Arnel Sancianco

THE OLD GLOBE

Directed by Steve Broadnax III

Costume Design by Celeste Jennings

Lighting Design by Alan C. Edwards

Photos by Jim Cox

“In addition to the eight actors onstage, the Lafayette home is its own spooky character, a living and breathing entity, thanks to fine technical work by Sancianco“

-Pam Kragen, The San Diego Union Tribune

“The Old Globe’s production is beyond criticism. Along with the impeccable ensemble, a special commendation goes to scenic designer Arnel Sancianco for his brilliant design of the crumbling mansion interior, which serves as a dominating atmospheric character in the play.“

-Dan Zeff, Stage and Cinema

“By the end of the evening, it is apparent the interior of the familial house is a character unto itself. That is the results of astute scenic design by Arnel Sancianco.“

-Brad Auerbach, Entertainment Today

“The battling Lafayettes and those attached to them (Bo’s pugnacious spouse Rachael, Frank’s “enlightened” partner River, Toni’s sulking, self-pleasuring son Rhys) in no time flat turn the magnificently brooding set designed by Arnel Sancianco into an arena of verbal and even physical assault.“

-David L. Coddon, Stage West

GOODMAN THEATRE

Directed By Tyrone Philips

Costumes By Jos A. Banks

Lighting By Jason Lynch

“This all takes place in the Owen Theatre ( the smaller of the two venues in the building) on an amazing set designed by Arnel Sancianco. When you enter the theater, you will see a very typical back yard with a grill, deck, and of course several ways to enter the house. In fact, if you did not know you were in a theater and that it was -2 degrees outside, you might feel that you are at a summer outing.”

-Alan Bressloff, Around the Town Chicago

“The technical elements of the production elevate the storytelling to new heights. Arnel Sancianco’s set design captures the essence of a Southern backyard with rich, lived-in detail, creating a tangible sense of place that enhances the play’s themes of home and heritage.”

-Wesley David, Buzz Center Stage

“Even the stagecraft involved in the appearance of ghosts is clever even if it appears obvious after the fact (the intricately detailed set design is by Arnel Sancianco)”

-Zac Thriffiley, Broadway World

“Definition Theatre Founding Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips has created a rollicking and raucous production with the cast and crew of Fat Ham. Set designer Arnel Sancianco and lighting designer Jason Lynch revel in the opportunity for doing so many theatrical special effects tied to the ghost, while costume designer Jos N. Banks injects a great camp sensibility to define the characters by their often outrageous outfits.”

-Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times

GOODMAN THEATRE

Directed By Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes By Samantha Jones

Lighting By Jason Lynch

Assistants: Glenn Baker, Arabella Zurbano

Photos By Liz Lauren

2024 EQUITY JEFF AWARD LARGE SIZE SCENIC DESIGN WINNER

“The action alternates between the Dunbars’ opulent home (Arnel Sancianco’s lavish foyer/parlor/library will have you wanting to move in) and the Campbell-Jackson’s immaculate, pastel kitchen.“

— Catey Sullivan, Chicago Sun Times

“Set design by Arnel Sancianco is breathtakingly lovely; the Dunbars’ home successfully conveys the grandeur of a Southern mansion within the confines of the proscenium. Transitions between the Dunbar household and that of the Campbell Jacksons are as smooth as can be, and the Campbell Jacksons’ kitschy, brightly-colored kitchen creates a stark contrast to the almost exaggerated elegance of the Dunbars’ home.“

— Jessie Bond, Splash Magazine

“As the audience enters the Goodman’s Albert Theatre, there’s unanimous reaction to the magnificent scenic design provided by the gifted Arnel Sancianco. The elegance and attention to detail in each of the rooms can be heard uttered by everyone in the theatre. This is the ancestral home of Dr. and Mrs. Dunbar. There are two grand staircases, an abundance of stained glass, and throughout the house are beautiful and tasteful furnishings, befitting a wealthy doctor’s estate. The whole house is framed by a false proscenium depicting the house’s cupola and the surrounding gardens.

But there’s more. Following an early scene, the house pulls upstage and a full kitchen unit, belonging to Alpha Campbell Jackson, slides silently into the vacated downstage area, followed by a table and chairs that rise from beneath the stage.“

— Colin Douglass, Chicago Theater Review

“This is the society’s centennial year, and what better moment to showcase the family’s prestige? Particularly when living under the roof of scenic designer Arnel Sancianco’s gorgeous Southern mansion that consumes the Goodman stage, it’s hard to believe anything could go wrong.“

— Lauren Katz, Third Coast Review

“Much of the action takes place in the parlor, library and front hall of her mansion designed on a grand scale with impeccable detail by Arnel Sancianco.”

