Beatrice Ruobin Huang: Ancient Art for a Modern Audience.
Skene Staff
Opera director Beatrice Ruobin Huang reflects on loss, collaboration, and creating meaningful connections between music, story, and audience.
Opera director Beatrice Ruobin Huang reflects on loss, collaboration, and creating meaningful connections between music, story, and audience.
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Before Naoko Skala ever stood in a theatre, she was already inside one. As a child, she lived in the spaces described in books, tracing the edges of imaginary rooms, placing herself beside characters in worlds that only existed in language. That early intimacy with invented space never left her. It simply found a larger stage.
Her path into scenic design began with a single production, a summer theatre show that stopped her completely and made the answer obvious. Since then, she has spent her career doing what she has always done: building worlds that invite people in, holding them there, and sending them back changed.
She works from instinct as much as from structure. Some scripts speak to her before she has finished reading them, already filling with image and form. Others ask for patience, for method, for the slower kind of attention. She has learned to follow what each project needs rather than imposing a single way of working.
Her practice is also shaped by what she has carried through difficulty, by the understanding that empathy is not separate from design but lives inside it, in every choice that asks the audience to feel less alone.
Naoko Skala is a scenic designer and educator whose work begins with warmth and ends with light, in this edition of PROFILES.
When I was a child, I always loved reading the descriptions of the worlds in stories, especially the details about rooms or buildings. I loved imagining myself in the story with the characters. The first time I saw an ESU summer theatre production of Noises Off, it struck me, and I immediately wanted to work for the theatre in any way. Since then, creating a world of play as a theatre practitioner has been my passion, and I am grateful to continue carrying it forward in my career.
It is hard to choose only one production, since each one has meant something unique to me. The productions I worked with students on are especially meaningful. Working with them made the creative process more enjoyable and helped me learn and grow as an educator and theatre practitioner. Guiding students through the challenges and joys of theatre has deepened my own understanding and appreciation of theatre as well.
At the beginning of my career, I followed a typical scenic design process that I learned in school, and I still use this routine when working in educational settings. But for professional productions, especially when a play excites me, inspiration often strikes on its own. Sometimes, as I read the script, I cannot stop imagining what the space will look like. So, my process is a mix of routine and spontaneous inspiration, depending on the project.
A few years ago, I went through a difficult period in my personal life that affected my work as well. As I healed, I became deeply aware of how much the support and kindness of others mattered to me. This experience changed my perspective and helped me grow. It taught me empathy and gave me a greater appreciation for the connections and opportunities I have now. I carry these lessons into my creative work, which feels more honest and meaningful because of what I have been through.
My first mentor, Nancy Pontius, is a retired faculty member from Emporia State University. Her way of mentoring, teaching, and working is still my biggest inspiration, and I always think of her when I face challenges at work. She, along with everyone at ESU, encouraged me to pursue a career as a theatre practitioner and welcomed me into a wonderful theatre community.
One of the most exciting things happening in my field right now is the growth of community and support for Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander professionals and students in Theatre Design, Technology, and Management. Szu-Feng Chen, Miso Wei, and I recently established an organization called R.I.S.E. to help build this network across the United States. We hosted a session at USITT this year that was very well attended, showing how much people want to connect. It is exciting to see this new community forming, and it inspires us to keep developing R.I.S.E., create more opportunities, and host future events.
If you ever feel discouraged or think about giving up on your dreams, try to remember what first sparked your passion for your art and the people or moments that encouraged you along the way. Hold on to that inspiration. Also, stay open to new opportunities, even if they do not seem directly related to your main interests. Every experience can help you grow and shape you into a stronger artist and person.
I hope my work brings warmth and a sense of hope to people. If someone is having a hard day, I want them to be reminded that kindness and good things still exist. My goal is to help others feel connected and less alone. If my work helps even one person feel better or see the world differently, that is very meaningful to me. Through my work, I want to offer light and comfort to others.
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