Bringing Idina Menzel to Broadway for the first time in a decade would be enough to make Redwood noteworthy on its own. But what’s happening on stage beside the show’s legendary leading lady is remarkable, too.
Featuring 985 active LED tiles, Redwood is now the largest LED show running on Broadway, with a stunning video design that brings audiences deep into a vast forest. Written and directed by Tony Award nominee Tina Landau, Redwood is also one of the few shows on Broadway that’s been produced by a women-majority technical team.
To learn more, we interviewed members of the creative team — Chelsea Zalikowski, production video; Jada Hutchinson, associate production video; programmer Cheyenne Doczi; video designer, Hana Sooyeon Kim; and animator Katerina Vitaly — about their work on Redwood, their thoughts on being women in the industry, and advice for anyone who wants to follow in their footsteps. The team also includes scenic designer Jason Ardizzone-West, costume designer Toni-Leslie James, lighting designer Scott Zielinski, and sound designer Jonathan Deans. Directed by Tina Landau, Redwood is at The Nederlander Theatre through August 2025.
Live Design: Can we learn more about yourself and what led you to work in the industry?
Chelsea Zalikowski: When I was growing up, going to theaters wasn't something that was accessible to me, but I was always drawn to theater and music and was in musicals at school. I then began studying music education intending to be a high school music teacher, before landing at Glimmerglass Opera, which is a repertory house in upstate New York. While there, I fell in with a really exceptional group of technicians who trained me from the ground up. When I graduated I moved to the city to work as a technician programming moving lights before I began working with video.
Jada Hutchinson: I started in the industry in sound because my grandfather did sound at our church, and that was my first interest. I then went to college for lighting technologies. After college, I toured and worked at a shop for a little bit, and then I met Chelsea, who got me into Broadway shows and helped me move into video.
Cheyenne Doczi: I started working in theater as a production manager on Off-Broadway shows. When the pandemic hit, I was out of work and bored. I started teaching myself 3D modeling and animation software, which is how I found my way to learning Disguise and media server programming. Learning about the video industry and all the tools used within it really scratched an itch in my brain and I voraciously learned, and continue learning every day - everything I can and from anyone willing to teach me.
LD: How did you first become involved on Redwood?
Hana Sooyeon Kim: I first became involved very early in the pre-production process. Together with director Tina Landau and scenic designer Jason Ardizzone-West, I helped to translate Redwood’s story onto the stage. This was a challenge, as the musical is told from the perspective of Jesse, a woman who seems to have it all until a horrific event sees her driving far from everyone she knows, into a beautiful redwood forest. We wanted to portray the forest as Jesse sees it: a life-changing location that allows her to work through her grief. That meant designing a space that could work as both a real forest and a forest in Jesse’s mind. We had to combine both abstraction and tangibility.
We decided to use LEDs to allow us to bring this vision to life. I’d worked with Redwood’s Programmer, Cheyenne Doczi before so I asked whether she could help. Cheyenne had worked with Chelsea and Jada on a previous project so they joined our team. And Chelsea had worked with Redwood’ animator Katerina Vitaly before, so then she joined us too.
LD: What was it like to be in a team comprised mainly of women?
Katerina Vitaly: I have a huge appreciation for being able to work with this team of women. It’s rare to be in a room with a technical person who doesn’t make you feel stupid for asking questions. Chelsea is that person and unapologetically leads the room in an impressive yet easygoing way. When you had a question, you always felt like you were welcome to ask it while working on Redwood.
Zalikowski: I think that one thing that having a mostly female team gave us was the ability for everyone to feel comfortable, to ask questions all the time, and to make sure that we were constantly working together to get the best product on stage. This was important for Redwood as it was a very challenging production. We had a lot of work to do in very little time, and because video was such a large part of the show we were almost always doing our work in the spotlight. That kind of pressure can be very stressful, and everyone did an amazing job of not only producing immaculate work every step of the way, but doing it while remaining light-hearted, kind, and respectful. And there was never a moment on headset in which things were tense or in which harsh words were spoken.
Kim: When I started out, most people in the room were not women. There were some pioneering women in higher-up positions to aspire to. But not in the room itself, so it felt daunting. While on the technical side we are still lacking in representation, once I started to see more female collaborators in the room, it felt like that pressure went down. We were looking out for each other and bringing other collaborators together and going forward together.
LD: Can you tell us more about the challenges you overcame to bring Redwood to life?
Zalikowski: Redwood was especially challenging because the quantity of LED screens* needed meant that no shops had them available to rent. We were looking at purchasing these LEDs as opposed to just renting existing stock, which is a higher-stakes situation. Luckily, it worked out: having LEDs meant we could have an expansive forest filled with moving trees that could shift into a city scene seamlessly. It gave us the ability to make quick changes in the environment. So with the same surface, you can be in a bunch of places at once, and you can get from place to place very quickly.
Because we used Disguise VX1 and VX4 media servers to ingest and output all the content onto the LEDs, we were also able to make the forest in 3D. So every tree, every leaf, every branch, has been placed by us. That was a lot of work compared to a painted, physical set piece, but the result is far more immersive for the audience. No matter where they sit, they can see a 3D visual of this forest that has been designed to completely immerse them.
Doczi: The clock was always a huge challenge for us. Whether it was strategically finding time to render massive content files, blending and calibrating the 10 projectors** used in the show, finessing calibrations on the LED walls, or programming complicated sequences in the show; the pressure of time constraints was always on. I fully believe we rose to the occasion and delivered an incredible show together.
LD: What advice would you give to those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Doczi: As a woman, you can feel like you’re under a lot of pressure in this industry. My advice is to try to surround yourself with like-minded people and make sure you’re comfortable asking those people questions as you’ll do yourself a disservice if you’re too afraid to learn.
Zalikowski: I would say to remain confident in your own skill set, not let others make you feel as though you are incompetent, and to continuously work for change, because things will change as we get more of a foothold. I’d also recommend seeking out female mentors in the industry or outside of the industry, who can continuously be that positive voice in your head to remind you that you are where you are because you deserve to be there.
Hutchinson: I think it's important for younger people to continue to remind themselves that most of the time, it's everyone's first time in the room. It's everyone's first time doing that particular role for that particular show. I'm typically the youngest person in the room when I'm working on shows, and it’s always helpful to remind yourself that even if you make mistakes, the important thing is to keep growing and keep learning. You might be the only minority in the room, but know that you're there for a reason.
LED screens:
Rescience RX 2.6 Outdoor Matte LED Tile.
**Projectors: