Meet the Designers

The first thing you notice about the creative team for The Old Man and The Old Moon is the extensive experience and knowledge of the intricacies of creating live theatre at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Four of the designers return for Outside SCR's final summer at the Mission.

That starts with Director Kim Martin-Cotten, who served as artistic producer for previous Outside SCR productions as part of her duties as SCR’s Associate Artistic Director. You can read more about Martin-Cotten here on the SCR Blog.

Set Designer Efren Delgadillo, Jr. returns to SCR for his eighth production, which includes all four summers of Outside SCR. His recent projects include Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Mark Taper Forum), I’m not your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Seattle Repertory), In the Upper Room (Denver Center), Quixote Nuevo (Denver Center) and Scene With Cranes (Cal Arts Center for New Performance). An Assistant Professor and head of Scenic Design at UC Irvine, Delgadillo earned Henry Awards for his Denver Center for the Performing Arts productions of In the Upper Room and Quixote Nuevo.

Recent UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts graduate Stephanie Bernardini makes her SCR debut as co-scenic designer with The Old Man and The Old Moon. A laser designer and special-effects programmer, Bernardini’s recent laser work include Mellodeath’s Marshmello & Svdden Death Tour, Valorant Champions Tourand Lauv at the Seoul Jazz Festival. Her upcoming work includes Childish Gambino’s New World Tour. Bernardini handled production design for Burna Boy’s I Told Em Tour and the 2023 Coachella Revolve Festival.

Costume Designer Kish Finnegan returns to SCR two years after designing the costumes for the Outside SCR production of Million Dollar Quartet. Her earlier SCR credits include the 2019 Costa Mesa and 2021 Outside SCR productions of American Mariachi and the 2021 Outside SCR production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The Tucson resident is the resident costume designer for the Arizona Theatre Company, where she just completed the world premiere of the new musical Justice. Finnegan’s regional credits include The Kite Runner (San Jose Repertory), The Tutor (The Village Theatre in Washington) and a one-woman version of A Christmas Carol for Phoenix-based Childsplay, A Cal Arts graduate, Finnegan began her career designing costumes for Team USA’s synchronized swimming teams.

Lighting Designer Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz brings a rich history of SCR credits to his fourth season at Outside SCR. He has designed 46 SCR productions since 1994, including Outside SCR productions of La Havana Madrid, Million Dollar Quartet, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and American Mariachi. Alcaraz’s other SCR credits include A Raisin in the Sun, A Shot Rang Out, Outside Mullingar, The Whipping Man, La Posada Magica, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, Doubt—a parable, and My Wandering Boy among others. Audiences saw his recent designs in Amsterdam, at Syracuse Stage, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, TheatreWorks, and the Great River Shakespeare Festival, where Alcaraz is Co-Associate Artistic Director. Alcaraz is a professor at UC Irvine, where he heads the lighting design program.

Jeff Polunas (Sound Design) returns to SCR for his 15th consecutive year and his third Outside SCR production, having designed La Havana Madrid in 2023 and Million Dollar Quartet in 2022. His other SCR credits include She Loves Me, Shakespeare in Love, The Sisters Rosensweig, Venus in Fur, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Ella Enchanted, Flora & Ulysses and Between Us Chickens. Among his more than 150 credits are productions at Antaeus Theatre Company, Itnernational City Theatre, PCPA Theaterfest adn the Chance Theater, among others. An assistant professor of Sound and Projections at Kent State University, Polunas received Scenic Awards for Sound Design in 2015 and 2017 from StageScene LA.

Michael Wurl Larson makes his SCR debut as Associate Director and Movement Creator. An actor, director and producer, Larson appeared on stage at Kansas City Repertory, Baltimore Shakespeare, Hope Summer Repertory, Guerrilla Shakespeare Project, New York), The MUNY, St. Louis and Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, among others. On screen, he appeared with Fred Willard and Rachel Dratch in the comedy pilot The Sketch Pad and in a national Super Bowl commercial for Bud Light. Larson’s directing credits include West Side Story(Summer Stage of Leonia) and as the assistant director/physical comedy consultant for Noises Off at Kansas City Repertory.

Matt Cotten brings more than 20 years of experience to his role as Puppet Designer. His puppet creations for The Rogue Theatre in Tucson, AZ include The Left Hand of Darkness, Galileo and The Mistake of the Goddess, among others. His other puppet credits include The Tucson Ballet Company’s Spirit Garden and for Hang a Tale Theater Company’s The Little Prince. Cotten received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Visual Art from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s of Fine Art in Visual Art from the University of Arizona.