world premiere

south coast repertory 2022

playwright: Christine Quintana

adaptation: Paula Zelaya Cervantes

director: Lisa Portes

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Karyn D. Lawrence

costume design: Dan​ielle Nieves

sound design: Vincent Olivieri

From start to finish, Quintana’s concept is spot-on brilliant. Every aspect of this brilliance is bolstered and magnified by SCR’s execution of it, from direction and acting through a production design that works in lock-step with the script’s well-thought-out ideas and often overwhelmingly powerful emotions. newport beach independent

The well-timed translations---emblazoned on top of Brian Sidney Bembridge's effectively minimalist set and Yet Run Nam's projected backdrops, that are both bathed in Karyn D. Lawrence's striking lighting design---are easy to follow while still allowing us to glance down to see the emotions on the actor's faces as they say them. There is a mood of eavesdropping intimacy in the production that worked really well with the story. broadwayworld.com

guthrie theatre 2023

playwright: Yasmina Reza

adaptation: Christopher Hampton

director: Kimberley Senior

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Xavier Pierce

costume design: Raquel Barreto

sound design: Mikhail Fiksel

Under the sharp, detail-oriented direction of Kimberly Senior and played out on a sparsely furnished set that suggests a blank canvas — courtesy of Brian Sidney Bembridge — the Guthrie’s production makes the conversation gripping. pioneer press

Brian Sidney Bembridge's set is a floating floor suspended like a raft on water, tilted at an angle, so we get the sense that these men can easily slide off. star tribune

The stage of the proscenium is glaringly white, with only two clear chairs and a few chic tables in the space. But like the painting in question, white isn't really white. The color changes to reveal more shades as the conversations get more layered. cherry and spoon

The production behind Art is effective. The minimalist set features a clean, white backdrop that places the three men into an environment as sterile as Serge’s painting. Clear, acrylic chairs; spartan tables; and a modern leather bench (also white), offer a versatile environment for the men to navigate around without distracting from the roiling dialogue…it feels very of the moment. lavender magazine

The Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has gone for a very sparse design. The action takes place in each of the three mens apartments the only change being that when we are in Marc or Yvan’s apartments a painting comes down from the ceiling. Otherwise the entire set is either white or in the case of the two chairs transparent. The design echoing the white painting underlining the absurdity of what has threatened the friendships of the three men. stages of mn

photos by brian sidney bembridge and dan norman

world premiere

denver center for the performing arts 2032

playwright: Alexis Scheer

director: Lisa Portes

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design:  Christina Watanabe

costume design: Raquel Barreto

sound design: T. Carlis Roberts

The production design by Brian Sidney Bembridge is fluid, too. When the gallery walls give way to a much more colorful Miami, it’s a blast. And when Estella takes the microphone to perform, the shift in light, the background props root these characters in a moment that is deeply Latine and profoundly loving. denver post

quintessence theatre group 2023

world premier

playwright:  Paul Oakley Stovall & Marilyn Campbell-Lowe

direction:  Cheryl Lynn Bruce

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: David Sexton

projection design: Brittany Bland

costume design: Anna Sorrentino

sound design: Tom Carmen

The creative team behind Written by Phillis has created a simple inviting space that lets the cast and story shine. Costume designer Anna Sorrentino's pieces are beautifully crafted and evoke the period in a way that feels natural. Brian Sidney Bembridge's set design is warm with clean lines. Bruce takes advantage of the design by including actors who are not in the featured scene seated around the raised in-the-round stage. talkinbroadway.com

The thoughtful minimal set design by Brian Sidney Bembrige is accented by lovely lights from David Sexton and projections by Brittany Bland. We see a simple platform raised in the center of the theater. The waiting actors sit around it on chairs watching the words being written. Throughout the piece, we feel keenly aware of the performative nature of Wheatley’s existence, her constant need to perform in order to been seen as legible. broad street review

photos by Brian Sidney Bembridge & Linda Johnson

kansas city repertory theatre  2024

playwright: Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard, & Markéta Irglová

director: Stuart Carden

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

projection design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Cat Tate Starmer

costume design: Paul Kim

sound design: Connor Wang

Brian Bembridge’s set is simplicity on a grand scale, with modest panes of glass, enriched and transformed by Cat Tate Starmer rich lighting, spanning up to the towering ceiling. kcstudio.org

KCRep’s Once proves that stripped back and simple can be stunning…It is clear the hard work and grit that went into production. Every scene transition was exact and purposeful, with the presence of the ensemble never feeling overbearing when Guy and Girl were centerstage. the pitch

phtotos by Don Ipock and bsb studio

cincinnati playhouse in the park 2019

playwright: Larissa Fasthorse

director: Lisa Portes

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Bill Black

sound design: Pornchanok Kanchanabanca

Props to designer Brian Sidney Bembridge for creating an environmental “cafetorium” set with harsh fluorescent lighting. Cinderblock walls are festooned with posters about student activities, food and health tips and banners. It’s backed by an amateurish stage with a blond wood floor and a teal-blue stage curtain. Many theatergoers will be transported back to their school days. Some might actually come away enlightened by the message. city beat

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge and Mikki Schaffner

quintessence theatre group 2019

playwright:  John Kane

direction:  Lee Cortopassi

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Kelly Myers

sound design: Alexander Burns

Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge….is entirely innovative in their portrayal of Oz. They turn a tiny black box theater into the jazzed-up world we all know and love. The yellow brick road is now just a magical yellow brick that Dorothy and friends use like a GPS to get them to the Emerald City. The gates to the Wizard's castle have security cameras on them, and the field of poppies the iconic group falls asleep in is one big red blanket. broadwayworld.com

Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge never veers from this simplicity, however, even after the frenetic rainbow collage that is the Land of Oz is revealed. Aside from pieces brought in and out as needed (a door here, a table there) and the occasional shifting backdrop, there is nothing else but a floor and a wall, allowing the actors and director with bringing Oz to life for us. I spoke with a five-year-old after the show, and he understood everything that happened, and he had excellent reactions and questions. He was already familiar with the movie, but he was not disappointed in or confused by the scarcity of set. He saw and heard everything that the actors and creative team wanted him, and everyone, to see and hear. Flying houses, magic slippers, dark castles, fields of poppies, lions, tigers and bears, all present and accounted for. philadelphialifeandculture.com

With Set & Lighting Design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, the multifaceted and adaptive set begins in a minimalist, matte gray ‘Kansas,’ reflecting depression-era austerity and the film’s ‘pre-Oz’ world. It soon transforms into a rainbow-colored land of concentric circles, misty vapors, and wonderment. Hand-held props-on-a-stick allow larger elements to be depicted in miniature, challenging the audience’s imaginations, and hearkening to a time of carnivals and puppetry. The empty stage floor allows the performers to ‘create’ the set, with a brilliant use of flowing fabric, and inventive choreography by Adrienne Maitland. The creative courage shown by the director, cast, and crew reflects a key theme of the show, heading boldly into unknown territory where dangers may lurk, but where magic awaits as well. delcoculturevultures.com

alabama shakespeare festival

playwright: Kenneth Jones

direction: Rick Dildine

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Kathleen Gelard

sound design: Melanie Chen Cole

Arden Theatre Company 2015

DC Metro Theater Arts’ Best of 2015 Philadelphia: Sceneic Design

DC Metro Theater Arts’ Best of 2015 Philadelphia: Production

playwright: Mary Zimmerman 

director: Doug Hara

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge 

lighting design: Thom Weaver

costume design: Olivera Gajic

sound design: Chris Colucci

The geometric pool with its wooden border is the primary playing space, backed by a blue sky, raised platform and a spiral staircase. Most of the time the actors are wet--splashing, drowning, diving—and whatever magical fabric they're using, they then reappear dry. It is dazzling and fun and mystifying to see so much stagecraft in action. Bravo to Brian Sidney Bembridge, the scenic designer.  Philadelphia Inquirer

Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s 18-by-24-foot pool creates a fascinating aesthetic. The black lining on the pool’s floor allows actors to disappear in the “deep end,” and the water’s mirror effect completes the efficacy of Thom Weaver’s mellow yet vibrant lighting design. The pool not only serves as a daring and visually captivating scenic element, but it also adeptly symbolizes the strongest motifs in METAMORPHOSES’ array of myths: death, grief, danger, happiness, peace, and rebirth. The set, expanding beyond the pool, feels like the grotto of some timeless mansion, a space for mythology and modernity to cohabit.  phindie.com

Even before I saw Arden’s drop-dead gorgeous Metamorphoses, I knew I’d face a challenge....Arden’s production of Mary Zimmerman’s stunningly visual play is as beautiful and accomplished as anyone could hope for. The entire cast is terrific, the design work spectacular – not just the scenery (by Brian Sidney Bembridge), but also lights, costumes and sound (Olivera Gajic, Thom Weaver and Christopher Colucci, respectively). Can a show be too artful? I wondered as I watched, and found myself filled with admiration for every stage picture and beautifully sculpted moment. The Arden’sMetamorphoses is not only gorgeous – it’s an exhilarating example of the craft of theatre at its most virtuosic. recliningstandards.org

In Doug Hara's visually arresting production, the actors might be wet one minute in one myth, dry the next in another. Brian Sidney Bembridge designed the sleek poolside set, and Olivera Gajic uses simple draped Roman clothes, contemporary clothes and elegant costumes to make the necessary points of the different stories. Tom Weaver's lighting and Christopher Colucci's sound seal the deal, both in the heavens and down on earth. newsworks.org

....creates an evocative atmosphere with a consistent and pervasive design style. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design, set against a cloud-filled backdrop, takes us to a dreamlike world where anything seems possible. Olivera Gajic’s sensual, diaphanous costumes show off the actors to their best advantage, and Christopher Colucci’s synthesized string section, and Thom Weaver’s haunting lighting set the mood perfectly. dcmetrotheaterartc.com

It is a mystical, magical set designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, with gods appearing on a platform above the stage and sometimes descending to woo or test the humans who dare to challenge their rule. A chandelier sparkles above the scene and eventually candles float on the water in lighting design by Thom Weaver. broadstreetreview.com

Yes, there’s a 2,600-gallon pool in the middle of the Arden Theater right now, and, of course, that’s what catches everyone’s attention the minute they walk into Metamorphoses, the divine staging of Zimmerman’s acclaimed work currently running at the playhouse. However, that same pool, which is so shocking at start, ends up becoming a character itself, almost blending in as the gorgeous production starts. Philadelphia Magazine

The pool is never distracting and even the segments that do not explicitly make use of the water float comfortably in its wake. Hara's production is visually stunning, intellectually challenging, and emotionally gut wrenching. talkinbroadway.com