— Anne Spiselman, Hyde Park Herald

THE MUNY

Directed By William Carlos-Angulo

Costumes By Leon Dobkowski

Lighting By Rob Denton

Projections By Caite Hevner

Assistants: Glenn Baker, Blaine Fuson, Carter Vickers

Photos by Phillip Hamer

"The musical begins with a showstopper: the title number, “In the Heights.” The song and the impressive, stage-spanning set design by Arnel Sancianco, establishes the tone for the entire show and reveals the vibrant world of Washington Heights. The two-level set is instantly engaging and creates a true sense of “being there” with a center turntable that ingeniously revolves to feature Usnavi’s bodega, Rosario’s Car Service and the Beauty Salon throughout the rest of the show. Alongside the carousel are two “alleys” that always have characters interacting with each other, even when the main action is elsewhere. Behind the main set are video projections by Caite Hevner that constantly provide ambiance and background action. Their placement in the background and lack of prominence provide an additional level of realism and atmosphere. Just like a real New York city street scene, this production is a visual feast."

- CB Adams, KDHX

"Thanks to this clever scenic design by Arnel Sancianco, each store has plenty of space, and more of the neighborhood can be shown flanking the turntable. The storefronts can be moved back to create more room for big dance numbers. The richly colored graffiti on the booms and the side video screens are very attractive."

- Gerry Kowarsky, HEC Media

"The appealing young performer is nimble in guiding the action as we move from store to Rosario’s car service to Daniela’s beauty salon, homes, balconies and the bustling streets – on a nifty gritty grid design by Arnel Sancianco that captured the distinct ambiance and sleekly used the asset that is the monstrous turntable for deft transitions. He was the set designer for last year’s 'Rent' and the year before’s 'The Color Purple.'"

- Lynn Venhaus, Pop Life STL

McCARTER THEATRE

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes by Samantha Jones

Lighting by Jason Lynch & Will Elphingstone

Photos by Roy Matusek

THE MUNY

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes by Raquel Ardono

Lighting by Heather Gilbert

Assistants: Glenn Baker, Lily Tomasic, Abby Wiker

Photos by Phillip Hamer

THEATREWORKS SILICON VALLEY

Directed by Jeffrey Lo

Costumes by Becky Bodurtha

Lighting by Kurt Landisman

Photos by Reed Flores

STEPPENWOLF

Directed by Steve Broadnax III

Costume Design by Raquel Adorno

Lighting Design by Jason Lynch

Projection Design by Rasean Davonté Johnson

“Director Steve H. Broadnax III’s superb staging of Suzan-Lori Parks’ “The Book of Grace” is the first show I’ve seen in that space to truly inhabit what it means to perform in the round, and to exploit the advantages of having an audience surround a trio of characters on whom the walls are closing in fast.“

-Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune

“The success of the multiple stories Parks has deftly woven together hinges on the setting, which never strays beyond the backyard of the remote house that Grace and Vet share in an unspecified border town. Arnel Sancianco's scenic design captures everything from the space that looms large in Buddy's childhood memories, which are fifteen years out of date, to the clean and comfortable, yet slightly shabby reality that confronts him when arrives.

In the dated furniture and faded braided rugs, there is nothing of the Disneyland castle that features in Grace's book, yet the pairs of her not-quite-sensible shoes that sit visible on a rack near the hidey-hole for her book, the always-full coffee pot, and half a dozen homey details lend the set the magic necessary to connect the actual to the metaphorical. And for Buddy, whose footlocker that contains all that remains of the house he shared with his own mother until her death and his subsequent loss of it, the way that Sancianco manages to infuse a fundamentally stark and practical space with Grace's warmth marks an important and painful contrast.”

-Christine M. Malcom, Talkin Broadway

“The Ensemble Theater stage is in the round and entirely utilized in Arnel Sancianco’s elegant scenic design with the living room, kitchen, outdoor patio and hallways to the rest of the house.”

-Ed Tracy, PickInSix

OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Lighting by Jason Lynch

Costumes by Samantha Jones & Yvonne Miranda

Photos by Jenny Graham

TIMELINE THEATRE

Directed by Helen Young

Costumes by Izumi Inaba

Lighting by John Culver

2023 Jeff Award Nominee

“The gorgeously detailed, diorama-like set, designed by Arnel Sancianco, holds a few surprises of its own.”

