
Mya Gibson is a graduate student in the Arts Administration/Business Administration program at UC-CCM. Her experience includes marketing and communications internships with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Playhouse.
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