The set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge is dazzling in its opulent simplicity and facility to render earthy and ethereal vistas- A vivid brick and laureled entrance for mortals giving way to a magisterial steely blue balcony where the gods to appear. They lord over a dark, shallow rectangle pool wrapped with planks, where the main action takes place. culturevulture.com

Arden’s production is beautiful to see.... There is a series of stairs and walkways set into the proscenium stage from which characters enter and exit. The set itself centers around a pool containing 2,600 gallons of water surroundedby planking, making it a theatre-in-the-round experience (on three sides). Brian Sidney Bembridge, as Scenic Designer, could take credit for that wonderful pool and clever stage. outinnj.com

photo: Brian Sidney Bembridge

next act theatre 2023

playwright: Kia Corthon

director: Cheryl Lynn Bruce

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Noele Stollmack

costume design: Jazmín Aurora Medina

sound design: Josh Schmidt

photos by Brian SIdney Bembridge ad Michael Brosilow

writers theatre  2017

playwright: Theresa Rebeck

director: Kimberly Senior

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Sarah Hughey

costume design: Nan Zabriskie

sound design: Richard Woodbury

The whole thing is set in motion at a party at a hip downtown apartment (expertly suggested by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s dramatically disorienting, gently raked glass box set, lit by Sarah Hughey). chicago sun-times

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s stark and abstract set – floors and walls of blackened glass, suggesting an existential drama being played out within the void – drives this home. milwaulkee journal sentinal

Beautifully staged on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s flexible, polished plexiglass-and-steel scenic design, accented in shades of black and gray, and stunningly lit by Sarah Hughey, this production will linger with audiences long after the final, heart-stopping scene. chicagotheatrereview.com

The action unfolds on Brian Sidney Bembridge's sleek urban set comprised of acrylic glass and steel cubes. In this "glass house," everything is transparent. Almost. The truth, of course, is rarely readily apparent. daily herald

One never knows what to expect upon entering a theater. Tonight, upon entering the Writers Theatre main stage, the Alexandra C and John D. Nichols Theatre, we were greeted by a stage that appeared to be created in glass (Brian Sidney Bembridge). As the play began, we realize that we are on the terrace of a high-rise in Manhattan and we are about to live in “The Scene”,... The set was designed to keep the action moving so it is the same basic furniture for every apartment, with the wall painting changing, a few pillows here and an ottoman moving from side to side. aroundthetown.com

Beautifully staged on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s flexible, polished plexiglass-and-steel scenic design, accented in shades of black and gray, and stunningly lit by Sarah Hughey, this production will linger with audiences long after the final, heart-stopping scene. chicagotheatrereview.com

Writers Theatre’s production is as seamless as it is chic. picturethispost.com

Their messy affair flits between loft parties and luxury condos (Brian Sidney Bembridge's steel-and-glass set captures the urban sheen of four Manhattan homes), leaving chaos in its wake.... theatermania.com

Loved Brian Sidney Bembridge’s high-rise, high-tech set. Best thing going here. chicagoontheaisle.com

...high-end glass setting from Brian Sidney Bembridge.... chicago tribune

act theatre  2016

playwright: Christopher Hampton

director: John Langs

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Catherine Hunt

sound design: Matt Sarrit

One of my favorite things in seeing all the shows I do is to stumble upon one that I like to refer to as "alchemy". It's that rare instance where all of the elements, the script, actors, director, set, costume, lights, music, etc all come together in just the right way and at just the right times to form pure gold. It may look like science or technical expertise but it's really just magic. One of those shows is ACT's current production of Christopher Hampton's "Dangerous Liaisons". If in seeing this show you are not able to have a thrilling night then you're just not
There are so many moments in the piece where a bad bit of timing or misunderstanding of the piece could result in a hack job of a magnificent work but he deftly surmounts each and every one and makes them better than you could possibly imagine them to be. And when coupled with Brian Sidney Bembridge's beautifully stark scenic and lighting design and Catherine Hunt's vibrant costumes the show elevates to a master class of how good theater can be done.  broadwayworld.com

The novel unfolds in gossipy letters penned by Merteuil, Valmont and those they ensnare in a web of desire and deceit. The play deftly quotes some missives (one written on the bare behind of one of Valmont’s many mistresses, played by Keiko Green), but turns others into face-to-face encounters in posh digs suggested by designer Brian Sidney Bembridge with gilded doors, a crystal chandelier and a satin chaise lounge. (There’s also a voyeuristic ceiling mirror.) seattle times

Another winning part of this production is the set and lighting by Brian Sidney Bembridge. It’s minimalist, period, and contemporary all in one. From the enormous geometrically mirrored overhang and the unexpected but brilliant use of neon to the gilt ornamented doorway and elaborate pieces of 18th C. French furniture, the mixture evokes past and present, reinforcing the idea that bad behavior transcends time.  Be prepared to be mesmerized! artsstage-seattlerage.com

Begin with a beautiful “moment” of set (an ornate door here, a small French desk there, a divan) and add two handfuls of beautifully dressed and coiffed actors sailing through and around the set, mix in some biting sarcasm on love and fidelity, sprinkle a dash – or maybe two or three – of seduction, and you have the delicious recipe for a murderous dramedy. This is the world of Dangerous Liaisons at ACT Theatre. 
Director John Langs moves everyone around like a master chess player, positioning each for the kill. He’s cast the show with terrific talents, including bringing Wendy Robie to our stage for a delicious small role that she makes entirely her own. Enlisting Brian Sidney Bembridge for set and lights, where Bembridge’s restraint and elegance shines, and sound design that suggests but does not overwhelm from Matt Starritt, Langs delivers an atmosphere where we can all focus exclusively on the actors and the intrigue. seattle gay news

Another winning part of this production is the set and lighting by Brian Sidney Bembridge. It’s minimalist, period, and contemporary all in one. From the enormous geometrically mirrored overhang and the unexpected but brilliant use of neon to the gilt ornamented doorway and elaborate pieces of 18th C. French furniture, the mixture evokes past and present, reinforcing the idea that bad behavior transcends time. Be prepared to be mesmerized!  artsstage-seattlerage.com

Langs has also assembled an impressive crew to help bring Liaisons to life. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s stage is shaped like a boxing ring with a mirror above the stage (the boxing metaphor again) as different bouts are fought in front of us. Seattle Magazine

Although the platform stage was small, it was both striking and sophisticated. A few period-characteristic furniture pieces on stage were matched with a stunning door, chandelier, and spectacular faceted suspended mirror. The stage was framed in a neon strip and another strip floated up and down as a backdrop behind the set. Set transitions were smooth and the cast participated in some of those changes, which I personally love seeing. All in all, a string of bows and curtseys in thanks and congratulations to the cast, crew and to Director John Langs, Scenic & Lighting Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, and Costume Designer Catherine Hunt for a magnificent performance. I'll take historical 'drama' (literally and figuratively) over the Kardashians any day. future-ish.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s smart minimal set uses a few pieces of furniture and a crystal chandelier to suggest the play’s various locations. Since it’s ultimately Hampton’s clever dialogue that carries the day, the clean light simple set, however stark, keeps us focused on the verbal sparring that gives Dangerous Liaisons its sparkle. seattlepi.com

The costume designs by Catherine Hunt and production designs by Brian Sidney Bembridge are visually arresting and handsome, to say the least. daily record

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

american conservatory theater  2018

playwright: Qui Nguyen

director: Jamie Castañeda

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Chris Lundahl

lighting design: Wen-Ling Liao

costume design: Jessie Amoroso

sound design: Jake Rodriguez

it’s a fast-paced show, and director Jaime Castañeda keeps it firing on all cylinders. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s split-level set, Wen-Ling Liao’s lighting, Chris Lundahl’s projections, Jessie Amoroso’s 1970s-era costumes, Jake Rodriguez’s sound designs and Shemmy Dee’s groovy score all play essential parts.  sf examiner

In Brian Sidney Bembridge’s fun multi-purpose sets, a metal bridge doubles as a guard tower and helicopter, and a wooden wall serves as both the interior of the refugee camp dorms and the exterior of a small-town Arkansas home. Playfully animated projections let us know when and where each scene is taking place.  starkinsider.com

But the show’s also filled with... spare but creative bi-level sets by Brian Sidney Bembridge, potent lighting by Wen-Ling Liao, and informative projections by Chris Lundahl that kept me from getting lost in the sporadic flashbacks. forallevents.com

Each scene in Vietgone has the visual impact of a panel in a graphic novel meant for adults. The scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge opts for a minimalist approach. A walkway hovers above the main set and hosts shorter scenes, sudden interjections, that provide background information to the central storyline... projections unite the scenes together, whether short or substantial...  sf weekly

Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge opts for a simple bare stage with a revolve providing different settings. Dissecting the revolve, a walk way extends above the stage, and titles and visual projected onto the wall. Vietgone has a look reminiscent of a Brechtian production, eschewing realism for a more presentational approach. This approach engages the audience... stagebuddy.com

...the set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge includes huge brightly-colored comic-book style letters announcing places and dates, and several scenes are reminiscent of movies that run the gamut from Dirty Dancing and Easy Rider to Revenge of the Ninja...  48hills.org

As directed by Jaime Castañeda, it technically does well with what appears to be very little. I’m always surprised with how productions manipulate The Strand, the smaller of the ACT’s stages. The Brian Bembridge-designed set for Vietgoneconsists only of a scaffolding above a wall. That wall rotates into various locations throughout the show, often accompanied by Chris Lundahl’s projections. Wen-Ling Liao’s lights and Jake Rodriguez’s sounds complete the atmospheric effects.  thethinkingmansidiot.com

The revolving set by Brian Sidney Bembridge perfectly captures this helter-skelter exile refugee life.”Vietgone” travels from serious to sexy, a story of love lost and longed for. theatrius.com

Fight director Jonathan Rider uses Brian Sidney Bembridge’s clever set to celebrate his comic book fight scenes on the two level turntable design.  A stark representation of the Fort Chaffee camp includes Chris Lundahl’s video projections that explain the time flashbacks. vmediabackstage.com

The sets (by Brian Sidney Bembridge) are detailed enough to serve the story and clearly establish place, but simple enough not to pull focus from the characters inhabiting them. And there are moments near the end of both acts that elicit some of the most powerful reactions... talkinbroadway.com

