CONTACT:
Kaelen Novak (any & all pronouns acceptable, Mx. honorific)
EMAIL: kaelen.novak@gmail.com
INSTAGRAM: @kaelen.novak
INSTAGRAM: @kaelen.novak
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BIOGRAPHY:
Specializing in theatrical, experimental, and virtual design for live entertainment, Kaelen Novak is a recent Theatre Design MFA graduate from the University of Iowa concentrating in Costume and Scenic Design, along with an additional focus in experimentation with motion capture and emerging technology in live performance.
Interested in finding the overlaps in live performance, interactive art, and emerging technologies, they strive to expand their artistic knowledge and skillset to better enable and collaborate on the unique projects they become a part of.
They recently have been designer for a variety of projects including Creative Director for ARatorio for the Mis-Remembered (a live virtual reality based theatrical show), Scenic and Costume Designer for Scalia/Ginsberg and Motion Capture Technologist for the Future Stages Festival at Juilliard. They are currently traveling the United States, designing and teaching at various institutions in a variety of disciplines.
They also recently taught a hands-on workshop at USITT 2025 in Columbus,Ohio on using Motion Capture in Live Performance and on the Devising Process for ARatorio for the Mis-Remembered and how it can create more sustainable and smooth design and rehearsal processes around incorporating emerging technologies into performance. They are in the process of writing more academic documentation of their research into experimental theatrical practices up until this point and finding funding or research partners for larger scale creative endeavors.
They continue their research and expand their artistic outreach to help teach and inspire the future of live performance innovators and artists.
UPCOMING PROJECTS:
Fashion Technology Class | City High School, Iowa City, IA | November 2024 - June 2025 CLO3d Masterclass Teacher | In Collaboration with Andre Wright and Robert Schaufbuch
A Cure at Troy | Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, IA | January 2025 Scenic Designer | Director: Adam Knight Native Gardens | Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, IA | February 2025 Scenic Designer | Director: Kirsten Brooks
A Cure at Troy | Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, IA | January 2025 Scenic Designer | Director: Adam Knight Native Gardens | Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, IA | February 2025 Scenic Designer | Director: Kirsten Brooks
Wright House of Fashion Virtual Fashion Show | Wright House of Fashion, Iowa City, IA | Early 2025 Chief Technical Officer and Scenic Designer | Fashion by Andre Wright
Devising Theatrical Shows with Emerging Technologies and Softwares | USITT 2025, Columbus, OH | March 6, 2025 Presenter | Covering the Devising and Prototyping Process of ARatorio for the Mis-Remembered Exploring Motion Capture for Live Performance | USITT 2025, Columbus, OH | March 7, 2025 Presenter | Showcasing Multiple Motion Capture Technologies and their uses in Live Performance
Future Stages Festival | Juilliard Center for Creative Technology, New York City, NY | March 2025 Motion Capture Technologist & Meta-Costume Designer | Various Directors and Choreographers
ARatorio for the Mis-Remembered | University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA | May 2025 Creative Director | Director: Mary Beth Easley, Composer: Mark Bruckner, Writer: Sandy Dietrick
Honk | The Western Stage, Salinas, CA | June 2025 Costume Designer | Director: TBD
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PRESS:
"Iowa Theatre Graduate Explores the Frontiers of Digital Fashion" by Josh O'Leary https://magazine.foriowa.org/story.php?ed=true&storyid=2327
"Dare to Discover: Kaelen Novak" by Leslie Revaux https://dare.research.uiowa.edu/novak-kaelen/
"Exploring Connections Between Converging Fields" by Ander Freiberg https://grad.uiowa.edu/news/2021/05/exploring-connections-between-converging-fields
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