- Kris Vire , Chicago Sun Times

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE

Directed by Kent Gash

Lighting by Jason Lynch

Costumes by Kara Harmon

Photos by Michael Brosilow

“…the audibles here, designed by Pornchanok Kanchanabanca, are superb, as is the set from Arnel Sancianco, featuring portraits of great Black leaders, staring down on the next generation, a tad ominously. Especially if you see them everyday.“

-Chris Jones Chicago Tribune

“As Steppenwolf’s impressive waterworks soak the cast spread across Arnel Sancianco’s simple, effective set, they create a gentle, percussive pattering. Lighting designer Jason Lynch gives the scene the look of an impressionistic painting capturing the young men at their most vulnerable. When the scene segues into “What Wondrous Love is This,” the words are wrapped in steam, sexuality and, indeed, wonder.“

-Catey Sullivan Chicago Sun Times

“Smoothly directed by Kent Gash on a set by Arnel Sancianco that truly moves the play with very little lost time, this is a show that cannot have an intermission. Breaking the flow of the action anywhere would take the audience out of the picture and not allow the entire story to make sense.“

-Alan Bresloff Around the Town Chicago

“Pharus is a difficult young man. He obviously should not have to pretend to be someone other than who he is, but he also does himself no favors when he purposely swishes around the chorus room like Martin Short’s old Ed Grimley character or engages in bawdy gay double entendres with AJ—a friend and ally but decidedly hetero—in public. It’s an old, traditional, conservative institution, as Arnel Sancianco’s massive, incredible set constantly reminds us.“

-Karen Topham Chicago on Stage

“Arnel Sancianco's set nicely captures the sanctity and formality of the institution-and the prep school setting is flanked by portraits of notable Black men (it's worth noting that former President Barack Obama has the centermost portrait-a decision that was clearly intentional)“

-Rachel Weinberg Broadway World

COURT THEATRE

Directed By Vanessa Stalling

Costumes By Mieka Van Der Ploeg

Lighting By Kieth Parham

Projections By Paul Diesel

Photos By Michael Brosilow

WINNER 2019 EQUITY JEFF AWARD LARGE SIZE SCENIC DESIGN

FEATURED AT PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL 2023

“The scenic design, by Arnel Sancianco, is exquisitely thoughtful. I’m developing an eye for Sancianco’s work: more often than not, when I walk into a theater and a set immediately takes my breath away, the design is Sancianco’s.”

— Erin Shea Brady, NewCity Stage

“But there’s yet more to like about this particular piece of work, not the least of which is its thrilling pacing and the integration of Stalling’s clear-eyed vision for the piece with the design work of Arnel Sancianco, whose set is, as one reader wrote to me to say this week, “a brilliant visual metaphor for the multi-tiered levels of our prison-like confinement by life itself.” Yup. Could not have said it better myself.”

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY

Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene

Lighting By Philip Rosenberg

Costumes By Ramona Ward

HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Lighting by Jason Lynch

Costumes by Samantha Jones

Photos by T Charles Erickson

OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Directed By Tiffany Nichole Green

Costumes By Ari Fulton

Lighting By Jason Lynch

Projections by Kate Freer

Photos By Jenny Graham

GOODMAN THEATRE

Directed By Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes By Samantha Jones

Lighting By Jason Lynch

Photos By Liz Lauren

2019 EQUITY JEFF AWARD LARGE SIZE SCENIC DESIGN NOMINEE

“Through masterful scenic design by Arnel Sancianco, we see the new literally juxtaposed against the old, providing a grassy playing space full of metaphors and venom. Vivien lives in a more chic-Barbie Dreamhouse, bedangled with a chandelier, art-decked walls, and oversized windows—ones in which she fails to sneak subtle peaks at the yard below. On stage, it sits opposite Mallory’s residence, where we see a mess of table and chairs transform with blue solo cups and centerpieces. It’s a party white people only dream of being invited to.”