Vignettes in the camp, on the road and in Vietnam are played on a two-tiered set by Brian Sidney Bembridge that — combined with handsome lighting and projections by Wen-Ling Lia and Chris Lundahl — allows for speedy scenic transitions across settings and time periods, with projected captions helping the audience keep track. medium.com

theater works 2020

playwright: Matthew López

director: Rob Ruggiero

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Harry Nadal

sound design: Melanie Chen Cole

The set-up reminds us immediately that we have been here before, both in life and in the theatre….the production values are superb. Brian Sidney Bembridge has created a set that surrounds the audience, so we too are in the Marriot Hotel reception room, and between his set and lighting design, he manages to make something at once believably tacky and beautiful. conneticut critics circle

The set, by Brian Sidney Bembridge is the typical bland hotel ballroom that is perfect for the comedy. He also does the lighting. berkshirefinearts.com

A dizzying-print carpet and bland sconces on textured walls are a suitable assault on the eyes (set and lighting design are by Brian Sidney Bembridge). dnyuz.com

…but one bright spot is scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s spot-on recreation of a Marriott wedding hall. The lighting fixtures, alone, are beyond perfect. But you don’t leave humming the sets, as they say, and, all told, this is not a wedding to celebrate. stratford crier

In addition to the sparkling performances, we have the incredible creativity of the design team and sure hand of the director. The set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge was such a convincing recreation of a Marriott banquet room, at first glance I thought it was a clever use of the architecture of the room. Bembridge uses the full width of the space to place panels of golden wallpaper and sconces extending out beyond the small playing space and making us feel we are in a part of a large hall. All the details of the room are precise—the “bamboo” banquet chairs at the round table, the lavender LED DJ stand, the bland but attractive carpeting and parquet dance floor. Also, the lighting designer, he did not forget the all-important mirror ball, which is used to great effect in the magical scene changes to the ladies room where the drama continues to unfold. berkshireonstage.com

world premiere

lookingglass theatre company 2016

playwright: Aaron Posner

director: Andy White

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Mieka van der Ploeg

sound design: Andre Pluess & Chris LaPorte

Instead of a rural Russian estate, Posner gives us a rustic summer home that might be on a lake somewhere in northern Wisconsin or Minnesota. (And, as always, designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has created a total environment, whose autumnal, leaf-strewn floor, white birch trees, cozy cottage interior and simple dock complete with rowboat is enough to trigger dreams of a summer idyll. Mieka van der Ploeg’s ingenious costumes do the rest.) Chicago Sun-Times

Set in a secluded family cottage, the tangled yarn of longing, lost love and personal and professional accomplishments and life's missed moments leaves audiences to face a reflection of self-examination of mind, spirit, heart and soul. Fantastic stage design for "Life Sucks" by Brian Sidney Bembridge offers an added element of interest and symbolism, including the peeling bark of birch trees to a small rowboat tethered in a muddy stream populated by cattails next to the quaint cottage where lives and emotions converge. Chicago Tribune

From the “odd, expressionist deconstruction” of a set (set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge seems to have channeled his inner Wes Anderson) to the ever-permeable boundary of the fourth wall, “Life Sucks” is a play that seems to know itself completely even as its characters confess to having no idea what the fuck they are doing. New City Chicago

The beautifully designed set (by Brian Sidney Bembridge, who also designed the lighting) shows the rear deck of a country house, with a distinctly Russian feel in the roofline. The house is surrounded by birch trees and the set offers places for actors to sit and perch on several levels so that the action seems to move dynamically. thirdcoastreview.com

As soon as you enter the beautiful set that designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, has created for “Life Sucks", you are tip-toeing through what feels like a real forest of delicately lit white birch trees in the light of early evening in Autumn.  
The action then proceeds mostly on the front porch, and dining room/kitchen of a quaint country style house, complete with a small dock and row boat mired in mud, to indicate this is the log cabin style home of someone wealthy enough to live on a lake but not doing well enough any longer to afford a real boat, which turns out to be true.  buzznews.net

Lots to love in LIFE SUCKS!  Shout out to Scenic and Lighting Designer Brian Bembridge for constructing a house, treehouse and lake that match Posner’s surreal tone. I highly recommend this life exploration show but be warned of its thought-provoking content. forthwalsh.com

Set on in and around a lakeside home (Brian Bembridge’s wooden and incredibly detailed scenic design is somehow both intimate and expansive). lasplash.com

...while Brian Bembridge has designed a breathtaking stage environment that transforms the Water Tower venue into a Northwoods locale. The set is dominated by a quaint, two-story cottage, a weathered rowboat docked nearby and a vast skyline highlighted by a forest of stately birches. He’s washed the comedy with both the warmth of the afternoon sun and the failing illumination of twilight. chicagotheatrereview.com

The success of Aaron Posner’s adaptation is maximized by Andrew White’s insightful and assured directing and Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set is a marvel of evocative rural detail. chicagolandtheaterreviews.com

The contemporary characters of "Life Sucks," who run around a wittily wooded set from Brian Sidney Bembridge, know they are in a play and like to chat with the paying customers — I mean, we're in all in a play, right? Chicago Tribune

world premiere

lookingglass theatre company 2019

playwright: Kareem Bandealy

director: Heidi Stillman

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Mara Blmunfeld

sound design: Rick Sims

And by the play’s third act things (literally) fall apart in a way that should not be described here. (Suffice it to say that a small group of stagehands carry off this “coup de theatre” with impeccably choreographed efficiency and the ever ingenious Brian Sidney Bembridge’s “pre-fab” set and lighting design.) wttw

The set by Brian Sidney Bembridge – the living and dining room of a middle-class family home – is wonderfully appointed, and conveys that indeterminate futuristic point in time with a mix of furnishings dating from 1920 deco and ersatz 1950s French provincial, to mid-century modern and contemporary retro, along with futuristic sconces and wall paper.  The set matters, as it must also provide a climactic end to the play. buzznews.net

Staged proscenium-style, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s lighting and scenic design offers luminescence and ample space for the play’s physical and intellectual demands, while creatively allowing room for all the production’s special effects. Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that this play offers an homage to the Theatre of the Absurd, as well as to Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.” As beliefs shatter and emotional barriers fall, the walls of their home also come tumbling down. chicagotheatrereview.com

The versatile Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set and lighting are exceptional feats of engineering. picksinsix.com

Supporting the cast are Brian Sidney Bembridge, whose antiseptic set mirrors the rigid family structures, while his lighting design reinforces the supernatural undertones (or maybe it’s just an electrical glitch) without interfering with one’s own interpretations. chicagostagestandard.com

Cue an apocalypse: The set is stripped bare by onstage techies, then, in a gimmicky climax, the ragged curtain around the proscenium suddenly falls, covering the folks in the first row, including this one. Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge needs to get careful with his metaphorical downfall. (this is my favorite mention by the tired old Lawrence Bommer) stageandcinema.com

cincinnati playhouse in the park 2016

Cincinnati Inquirer: Top 10 Theater Shows of the Year

playwright: Ayad Akhtar

director: Lisa Portes

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Thomas C. Hase

costume design: Gordon DeVinney 

sound design: Ray Nardelli

Long before the cast takes to the stage, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set and Ray Nardelli’s sound design set an emotionally chilly mood. Not a thing is out of place in this over-priced Manhattan apartment. It has less warmth than a well-designed hotel room. Equally detached is the jazz that plays in the background. It’s neat and ordered and immaculately constructed. But there is nothing personal about any of this. Or, on second thought, maybe this is what personal feels like to this well-connected, high-powered couple. Perhaps chilly is as good as it gets here. Cincinnati Enquirer

pennsylvania shakespeare festival 2017

playwright: Ken Ludwig

direction: Rick Sordelet

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Masha Tsiming

costume design: Sam Flemming

sound design: Alexander Sovronsky 

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set design is dominated by a set of rolling scaffolds that can be rearranged quickly, making scene transitions fluid. And the modern sheen of Sidney’s set and Mash Tsimring’s lighting contrasts nicely with Samantha Fleming’s luxurious, authentic-looking costumes dcmetrotheatrearts.com

The set, designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, …a functional, a two-story metal and wood contraption that shape shifts to suit the scene. I really liked the fake sculpted hedges that arrive atop wooden platforms to turn the stage into the royal garden where a game of chess is played with oversized pieces. And it is amazing how three chandeliers lowered from the ceiling can turn an otherwise unadorned stage into a ballroom. allentown morning call

The post-modernism of the production is symbolized by an abstract wooden beam set backdropped by large diamond shapes by Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. east penn press

Brian Sidney Bembridge designed the movable modular set that stagehands and sometimes actors move around swiftly as scenes change. Swiftly: That’s that key word in the night’s rhythm and feel. WHYY

Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge uses a dramatic, rolling ring of scaffolds and a radiant backdrop. The light design of Masha Tsimring and the music of Alexander Sovronsky help bring off seamless scene changes… the inquirer

The scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, with its movable scaffolding and diamond-pattern light display behind it, stayed out of the way and functioned very well. reading eagle

timeline theatre company 2017

playwright: Dominique Morisseau

direction: Ron OJ Parson

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Christine Pasqual

sound design: Christopher A. Kriz
 

The design at TimeLine Theatre Creates a believable, symbolic world. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s design, which includes both the lighting and set, is a major component of creating a believable, 1940s milieu. The two-level set encompasses the entirety of the space, comprised of a bar, tables, stage, and stairwell leading up to the guest room which Blue rents out to Silver. Even when unoccupied, the guest room--with its red curtains--is bathed in dim light, suggesting Silver’s presence and the effect it is having on the relationships of Paradise’s regulars. Up until she appears, however, Parson and his creative team smartly and symbolically keep the room dark. picturethispost.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge, that maestro of design, has reconfigured the TimeLine space and devised a set (and lighting) that ideally incorporates the Paradise’s bar, bandstand and upstairs room. chicago sun times

For TimeLine’s first proscenium production, lighting and set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge creates an astonishingly convincing gin joint with distressed details abundant. As always, the TimeLine lobby is a treasure trove of old-time club posters, photos of lost buildings from Black Bottom, biographies of jazz greats, and contextual information about post-war Detroit—one more labor of love from this history-loving company. stageandcinema.com

The club Paradise Blue and its small stage are meticulously designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge. thirdcoastreview.com

while scenic/lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's new stage configuration transforms the TimeLine space with a richly-detailed two-level nightclub setting. windy city times

And with the help of the designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, he does his considerable best in a small space to convey the restless glamour of the play's cultural moment and the humor of characters loving a place where they can be themselves, while still forging a noirlike sense of impending doom for a paradise we now know was on borrowed time. chicago tribune

city theatre company 2017

playwright: Marco Ramirez

direction: Stuart Carden

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Karen Gilmer

sound design: Mikhail Fiskel

There’s no ring here. The deceptively simple scenic and lighting design by Brian Sidney Bembridge gives the actors room to move, whether circling an opponent in a fight or in an argument.
Under the direction of Stuart Carden, you feel the impact of every psychological gut punch as the “The Royale” delivers a battle cry for a more just world order. Pittsburgh Post Gazette

On Brian Sidney Bembridge’s breathtaking set, director Stuart Carden creates a very theatrical event (following Ramirez’ lead), and the evening, at a brisk 75 minutes, is precise and hugely absorbing. pittsburgh city paper

Brian Bembridge does really strong and clean work with the lighting design in this production, especially during Jay's interview moments and during the fights. The final lighting moment on Jay is absolutely breathtaking.  broadwayworld.com

All of the scenes are beautifully punctuated by inspired, stylized scenic and lighting design by Brian Sidney Bembridge... the directorial and design elements are excellent, the true strength of City Theatre’s production.  patheatreguide.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic and lighting design is impressively spare and minimalist – he’s transformed the mainstage space at City Theatre into a thrust arena, with audience on three sides of a square boxing platform and a balcony along the upstage wall that Carden uses to good effect in several moments of the play. Scene transitions are effected smoothly by ensemble members Siddiq Saunderson and Tony II Lorich, who raise and lower a chandelier and punching bag by way of ropes and pulleys to swiftly and iconically transform the arena into a luxe hotel room or dingy gym... The Pittsburgh Tatler

repertory theatre of st louis 2017

St. Louis Theater Circle Award, Outstanding Lighting Design

playwright: Marco Ramirez

direction: Stuart Carden

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Christine Pasqual

sound design: Mikhail Fiskel

There is a reason that the ringside boxing ropes are around the entire theater and not just around the stage. The Royale, by Marco Ramirez, is able to draw you into the fight. The set, by Brian Sidney Bembridge, is as lean and as smart as the play itself, consisting of just two wooden platforms, a heavy bag, and a few other touches that can transition from the bare bones boxing ring to a fancy white-only hotel...but in the end, we step into the ring, not in spite of the racism roiling all around him, but because of it.  St Louis Magazine

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design is an immersive experience of its own, with tattered ropes lining the perimeter of one side of the stage. The square performance space itself is a bare, raised platform viewed from seats on the other three sides of the ‘ring.’ Bembridge also has conceived a stylized and persuasive lighting design that hones in on the players at key moments, such as Jay’s match against Fish, a determined and talented young man who later becomes his sparring partner, the repetitive snapping of photos at a bout or the climactic scene in which Nina represents Jay’s conflicted psyche. Ladue News

...a fine semi-impressionistic set and an added auditory element with rhythm work using their bodies as percussion instruments from the cast, The set and the smart but subtle lighting come courtesy of Brian Sidney Bembridge... stlouiseatsanddrinks.com

Scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has given us a wooden, square platform placed in a 3/4 audience setting with the hint of ropes and pipes along the back wall to simulate a gym as well as a boxing ring. The palette-like square features smaller square lighting areas to designate the fighters as they rarely face each other. stagedoorstlouis.com

Scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge also did an exemplary job in creating a surround sound type of feel. Similar to the set design of The Rep’s Mothers and Sons, the audience was introduced to the set from the moment they stepped into the theatre. I am not sure how he created the ambiance of a boxing ring in the intimate theater, but you could almost smell the sweat and cigars you would encounter at a real boxing match.
Sound designer Mikhail Fiksel also deserves special mention as his sound effects worked seamlessly with Bembridge’s lighting, creating some very emotionally heavy moments.  playbackstl.com

The feel of the piece is truly captured, and aided greatly by Stephanie Paul's movement and body percussion. When combined with Brian Sidney Bembridge's creative scenic and lighting design, the action literally seems to come alive and rock the house just as a real match would broadwayworld.com

The set and lighting designs by Brian Sidney Bembridge and sound design by Mikhail Fiksel complete the environment, recreating a well-worn gym and providing a soundboard for the complex percussion. KDHX Radio

There’s also an excellent set by Brian Sidney Bembridge that basically puts the audience in the ring with the fighters, as well as strong atmospheric lighting also by Bembridge. snoopstheatrthoughts.com

philadelphia theatre company 2017

barrymore award nomination: best production

phindie critics’ award runner up: best production

phindie critics’ award runner up: best set design
 

playwight: Robert Askins

direction: Matthew Pfeiffer

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Thomas Weaver

costume design: Alison Roberts

Excellent PTC production designs starting with the church rec room sets by Brian Sidney Bembridge festooned with religious iconography and cheap shots keep giving, as does the witty sound design by Daniel Perelstein. Huffington Post

I howled with laughter throughout, especially once Tyrone rampaged and all those naughty secret desires were revealed. In addition, Brian Sidney Bembridge's sweet church-basement classroom set transforms into a bloody tribute to Satan, who bears a disturbing resemblance to our current president. broadstreetreview.com

The production value at PTC is unmatched as far as I’m concerned.  It is the closest thing to Broadway that I’ve seen to date. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scene design totally brought back flashbacks for me of growing up in catholic school. Painted cinder blocks of puke yellow and all! phillyreview.com

The top-notch acting and direction are enhanced by a first-rate artistic design. Daniel Perelstein’s original compositions for organ cleverly evoke the sounds of both traditional church music and old-fashioned horror films, in keeping with the shifting tone of the set by Brian Sidney Bembridge and lighting by Thom Weaver, which amusingly transform from devout to infernal, as Tyrone exerts his increasing hold on Jason. dcmetroarts.com 

What a funny, nasty, smart show. The cleverness continues with a series of ambitious sets designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge and lit hilariously by Thom Weaver. phindie.com

The church basement classroom where the puppet performance group meets is rendered with authenticity and wit by Brian Sidney Bembridge. Thanks to Bembridge and lighting designer Thom Weaver, the sets get even better as the play goes on. talkinbroadway.com

The production quality and direction by Matt Pfeiffer is also first-rate, the sets props and lighting are incredibly imaginative, and the staging handles the myriad locations nicely. delcoculturevultures.com

act theatre and 5th avenue theatre 2016

Gregory Award: Outstanding Production

Gregory Award: Outstanding Lighting Design

Broadway World Seattle Award: Best Scenic Design

Footlight Awards: Best in Show

BWW 2016 Seattle Critic's Choice Awards: Best Musical

book: John Weidman

music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

director: John Langs

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Melanie Taylor Burgess

sound design: Kevin Heard

Langs keeps this perpetual motion musical moving fluidly, oozing with menace and hope, thanks to choreography from Trina Mills and the dingy splendor and sunken shadows of Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set and lights. Melanie Taylor Burgess’s costuming is equally splendid... in the hands of this top-notch team, Assassins manages to tell these stories without lamenting, lionizing or dismissing the pain these assassins caused for millions of people. Far from being overly sympathetic, it's an important reminder that people history remembers as monsters were always just men and women. city arts

The potent production at ACT Theatre, deftly and deliberately staged and directed by John Langs in this chaotic Presidential election year, will undoubtedly be polarizing. It is also near perfect. The dramatic devices used by Sondheim and collaborator John Weidman are brilliant. The show unfolds in a carnival’s gun gallery, designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge as a tawdry, spooky “limbo area” where assassins congregate. daily record news

Clearly, Langs was the right director for this intellectual, absorbing, and sometime alienating show. Brian Sidney Bembridge's setting is an eerie, uncluttered sort of Twilight Zone for assassins, and is at one with his own expert lighting design... talkinbroadway.com

This is the 6th co-production between The Fifth Avenue and the ACT and they’ve done some stellar work....The stage is filled with book-cartons standing in piles in what must be the Texas Book Depository. The boxes will become parts of all the other sets leading up to the Kennedy assassination scene. It is as if a little piece of that horrific setting touches upon all the tragic days of American presidents being shot through our history. dramainthehood.com

Entering the intimate playhouse at ACT, you can’t help but think that this is the kind of place that Abraham Lincoln could have gotten assassinated. A large American flag made from burned wood creates a backdrop for the story.
The set of Assassins is done in a simplistic manner, which was very well thought out to work with the script. Although the pieces of the set seem simple, the use of lighting and sound create a sensation that brought audience to the exact scenes that each assassination happened. seattle chinese times

arden theatre company 2015

phindie critics’ award runner up: best set design

playwright: William Shakespeare

director: Alex Burns

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Solomon Weisbard

costume design: Rosemarie E. McKelvey

sound design: James Sugg

Burns uses all available theatrics to create the surreal sense that we are sometimes inside Macbeth's deranged mind, and to this end he has put together a spectacular design team: Brian Sidney Bembridge, the scenic designer, created a black stone circular stage where smoking witches' cauldrons open suddenly. James Sugg's thrilling sound design—music, thunder, drumming—adds greatly to the show's atmosphere, and Solomon Weibard's lighting design is dazzling, especially the huge shadows. The Inquirer

The dramatic set design took full advantage of what the Arden stage can do to such an extent the impressive combination of set, sound and lighting design threatened to overtake the often underwhelming drama unfolding on stage. ...Burns brings an MTV-era cinematic mise en scene to his stagings which finds full realization with the Arden’s production team. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s dramatic industrial-stone age set (think Terry Gilliam Stonehenge) is darkly sparse yet multifaceted; Solomon Weisbard’s lighting is precise and atmospheric; accompanying sound (design by James Sugg) adds to the foreboding tension without overpowering the dialog.  phindie.com

In this production of Macbeth all elements of the show contribute to create a bold production. Brian Sidney Bembrige created the dramatic stage that has the appearance of stonework. theatresensation.com

To enter the E. Otto Haas Auditorium of the Arden Theatre, one must first wind one's way through the dim maze of dark metal scaffolding supporting the seating area before emerging in front of a massive black stone platform surrounded by looming walls: their set forMacbeth. It's an appropriate first look at a production that focuses heavily on atmosphere, impressing the audience with a visceral sense of doom to foreshadow the characters' fates even as they choose their paths themselves. 
Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design offers an intriguing mix between the Shakespearean thrust stage and the currently conventional proscenium arch: the raised stone circle with irregular wall panels leaning over it like standing stones does not protrude dramatically into the house, but their sheer size makes their presence undeniable. playshakespeare.com

Burns stresses the darkness of the play by the practically patent leather black gleam of his stage, which looks like it iscomposed of stone slate that has been painted jet and polished to a glassy sheen. The walls of Bembridge’s set are also black, which makes it somewhat stunning when floor-length red draperies are lowered from the rafters to decorate Macbeth’s castle. The shiny, leathery blackness of Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set denoted the dark tone Burns sought for his production. The large round platform looked sleek and as if it was covered by polished black alligator skin. Pieces and traps are neatly removed to provide steps and holes from which the weird sisters can appear.  nealspaper.com

…his is drama that leaps off the page under the direction of Alexander Burns with the help of an exceptional design team. If you tend to snooze through your Shakespeare, forget it; those 40 winks won’t be gotten during this production, thanks to the brilliant work of Sound Designer James Sugg, Lighting Designer Solomon Weisbard and Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. Cauldrons open and close on the stage floor as a witches’ brew floats through the air. Lights flash; sounds clash and the total effect is spectacular.   stagereviews.blogspot.com

There are built-in challenges to presenting Macbeth in a relatively intimate space. In many ways, director Alexander Burns and his designers have found imaginative solutions. The storytelling is clear, and the stage pictures often striking. City Paper

Brian Sidney Bembridge minimal scenic design of the circular stage, metallic spires and minimal castle design around the vaulted medieval chandelier, worked very well. edgephiladelphia.com

theatre exile at plays & players theater 2011

barrymore award nomination for best set design
barrymore award nomination for best play

playwright: Martin McDonagh

direction: Matt Pfeiffer

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Thom Weaver

costume design: Alison Pearlman

sound design: James Sugg

And blood there shall be, buckets of it, in fact, staining Brian Bembridge’s rather chaotic set… The home interior of Bembridge’s design is actually quite effective, but the surrounding space feels continually sprawling into the wings, he has grounded the location with tree branches and a slightly extended stage (which is also very spiky around the edges, and I walked into it. Twice). But the brilliant issue of Bembridge’s design is the space itself how it plays against Plays and Players Theater…. stagedandreal.com

american blues theater  2016

playwright:  Alonzo Fields 

director: Timothy Douglas

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge 

lighting design: Mike Durst

costume design: Christopher J. Neville

sound design: Rick Sims

Adding a subtle note of beauty and formality all its own here is Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set, with a grand banquet table upstage. You might well find yourself wondering who will be gathering around that table in the wake of the next election. Chicago Sun-Times

Brian Sidney bembridge's set matches the mood of the show: Rows of expensive, understated porcelain surround the stage creating a set that’s as gorgeous as it is tasteful. chicagotheaterbeat.com

While the play is done very simply on a set designed byBrian Sidney Bembridge... The stage is open and we are in what is probably the pantry. The walls are lined with special shelving that allows each plate and platter to have its own space... it's absolutely amazing and the detail that went into the table that is set on the other side of the wall is one that I found breathtaking. We do not even realize the artistry of this part of the set until the end of the production when the lighting (Mike Durst) and the set take center stage, while Mr. Buckley talks about his special talents. aroundthetownchicago.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design sets Fields amid a long rack of plates, with a dining room visible in the background, just as in his job, Fields could see without being seen. chicagocritic.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s very serviceable set consists of racks and racks of White House china: A chandelier-lit dining room in the background suggests the East Room. His resonating foreground is a room for remembrance. Buckley does the rest, beautifully. stageandcinima.com

One-man shows, however, never succeed without the support of a talented technical staff, and American Blues crew maintained the company’s high standards. From Mike Durst’s subtle lighting, to Brian Sidney Bembridge’s phenomenal set (which mimics the kitchen next to a White House dining room), to Christopher J. Neville’s natural costuming, no detail was spared. chicagotheatrereview.com

Well directed by Timothy Douglas, this one-man show has two other performances that also special deserve special credit: the stage set (kudos to Brian Sidney Bembridge), and the light design (Mike Durst), both are powerful components in this show. buzznews.net

timeline theatre company 2015

Best of 2015: Chicago Magazine

playwright: Arthur Miller

director: Lou Contey

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Sarah Jo White 

sound design: Andrew Hansen

Under Brian Sidney Bembridge’s stunning scenic design, an oceanic assemblage of vintage furniture that appropriately feels as if it’s about to come crashing down on the visitors of this Manhattan brownstone, entire lives built on sacrifice and mercy collide with the harsh realities of what Miller perceived as an increasingly isolated and fractured America.  New City Chicago

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set is a marvel of purposeful clutter,... Wall Street Journal

“The Price” is set in the furniture-stuffed attic of a Manhattan brownstone (designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s eye-popping set is a miracle of collecting and cantilevering). Chicago Sun-Times

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set design is a work of modern art. Audience members walk right into the brownstone’s attic, with furniture placed precariously high, a once-treasured and now out-of-tune harp in the corner, and heavy dressers and wardrobes stuffed with ham radios, old dresses and memories. One can almost smell the mustiness, and relive their own experiences with the light and dark sides of nostalgia. Even the slight sense of claustrophobia works perfectly in this context: after all, the past can be a stifling thing. chicaotheaterbeat.com

'The Price' at Timeline Theatre is a highly polished, and well designed play that will introduce a new generation to a minor, but no less important Arthur Miller classic. It's a history lesson in privation and a cautionary tale about the unpleasantries money brings to people's lives. It's also powerful story about what it means to choose between love and wealth. buzzchicago.net

I also have to congratulate the scenic design Brian Sidney Bembridge one of the best in the business currently in Chicago, and he has done in effect is an environmental design... that puts the audience in the middle in the third floor attic in the middle of this furniture with the four characters acting out this drama in the center of this room with the audience all around them sharing this antique furniture with them. Dueling Critics  Podcast

Ostensibly, it’s about the purchase value of the heirlooms, keepsakes, and antiques in the cluttered attic of a Manhattan brownstone soon to be torn down. (This astonishingly elaborate treasure trove assembled by set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge can be seen and still not believed!) stageandcinema.com

 Louis Contey's careful staging unfolds on a set (designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge) featuring old furniture stacked precariously to the rafters—an apt visual metaphor for the weight and wobbliness of the past. Chicago Reader

...framed it within a subtly exaggerated world. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design, is a floor-to-ceiling mountain of furniture that arcs over the heads of the audience members seated nearest to the theatre doors. Much of it looks heavy and antiquated—though Solomon’s doubts about selling it are doubtlessly part of his bargaining technique, I can’t imagine I would want any of it even if I had all the money in the world. chicagocritic.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s jaw dropping,  scenic design, is a masterwork of studied casualness. The apartment, through the back hall of which the audience enters, is overstuffed with furniture and relics of the past century. Bembridge’s shadowy lighting accents just the right objects and areas, such as a vintage phonograph and an antique harp. chicagotheatrereviews.com

...the spectacular work by scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridger is not to be ignored. With the main playing space empty, save a couple select items, the entry to the theater space is—I’d say cluttered, but it’s more organized than that. It’s an intense collection of furniture and other items that you can get lost in for hours. The piles are fascinating to walk through,... However, for the vast majority of the production, Contey manages to keep the action in the central playing space, allowing the set to merely loom over and behind this family as they try to figure out what to do with their stuff and themselves. chicagostagestandard.com

The instant you walk into TimeLine Theatre's production of The Price, you're confronted by stacks of antique furniture piled up haphazardly to the ceiling by scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. And soon enough, all that left-behind excess turns out to have larger metaphorical implications in this 1968 drama that has been so lovingly and astutely revived by director Louis Contey to time with the centennial of its playwright, the late Arthur Miller. windycitymedia.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge has crafted an amazing set design of stacked furniture and collected objects from the past paired with his prized lighting design. nwitimes.com

 Louis Contey's careful staging unfolds on a set (designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge) featuring old furniture stacked precariously to the rafters—an apt visual metaphor for the weight and wobbliness of the past. Chicago Reader 

The instant you walk into TimeLine Theatre's production of The Price, you're confronted by stacks of antique furniture piled up haphazardly to the ceiling by scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. And soon enough, all that left-behind excess turns out to have larger metaphorical implications in this 1968 drama that has been so lovingly and astutely revived by director Louis Contey to time with the centennial of its playwright, the late Arthur Miller. windycitymediagroup.com

Contey and his designer, Brian Sidney Bembridge, have created a handsome, sculptural set; furniture is piled to the rafters. It's a very handsome design.....a dealer examining detail and discerning specific value. Indeed, the transition from love to commodity is at the heart of "The Price," as it is of Miller himself.  Chicago Tribune

american players theatre 2015

playwright: Denis O’Hare & Lisa Peterson

direction: John Langs

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Holly Payne

sound design: Josh Schmidt
 

Accordingly, the performance unfolds in a replica of an old-fashioned university lecture hall (beautifully designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge)...is packed with bold visual metaphors.  The Wall Street Journal

But the vision is new. Langs reframes the Poet as a university professor in an aging classroom of chalkboards, hidden cupboards and an old slide projector (a transformative design by Brian Sidney Bembridge).
This gives the Poet’s tale new focus, to imagine that the audience is a classroom of half-interested students. Capital Times

American Players Theatre’s version (playing through October 18) has been stripped down to its parts and re-imagined as an electrified classroom lecture, the kind where you never quite know what’s going to happen next. That proves to be a good and entertaining thing.
Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge deploys the classroom props in clever and imaginative ways to keep the audience on its toes. The anatomy-class skeleton becomes a stand-in prop to hold Achilles’ new set of armor. The chalkboard’s handy to calculate the ridiculous number of ships and soldiers floating in wait off the coasts of Troy. And that scale recreation of the city itself? It’s as impressive when it’s in flames and smoking as it is when it’s still pristine. Madison Magazine

This time DeVita is a professor in lecture. The stunning set by Brian Sidney Bembridge, is a classroom, complete with blackboard, a hanging skeleton, a counter with a sink and bottles of chemicals and a lectern. onmilwaukee.com

There is magic in DeVita’s transformative storytelling, but there is also magic in the production elements that support his narrative: sound, projected photos and surprises that materialize from behind enormous blackboards. The design team discovered inventive ways to use the items that populate a classroom, from the skeleton in the corner to the globe, to the overhead projector, to a flask of sand. All of this elevates the story to an unforgettable journey.
Kudos to director John Langs and the entire team who brought this production to life. The script, the performances and the production elements work together to create one of the most riveting, heart-wrenching, spectacular productions I have ever seen. isthmus.com

This time around, DeVita enters through the audience, dressed as a tweedy professor in what's been imagined as an old-fashioned college lecture hall (costuming by Holly Payne; scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge).
Perhaps, this Poet imagines, Homer's story can be discussed as a chalky classroom text, safely bound and then stowed in one of the cabinets — teeming with history's shelved artifacts — hidden behind sliding blackboards...Revealing a beautiful diorama of Troy, he describes this great city in the days before the war.  Milwaukee Journal  Sentinel

Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has created something very different for the intimate, 201-seat Touchstone. He’s reimagined the set as a classroom, with chalky, double-hung blackboards and a science bench with a working sink. It’s a setting likely to be familiar to more of the audience. Wisconsin Gazette

In collaboration with Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design, director John Langs' production really drives the point home - what good can come from war? And "how do you know if you've won?"

For those who were fortunate to attend The Rep's production, APT perfects the production further, and reinvisions An Iliad from a fascinating perspective accompanied by technical designs from Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, Costume Designer Holly Payne, Lighting Designer Jesse Klug, combined with the original music by Josh Schmidt. While the smoke from the Poet's burning papers, pictures of war, churns in the stomach, the effect simulates the destruction wrought by kings and leaders filled with rage. broadwayworld.com

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge and  Zane Williams

windy city playhouse (inaugural production) 2015

playwright: Deborah Zoe Laufer

direction: Henry Godinez

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Heather Gilbert

costume design: Jeremy Floyd

sound design: Kevin O'Donnell

A crucial key to “End Days” can be found (literally) hanging from the rafters of the double-story Windy City space. Resembling an exploded pinata — with everything from a file cabinet to electronic equipment, bicycles, umbrellas and suitcases suspended over the runway-style stage — it suggests all the detritus of civilization blown out of the collapsing World Trade Towers. 
And, aided and abetted by set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge — with lighting by Heather Gilbert, sound by Kevin O’Donnell and costumes by Jeremy W. Floyd — he has navigated the Playhouse’s vast, rather unconventional space to fine effect. Chicago Sun-Times

Skillfully Directed by Henry Godinez, who used the open stage area ( people were seated on two sides) on a clever set designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge... aroundthetownchicago.com

Its greatest thrills lie in set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s fascinating detritus, lost objects referencing 9/11 and gaudily dangling above the runway stage. stageandcinema.com

is exacerbated by the newness of the space, with its long rectangle. Godinez and his designer, Brian Bembridge, have forged three distinct playing areas (Bembridge has also created a cool visual sculpture in the skies).  chicagotribune.com

 Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge also goes to town with his End Days set design which prominently features a symbolic art installation piece suggesting a freeze frame of an explosion of suburban stuff hovering over the stage. windycitytimes.com

 ...with a wall-to-wall lighting grid currently sports Brian Sidney Bembridge’s splendid fever dream of contemporary American suburban life: American flags, pink bicycles and God knows what else. duelingcritics.com

ensemble theatre company santa barbara 2014

playwright: John Logan

direction: Brian Shnipper

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Dianne K Graebner

Set in designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s striking rendering of Rothko’s Bowery studio circa 1958-59, Red portrays a key moment in the painter’s biography. The studio teems with opportunities for the actors to perform small tasks — there’s a sink, plenty of paint and brushes, and even a staple gun for fastening canvas to stretchers. Santa Barbara Independant

The set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge brings Rothko's studio to life, yet also explodes it in a way that brings out its chapel-like qualities. And one last word: Watching two men prime a canvas with rust-red, set to the Mozart's overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" is one the most exciting things on stage this year. Really. SB News-Press

Kudos to Brian Sidney Bembridge, the scenic and lighting designer for his impressive Big Apple studio set, reflecting the former YMCA gym that Rothko rented, in the late 1950s. The play, a complex examination of two very driven and sensitive men literally getting down and dirty, is spellbinding. Montecito Journal

The set and the lighting by Brian Sidney Bembridge stunningly and powerfully radiate Rothko's ideas of art. CASA Magazine

The set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge brings Rothko’s studio to life, yet also explodes it in a way that brings out its chapel-like qualities.  tedmills.com

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

timeline theatre company 2014

adaptation: Aaron Posner

direction: Kimberly Senior

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Elizabeth Flauto

composition: Andrew Hansen

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s spare wood set and haunting lighting (keep your eyes on those windows) is magic. Chicago Sun-Times

The conflict between these two spheres is immediately apparent in Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design for this Timeline Theatre production, its predominant feature being a steep staircase against a bare wall that will soon be covered in sketches we can only imagine. Upstairs is young Asher Lev's room, underneath are the musicians—violin, cello and clarinet—who provide a running commentary on the action, and at floor level, we see the world of his parents, whose obsession with the rescue and reparation of their persecuted brethren matches that of their son. windy city times

Richly enhancing this stirring staging is Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scholarly and curatorial setting and the intense live jazz/klezmer accompaniment that evokes Asher’s warring worlds... stageandcinema.com

Working collaboratively, she encourages scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembidge to create detail within simplicity. His simple Brooklyn apartment setting is dominated by a large staircase that takes audiences to a second-level balcony, allowing us to see into Asher’s inner sanctum cluttered with the tools of his art. Otherwise, his set includes only a round, wooden dining table and chairs set beneath two windows that look out onto the street. With Bembridge’s command of lighting, the audience moves smoothly between the now and then. chicagotheatrereview.com

... Brian Sidney Bembridge’s unit set nicely suggests the family’s home in the Crown Heights neighborhood as well as other locations... chicagotheatrebeat.com

Senior stages this on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s multi-functional two level set.  On the main floor is the day to day family life.  In the loft is Asher’s studio.  In between, a staircase becomes the bridge between his family and his art.  Throughout the show, Weisman hangs blank pieces of paper serving as his art.  His life work literally separates him from his parents. thefourthwalsh.com

The script is a very interesting piece, accentuated by subtle direction and lighting design by Brian Sidney Bembridge. chicagostagestandard.com

 Brian Sidney Bembridge's lighting and scenic design create a space of dark woods that change easily from family kitchen to office to studio. The upper level space and the stairs leading to it serve as Asher's gallery and his studio. gapersblock.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge has constructed a set that evokes a home, an artist’s studio and leaves a space between the loft and the living room that houses a three-piece band...Set designer Bembridge makes the brick design around the living room window a subtle cross. Asher's first masterpieces are crucifixions portraying his mother in the window of the living room.  berkshirefinearts.com

From Brian Sidney Bembridge’s two-level set to the trio of musicians deftly adding  Klezmer-styled music by Andrew Hansen.... Every element in this tight swift 90 minute one act is superbly presented. chicagocritic.com 

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

timeline theatre company 2013

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: Best Production 

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: Best Scenic Design

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: Best Lighting Design

Chicago Magazine: best 10 plays of 2013

Broadwayworld.com: top ten plays of 2013

Chicago Tribune: best 10 plays of 2013

Huffington Post: top ten plays of 2013

Chicago Theatre Beat: top ten plays 2013

playwright: Lorraine Hansberry

direction: Ron OJ Parson

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Janice Pytel

sound design: Josh Horvath

Walking down that hallway, my find flashed back to 2013 and Brian Sidney Bembridge’s brilliant Chicago design for “A Raisin in the Sun” at TimeLine Theatre. As with William Boles’ eye-popping set design for “Boys in the Band,” a play set in a single location was opened up. In the case of “Raisin,” which often has been staged in spaces so expansive you wonder why the Younger family wants to move, the staging made clear they were exiting a dark, rat-infested building where nothing could grow. chicago tribune 2020

In one of his finest pieces of visual work to date, the designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has not just forged the usual proscenium-style setting for the Younger's South Side apartment. Rather, he allows his audience to enter into their entire apartment building — the lobby is a sea of anonymous front doors of the kind that anyone who has lived in the city can recognize. It's easy to believe they all lead to the kind of roach-filled rooms that would, as Lena Younger observes, make any man yearn for boards he can call his own.

You walk to your seat through the Younger's front door — the same door at which Karl Linder, the emissary of terrified white residents, will soon knock. Actually, there are moments in Parson's staging when it feels like the front rows of the audience are sitting right there with Beneatha and her African beau, Joseph Asagai.

"Raisin" has never had a comparable, all-out, revisionist, Chicago-style staging; it has been patiently waiting, and deserving, these past 58 years. chicago tribune

And that touches on another reason Parson's latest staging, impeccably designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge (set and lights) and Janice Pytel (costumes) for a thrust staging that maximizes both audience intimacy and tenement claustrophobia, hits so hard. timeout chicago

TimeLine Theatre Company’s production of Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal “A Raisin in the Sun” could be half as good as it is and still have a profound impact. Director Ron OJ Parson and scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge have created such an intimate environment for the play that you’re right there in the tenement with the Younger family, and that shapes how you respond to them and their predicament.

The sensation starts as you walk down a long hallway lined with anonymous numbered doorways, then enter the small auditorium through the same door as the Youngers use and take a seat in one of the sections on three sides of the “apartment.” The cramped quarters include the living room, where 10-year-old Travis sleeps on the old couch; a curtained alcove that serves as Ruth and Walter Lee’s bedroom, and the complete working kitchen with appliances that would have been out of date in the early 1950s when the piece is set. You’re close enough you can see that steam rising from the hot oatmeal Ruth makes for her son, hear the sizzle of the eggs she scrambles in a cast-iron pan for Walter Lee and, later on (thankfully), almost smell the roach poison his sister Beneatha liberally dispenses from a period pump sprayer. hyde hark herald

They live on the South Side of Chicago, in an apartment where they share a bathroomm with the other tenants on their floor. The set (Brian Sidney Bembridge, who also did the lighting design/to perfection) starts before you even get to your seat. You walk into a hallway filled with doors and as you get to the final one, you enter the Younger family abode and take your seat. In this cramped, but livable flat, you will watch a tale of dreams, desires and hopes for this family take place. aroundthetownchicago.com

Working in what can only be described as TimeLine’s “magical space” (enhanced by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s richly environmental set), the play sounds notes both familiar and entirely fresh.  chicago sun-times

The scenic and lighting are courtesy of Brian Sidney Bembridge, and he does wonders with TimeLine’s modest stage, creating a living space for the Younger family that is spacious enough for the actors to work in yet cramped enough that we feel their gradually accumulating economic desperation. From the upholstery on the couch, to the worn edges on the carpeting, to the classic labels on the appliances and packaged food, the look of the play is wonderfully authentic. And Bembridge is matched every step of the way by Joshua Horvath’s sound design. chicagotheatrereview.com

The Youngers live on Chicago’s South Side, in a dumpy apartment – a gem of well-worn reality by designer Brian Sidney Bembridge — hardly large enough for matriarch Lena, her grown daughter Beneatha and married son Walter with his wife and their young son. chicagoontheaisle.com

It’s as real as Brian Sidney Bembridge’s battered apartment (with the lobby now a tenement corridor leading to the dingy digs). chicagotheatrebeat.com

