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:
Frozen | Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), Santa Maria, CA | November 2025 LED Wall and Media Designer | Director: Mark Booher and Keenon Hooks
The Classical Style | The University of Iowa Opera, Iowa City, IA | November 2025 Props and Costume Designer | Director: Abbigail Cote
The Classical Style | The University of Iowa Opera, Iowa City, IA | November 2025 Props and Costume Designer | Director: Abbigail Cote
Professional Pathways: Fashion Technology | City High School, Iowa City, IA | November 2024 - June 2025 CLO3d Masterclass Teacher | In Collaboration with Andre Wright and Robert Schaufbuch
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IN PROGRESS RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS:
Motion Capture Technical Demonstrations and Explorations | Ongoing Personal Research Exploring Optical, Kinetic and Markerless options to make motion capture live performance more accessible, with a current focus on Meta Quest headset series to provide actors a view into the digital world while freeing up the need for a dedicated performance space for these sorts of pieces.
Bridging the Gap: Inhabiting and Costuming Bodies in Physical and Digital Space | Fall-Winter 2025 An exploration of incorporating technology into the costume design process | USITT Theatre Design and Technology
Untitled Scenic, Lighting and Projection Design with Unreal Engine Article | Winter-Spring 2026 Using Unreal Engine for previs, scenic extensions and projection work | USITT Theatre Design and Technology
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PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS:
"Making the Unimaginable Real" by Mark Bruckner, Mary Beth Easley and Kaelen Novak USITT Theatre Design and Technology, Volume 61, Issue 2 (2025), pages 14-29
"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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