— Yasmin Mikhaiel, Rescripted

“The set by Arnel Sancianco—who is among our city’s most promising young designers—might be the most Chicago thing you’ve ever seen, at least at the Goodman”

— Kevin Greene, NewCity Stage

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes by David Israel Reynoso

Lighting by Amanda Zieve

Photos by Jim Carmody

WOOLLY MAMMOTH & BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Lighting by Collin K. Bills

Costumes by Yvonne Miranda

Photos by DJ Corey Photography

OLNEY THEATER & ROUNDHOUSE

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes by Rueben Echols

Lighting by Sherrice Mojgani

Projections by Kelly Colburn

Assistant: Arabella Zurbano

“At the start of the show, co-produced with Round House Theatre, the musicians take their seats within designer Arnel Sancianco’s set, a vivid impression of the Shrine complete with painted corrugated walls and languidly spinning ceiling fans.“

— Celia Wren, Washington Post

“Arnel Sancianco’s set make the audience feel as if they are sitting at The Shrine. A neat feature added for the show is small café tables next to the stage seated with members of the audience “

— Susan Brall, MD Theater Guide

“Why don’t we start with the set? You see it first, after all. It’s colorfully designed by Arnel Sancianco, whose use of sheet metal and shipping crate textures evoke the DIY, grassroots environment the Shrine was based on. It’s warm, tropical, and inviting; Brown utilizes this by opening centerstage for action, and flanking it with graffiti’d oil drums. Sanciano’s details shine through as well: there’s vintage Fela posters abound, some tucked away but still visible, and protest posters hidden offstage that you’re only lucky to see if you’re on the flank. A nice little treat if you’re not front-and-center. At the top of the stage are some fans, which aesthetically keep the scenery busy when things slow down (though they rarely do). I’ve been in dives in Puerto Rico that evoke the same energy and I was instantly transported. […] EVERYTHING was gorgeous to look at.“

— Drew Morris, Drew Morris Theatre DC

THE MUNY

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Lighting by Heather Gilbert

Costumes by Samantha Jones

Projections by Paul Deziel

Photos by Eric Woolsey

STEPPENWOLF

Directed By Hallie Gordon & Gabrielle Randle-Bent

Lighting By Heather Sparling

Costumes by Izumi Inaba

COURT THEATRE

Directed by Sean Graney

Costumes by Alison Siple

Lighting by Claire Chrzan

Photos by Michael Brosilow

“On the other hand, if you were a fan of the movie “Knives Out” and see tweedy old Christie as in need of some shaking up for a new moment, you’ll likely have similar fun here, watching everyone cavort around Arnel Sancianco’s amusing set.”

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

“The actors sell the relentless, over-the-top mugging of the script the best they can, but the true stars of this production are Arnel Sancianco’s fun house mirror set and Alison Siple’s cartoon-like color-coded costumes. The ceiling of Monkswell Manor is impossibly high, while doors are just tall enough to admit a person without stooping; this house is basically telling us that reality is being bent here. The extravagant garb advertises that each of these characters is putting us on.”

— Dmitri Samarov, Chicago Reader

Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts

Directed by Lucky Stiff

Lighting by Sara Gosses

Costumes by Carolyn Sullivan

Photos by Justin Barbin

REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

Directed by Meredith McDonough

Costumes by Kathleen Geldard

Lighting by Paul Toben

Projections by Jerran Kowalski

Milwaukee Rep

Directed by JC Clementz

Lighting by Lee Fiskness

Costumes by Misti Bradford

Photos by Michael Brosilow

TIMELINE THEATRE

Directed By Nick Bowling

Costumes By Sally Dolembo

Lighting By Jessica Neil

“Staged with refined simplicity by Nick Bowling, Master Class is a technical success. Arnel Sancianco’s set design takes the familiar elements of a collegiate recital hall and reshapes them exquisitely. The simple pale wood surfaces arch and twist to resemble the curves of the Steinway that sits onstage.”

— Adelaide Lee, Theatre Mania

“Arnel Sancianco’s set design transform the intimate space at Stage 773 into a sleek, beautiful wood structure that certainly recalls the hallowed halls of Julliard wherein this MASTER CLASS takes place.”

— Rachel Weinberg, Broadway World

RIVENDELL THEATRE

Directed By Lauren Schouse

Costumes By Janice Pytel

Lighting By Cat Wilson

2018 EQUITY JEFF AWARD MID SIZE SCENIC DESIGN NOMINEE

MILWAUKEE CHAMBER THEATRE

Directed By Michael Cotey

Costumes By Elanor Cotey

Lighting By Alexander Ridgers

STEEP THEATRE

Directed By Vanessa Stalling

Costumes By Meika Van Der Ploeg

Lights By Pete Dully

WIRTZ CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Directed By Lili-Anne Brown

Costumes By Virgina Varland

Lighting By Alexander Ridgers

Projections By Mike Stanfil

Choreography By Brigitte Detmars