We first encounter the Youngers in their impeccably kept one-bedroom apartment, where they go about their daily routines with the precision and timing born from years spent living in close quarters. Expertly detailed by designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, the set is surrounded on three sides by audience members who enter the space via a long, narrow tenement hallway, through the doorway the residents use. daily herald

It is a classic work marvelously performed on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s realistic set in the intimate Timeline Theatre. I could smell the bacon cooking… and I could feel the Younger’s pain and their joy. This play is one of the best of 2013 – don’t miss it! chicagocritic.com

The action is confined to the cramped apartment of the Younger family in Chicago’s Hyde Park area, an acting space so intimate that spectators sitting in the first row have to keep moving their feet so the actors can move around Brian Sidney Bembridge’s beautifully detailed postage stamp sized set. chicagolandtheaterreviews.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge's meticulously-researched scenic design also extends the perimeter of Timeline's snug auditorium beyond the entrances to effectively remedy the physical action becoming immobilized by its realistic environment. windy city times

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic and lighting design handsomely transforms the intimate Wellington Avenue theatre space into the Younger’s tiny apartment, creating just enough space amongst their modest furnishings for an audience to sit and witness this heartbreaking story. Indeed, upon entering the theatre, Bembridge has even created a hallway of doors that would be the communal bathroom and the other apartments belonging to their neighbors. During the intermission the doors open to reveal many fascinating, significant artifacts and historical photos documenting the time period of the play. illinoistheatre.org

photos: Lara Goestch

world premiere

lookingglass theatre company 2012

goodman theatre 2014

playwright: Heidi Stillman

direction: Heidi Stillman & Tony Hernandez

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

costume design: Lijana Wallenda/Mara Blumenfeld

sound design/composition: Andre Pluess & Rick Sims

Binding all this together is a thinner-than-air scenario with strong echoes of that popular 1992 film, “Like Water for Chocolate.” Audience members enter the theater, which has been transformed into the glorious open patio of a Mexican boarding house (the wholly sublime work of designer Brian Sidney Bembridge), and take their place at rustic tables. Chicago Sun-Times

The audience is arranged in community tables of 14 or 16 seats along with a scattering of tables for two on the main floor and the balcony. The set is the kitchen of the boarding house plus some side playing areas, atmospherically and functionally designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, who also designed the lighting. chicagolandtheaterreviews.com

photos: Liz Lauren

world premiere

alliance theatre 2012

playwright: Pearl Cleage

direction: Susan Booth

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Ken Yunker

costume design: Lex Liang

Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge and costume designer Lex Liang have done an excellent job of evoking the '70s era without wallowing in the decade's famous stylistic excesses or dragging out familiar cliches: the set is based on real townhomes in Midtown, and the costumes are partially based on archival photos of Jackson's campaign. It's '70s Atlanta realness. creativeloafingatlanta.com 

The cool set design of a Midtown condo reminds me of a large apartment I once saw at a place called Riverbend, which during the 70′s was well known as a party-central kind of place just on the civilized side of I-285.  atlanta intown

Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge imagines an over-the-top ’70s apartment with a slanted ceiling and mod details, and Lex Liang’s period fashions are authentic and fun. The knowledge Evie gains in her Parisian sojourns imbues this play with a light that, filtered through the prism of the change in American politics over the last 39 years, looks all the brighter. atlanta journal-costitution

Brian Sidney Bembridge presents a beautiful Brady Bunch ’70s-style two-story modern home with clean lines. asherpr.org

Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge imagines an over-the-top ’70s apartment with a slanted ceiling and mod details ajc.com

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

drury lane theater oakbrook 2009

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: Best Production 

playwright: Joe Masteroff

direction: Jim Corti

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Tatjana Raisic

The lavish, supremely well-acted production -- which opened Wednesday night at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, and easily beats Broadway at its own game -- is so enthralling that you wish it came with a "Part II."
Brian Sidney Bembridge's massive wrought-iron set suggests all the sinewy, hard-edged decorative allure of Berlin (with lighting by Jesse Klug that approaches black magic), and Tatjana Radisic's scores of costumes are the essence of period Eurochic. Chicago Sun-Times

Brian Sidney Bembridge proves again that he is perhaps the most talented scenic designer working in Chicago theatre right now. His innovative set for History Boys at the TimeLine is no small part of that show’s continued success through extended run after extended run. Likewise, Bembridge’s set for Cabaret wows. It seems to be made of scaffolding, parts of a steel bridge, or maybe a train trestle — as if the Drury Lane were inside a loft apartment in a barely converted warehouse. There is a hint, a prediction of the industrial decay of the Eastern Bloc that will control part of Berlin not long after the action of the play. chicagostagereview.com

Stunning. And, building on Tommy Tune's staging for "Grand Hotel," the cast watches, not from the sidelines but from other parts of the action (amazing industrial/glam set by Brian Sidney Bembridge). broadwayworld.com

It is indeed beautiful. Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's upscale Kit Kat Club is a sleek and shiny venue flanked by looming iron structures... Daily Herald

...to the truly fantastic scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, invites you to acquiesce to the Emcee’s request (a diminutive, colorful Patrick Andrews) to "leave your troubles at the door." Bembridge manages to cram the orchestra, chorus, and the leads on stage (often all at the same time), without sacrificing the intimacy required for the tenser emotional exchanges. The band is semi-covered underneath a canopy toward the back of the stage that doubles as a completely believable nightclub pit. A cast iron second level of the main staging area allows for a virtual doubling of the available dancing space, and in a production like this, every inch of dance floor is needed. It is to the credit of the designers and director that create the illusion of a tacky, small nightclub within the 971 seat Drury Lane Oakbrook. Edge Chicago

milwaukee repertory 2008

resident ensemble players 2009

playwright: Doug Wright

directed by: John Patrick Langs

set design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Noele Stollmack

costume design: Holly Payne

sound design: Josh Schmidt

The set is also quite impressive, though much of it does not become visible until just before intermission. Much like Charlotte herself, there is much more to the story than it will divulge on its own. In this breathtakingly ambiguous, expertly delivered story it is left to the audience to decide how much of it is truly credible. Express Milwaukee

Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, Sound Designer Josh Schmidt and Lighting Designer Noele Stollmack combine their efforts to present the grandeur of Charlotte’s Grunderzeit Museum, which she patiently restored and revived as a historic site, with vintage elegance and surprising effects. Vital Source Magazine

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

world premiere

victory gardens theatre 2009

second stage 2010

geffen playhouse 2011

Henry Hewes Design Award Nomination: best scenic design

Henry Hewes Design Award Nomination: best production design

Joseph Jefferson Award: best production

Drama League Nominee: distinguished production of a play 

Garland Award: outstanding scenic design

LA Drama Critics Circle Award Nomination: outstanding scenic design

playwright: Kristoffer Diaz 

direction: Eddie Torres

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Peter Nigrini/John Boesche

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Christine Pasquale

sound design: Mikhail Fiksel 

This delightfully muscular production, which opened Thursday night at the Second Stage Theater... Diaz’s breathless, pumped-up language incarnates the self-charging rhythms, hyperbole and surface spectacle of the world it portrays, so does nearly every aspect of Mr. Torres’s production. That includes Brian Sidney Bembridge’s big-boy playroom of a set, Christine Pascual’s lurid costumes, Jesse Klug’s lighting, Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design and Peter Nigrini’s videos, which remind us of the mystical transformative powers of a television frame. New York Times

Now running at Second Stage, the play provides a transfusion of high-octane talent to Off-Broadway -  That includes the top-drawer design team - Brian Sidney Bembridge (set), Christine Pascual (costumes), Jesse Klug (lights), Mikhail Fiksel (sound) and Peter Nigrini (projections). Their contributions create a vivid one-ring wrestling circus that spills into the theater (be prepared to picked up or fanned by a waving U.S. flag) New York Daily News

Admittedly, this is due in no small part to director Edward Torres and his crack design team (Brian Sidney Bembridge for sets, Christine Pascual for costumes, Jesse Klug for lights, Mikhail Fiksel for sound, Peter Nigrini and Radical Media for projections and video, and fight director David Woolley), who’ve transformed a usually unassuming Off-Broadway theater into a wrestling arena with extreme prejudice. From the industrial light rigs that flank the stage to the two enormous video monitors above the action to the Colosseum-like ring itself, you’re immediately immersed in a realm of color, electricity, and violence that forces you to view every word and action as a (probably pretend) battle to the death. talkingbroadway.com

The show has more yakking than fighting, sure, but the stuff in Brian Sidney Bembridge's spectacular one-ring circus is, thanks to fight director David Woolley, impressively credible. Chicago Tribune

... and Broadway-level design by Brian Sidney Bembridge (sets), Jesse Klug (lights) and projections (John Boesche), "Chad Deity" (presented in association with Teatro Vista) is just the latest indication that Victory Gardens is riding a giant wave.  Chicago Sun-Times

Jesse Klug's rock-concert lighting, Peter Nigrini's sharp projections, and Brian Sidney Bembridge's humorous set combine to create a nightmarish arena where the truth is drowned out by razzle-dazzle. But don't let the fireworks fool you; “Chad Deity” is no flashy lightweight. It's the real deal. Backstage

"Chad Deity" is a very complete production with all the details to make it so.  Brian Sidney Bembridge has designed a striking set and Christine Pascual's costumes (in particular the wrestlers garb) are divine. steadstyle.com

For those who might think that theater is relegated to pretentious performances attended by the upper class, that is so far from the truth -- especially when it comes to productions such as "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity," which features slam poetry-like language, set design that takes you to the show within the show and a young vibe through and through. South Town Star

Peter Nigrini’s projection and video design expand the universe of Brian Sidney Bembridge’s over the top ringside set. Christina Haatainen Jones’ costumes, Jesse Klug’s lighting, and Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design are united in the mission of keeping “Chad Deity” propulsive and fresh. LA Times

This point is well-reflected in the easily recognizable signs and signifiers of Brian Sidney Bembridge's pop-cultural explosion of a set (larger-than-life images from iconic movies are recessed into the back wall; an neon orange and purple wrestling ring takes up center-stage) and of Christine Pascual's hilariously pointed costumes (turbans, sombreros, American flags). Thanks to Peter Nigrini's projections, we even get the high-octane entrance videos. thatsoundscool.com

