USITT and LDI/Live Design are excited to announce Gisela Estrada as the winner of the 2026 Rising Star Award, sponsored by LDI and Live Design, and presented annually to a young professional designer at the beginning of their career. The award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in scenic, lighting, sound, projection design, or a convergence of these design disciplines.
Estrada is a Helen Hayes Award–winning Latina scenic designer for theatre, opera, dance, and live entertainment based in Washington, DC. She holds a Master’s in Scenic Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a degree in architecture from the Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado.
In 2023, Estrada was awarded The Kenan Fellowship at the Kennedy Center. Her work has been seen in theaters across Washington, DC, Portland, New York, North Carolina, and San Salvador. Born and raised in El Salvador, Gisela grew up in an artistic family, where her early training in music, ballet, and visual arts, combined with her background in architecture and producing, led her to scenic design.
"Gisela is precisely the kind of early-career professional the Rising Star Award was created to recognize: a designer whose work already demonstrates excellence and whose trajectory clearly signals a future of substantial contribution to the field." – Shanara Gabrielle, executive artistic director, Theatre Alliance, Washington DC
Estrada will be honored on Thursday, March 19 at 2:00pm., at an awards ceremony in Long Beach as part of USITT's 66th Annual Conference & Stage Expo. LDI/Live Design VP Marian Sandberg will present the award.
Rising Star Award Winners 2005-2025
2025: Natalie Houle, sound designer
2024: William N. Lowe, sound designer
2023: Adam J. Thompson, video and graphic designer
2022: Kristin Martino, scenic designer
2021: Elizabet Puksto, scenic/production designer
2020: Joe Klug, live experience designer & producer
2019: Maranda DeBusk, lighting/projection designer
2018: Paige Hathaway, scenic designer
2017: Bryce Cutler, scenic & media designer
2016 Stephen Moss, lighting designer
2015 Chris Wood, lighting & sound designer
2014 Janie Bullard, sound designer
2013 Aaron Porter, lighting designer
2012 Jason Simms, scene designer
2011 Daniel Brodie, projection designer
2010 Ben Pilat, lighting designer
2009 Sean Savoie, lighting designer
2008 Elisheba Ittoop, sound designer
2007 John Horan, lighting designer
2006 Justin Townsend, lighting & scenic designer
2005 Kelly Hanson, scenic designer