‘Jellicle Ball’ projection designer’s next project is in D.C.

‘Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?’ Through Dec. 6 Arena Stage 1101 6th St., S.W. Arenastage.org Brittany Bland was the first Black woman projection designer on Broadway; she made history with her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” She’s also queer. The show started off-Broadway in 2024 and moved to Broadway in 2026 with Bland garnering great notices along the way. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is a take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical “Cats,” reimagined through New York’s queer underground Ballroom culture For her, the show was a joy: “Maybe the most joyous project that I ever worked on. It was fantastic.” Bland (who’s known for blending storytelling, technology, and design to create immersive experiences) sought projection inspiration from, among other things, the 1990 ballroom flick “Paris is Burning,” focusing on its titles and fonts, “honoring the past while pushing a design into the future.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.