There's no question that this at times blinding and deafening spectacle is like nothing you've ever seen. It's loud and vulgar, with humor that veers towards being offensive. And yes it is about wrestling, which isn't likely to be a prime interest of most New York theater goers. On the other hand, it's not really about wrestling. Diaz's no-holds bar picture of this shamelessly full of fakery sport serves as a multi-pronged metaphor for a looks above talent and money over all driven pop culture, the sins of capitalism, racism and jingoism. !N!N Director Edward Torres and set designer Brian Sidney Bainbridge have turned the stage into a dizzying circus scene. It's dominated by a functioning wrestling ring that's framed by frequently and brilliantly used giant video screens and garish images of aggressive animals (a rooster primed for a cock fight, a shark, a lion, etc) curtianup.com

 The truth is Deity is only as good as Mace makes him look in the ring, which is set against a spectacular psychedelic set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge which turns the stage into a three-dimensional sensory experience. Splash Magazine

Torres and his designers unleash a raucous mix of flashy sights and loud sounds to realize the story's violently theatrical world. njnewsroom.com

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

world premiere

victory gardens theatre 2012

playwright: Jackie Sibblies Drury 

direction: Eric Ting

scenic design: Brian sidney bembridge

projection design: Mike Tutaj

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Christine Pascual

sound design: Sarah Pickett

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set, with its gargantuan attic packed with wooden furniture and trunks, subtly but brilliantly suggests all the “history” we conveniently stash in the closet. Chicago Sun-Times

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge & Liz Lauren

chicago shakespeare theater 2010

Justin Award: best scenic design

direction: Gale Edwards

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: John Culbert

costume design: Ana Kuzmanic

sound design: Lindsay Jones

designed with eye-popping perspective by Brian Sidney Bembridge, this fast-paced, contemporary, expansive, edgy, testosterone-filled affair certainly has plenty of zip, life and fizzle — and the kind of energetic, sexualized, guttural chutzpah that will ensure that even the most restless high school audience keeps its collective eye glued to the stage. Chicago Tribune

But an intriguingly timeless, neatly anachronistic quality prevails, too, as set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge easily mixes distressed Italianate architecture with the hip decay that might be found in an old bank in contemporary Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Chicago Sun-Times

Most striking, perhaps, is the design of the show, and for that we have Chicagoans to thank: Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set is astonishing, the back stage opened up to create a long, deep hangar-like space, which functions as Verona streetscape, interior of the Capulet mansion and all other locations in the play. It is neither modern nor classical as befitting the production’s overall design... New City Chicago

At the opening curtain, flashing traffic dividers split Brian Sidney Bembridge’s grand, gloomy set in half; within minutes, feuding Montagues and Capulets tear them apart. Aussie director Edwards signals early on that her take on the teen-romance tragedy will be rousing. Time Out Chicago

Kudos to scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge who has created a bleak urban street flanked by buildings whose entrances are noisy, metal roller doors which clatter with shattering sounds that punctuate key moments. chicagocritic.com

One thing that Chicago Shakes never gets wrong is the extraordinary set design. This was no exception, the urban, aggressive set of the streets of Verona vs. the soft and passionate sets of the Capulet home were amazing. Congrats Brian Sidney Bembridge on your sets. eightoclocktwilight.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge's set utilizes the entire length of the thrust stage, creating a hall of immense depth that allows for great moments of tension through the characters’ spatial relationships, and when the two lovers first meet they are separated by distance but their chemistry is immediate. chicagotheatrebeat.com

Performances across the board are competent and energetic, and the sets (by Brian Sidney Bembridge) are visually arresting. centerstage.com

The Best Scenic Design award for 2010 goes to Brian Sidney Bembridge for his deeply set exploration of decaying urban opulence and the dangers of stark city streets in Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. shaltzshakespearereviews.com

arden theatre company 2010

direction: Matthew Pfeiffer

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Thomas Weaver

costume design: Rosemarie E. McKinley

This understated Shakespeare production succeeds on many levels, including its sleek contemporary design. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set effectively leaves the hyperbolic romance to the text and the actors, with a simple, utterly symmetrical look - sleek wooden panels evoking a spacious tea-house - that is little more than a thin-railed balcony and mirror-image stairs. The production’s arresting visual contrasts successfully underscore a play about the consequences of love and hate. edge.com

The Arden has staged a delightful, modern production of Romeo and Juliet… Brian Sidney Bembridge's set is very simple, reminiscent in basic structure of the Globe. The wood and metal structure provides two levels, not just allowing for the balcony scenes but also a great dynamic in the mixed scenes of Act II. broadwayworld.com

world premiere

asolo repertory theater  2012

maltz jupiter theater 2009

playwright: David H Bell

direction: David H Bell

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Virgil C Johnson

Fanny Brice is a small, intimate musical wrapped in a big, glittering production designed in a modestly elaborate way by Brian Sidney Bembridge. Sarasota Herald Tribune

The set and costume designs (by Brian Sidney Bembridge and Virgil C. Johnson, respectively), place us squarely in the time and place where Fanny thrived, and the musicians, led by Ian Weinberger, lend excellent support. Sarasota Magazine

Written and directed by David H. Bell, the show is loaded with optical goodies. The set design by Brian Sidney Bainbridge replicates the backstage space of a theater in 1936. It also employs a screen on which black- and-white film reels from different periods in Brice’s life accompany flashbacks, as well as, varying sumptuous curtains that swoosh down to frame highlights of famous shows she performed. yourobserver.com

David H. Bell’s reworking of Fanny Brice: America’s Funny Girl, his 2009 hit at Maltz Jupiter Theater, bears the best qualities associated with Asolo Rep: strong, glitzy production values and performances to match. With only four actors, it yet shows off Fanny Brice in a fashion glittery enough to rival her original treatment by the Great Ziegfield. totaltheater.com

world premiere

goodman theatre 2011

playwright: Tanya Saracho

direction: Ceclie Keenan

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume designer: Chritine Pasquale

sound design: Joe Cerqua

And Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set, an exquisite dollhouse in an orchard, establishes the unreal fantasy of the family’s notion of its place in the world before a word is spoken. New City Chicago

Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s grand-scale dollhouse set (gorgeously lit by Jesse Klug, with ideal costuming by Christine Pascual and music by Joe Cerqua), is at once magical and real, suggesting the infantile world of the former elite — beautiful and soon to be obliterated. As Bob Dylan might have said, there’s “a change comin’ on.” Chicago Sun-Times

...and features a warm and resonant setting from Brian Sidney Bembridge that shrewdly reflects both of the sides of this particular piece. Chicago Tribune 

Highlighted by Cecilie D. Keenan’s solid direction and Brian Sidney Bembridge’s exquisitely architectural dollhouse, an emotional centerpiece of the show, El Nogalar is still rich with the attributes of arresting theatricality. Sheridan Road

Maité and Anita return to the shell of their family’s former ease and grandeur—a condition symbolically reinforced by the oversized, intricately detailed dollhouse that centers Brian Bembridge’s set design. chicagotheatrebeat.com

The intricate scale-model dollhouse set in “El Nogalar” designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge serves as constant reminder of a family’s cherished past and its rocky future.  lakecountysuburbanlife.com

This show is one of such strength that it really needs no set, just some props and furniture, but to make it special Brian Sidney Bembridge has created a wonderful “dollhouse” of sorts that is moved about the stage and as they go from a room to outside or another room, the lights in the dollhouse indicate where they are- very clever and yet never detracts from the action on the stage. aroundtownchicago.com

There's so much depth and has such a compelling setting (and set is well - designed so that a miniature house tells us where scenes are occurring) that it all deserves more exploration. Variety

...and supported by clever design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, it nails the high points but goes slack in between. Time Out Chicago

Utilizing Brian Sidney Bembridge’s  large dollhouse set to depict a grand manor house surrounded by trees and loads of open space, El Nogalar live both in Cekhov’s world and Saracho’s world where class pressure and social turmoil threatens traditional families land and lifestyle in contemporary Mexico. chicagocritic.com

If we pity the rich their misfortune— like a refugee preparing for flight, from the dollhouse-sized mansion at the center of Brian Sidney Bembridge's pastoral scenic design—are we being humane or simply reaffirming the reverence traditionally harbored by the humble toward their betters. Windy City Times

The cherry trees have turned into Teatro Vista’s “El Nogalar,” a pecan orchard. Since this is northern Mexico, Chekhov’s doomed cherry orchard is now a nut grove in a border town, while the Russian mansion has become a hacienda, beautifully depicted as a miniature house. Its doll-like interiors light up as the action moves from room to room. chicagostagestyle.com

The stage design and lighting are striking without being overbearing and with wonderful attention to detail. There is a giant dollhouse that immediately gives the impression of wealth. Sand and broken walnuts line the edge of the stage, bare trees stand in the background, and a soft light gives the appearance of sunset on a warm evening. Gozamos

photos: Brian Sidney Bembridge

world premiere

lookingglass theatre company 2006

adapted by: Raymond Fox with Laura Eason & Heidi Stillman

director: Tracy Walsh

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: TJ Gerckens

costume design: Mara Blmunfeld

sound design: Andre Pluess

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s massive, jigsaw puzzle-like wooden set stretches along a wall of the theater that serves both as the all-important city bridges and warren of forbidding offices, shops, attics and cellars. chicago sun-times

The stylish, handsome production is dominated by the graceful, arching bridge of Brian Sidney Bembridge's two-story architectural set, looking as if made of polished English oak or mahogany. The upper bridge level is used for outdoor scenes—roadway, field, canal, cemetery—while interiors are played below utilizing doors and windows built underneath the bridge. Aided enormously by T. J. Gerckens' shadowbox lighting, director Tracy Walsh's impeccably paced staging turns the entire company into kinetic Victorian silhouettes. With the addition of Mara Blumenfeld's period-perfect costumes—given subtle character exaggerations—the circa 1840 atmosphere is complete. windy city times

...no one adapts Charles Dickens’ novels as wonderful as Lookingglass Theatre company. Their version of Hard Times a couple of years ago was splendid and spectacular. Their present Dickens’ work, The Old Curiosity Shop, is a sensual triumph featuring exquisite lighting (TJ Gerckens), sets (Brian Sidney Bembridge) and costumes (Mara Blumenfeld) that propels us back to the Victorian England in the 1830’s.
chicagocritic.com

california shakespeare theatre 2009
two river theatre company 2009

playwright: William Shakespeare

director: Aaron Posner

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Peter West

costume design: Olivera Gajic

sound design: Andre Pluess 

This production swings to its own beat, starting with the pitched and boldly patterned ramp, designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge and lighted by Peter West, that swoops into the front rows and then steeply careers back to provide a moonstruck perch for the fairy sprite Puck (Doug Hara, in a haunting performance).  the new york times

The set is positively magical. Brian Sidney Bembridge has designed a sky-blue stage floor, with a faint Greek key figure, that swoops up the back wall to become a high tower, topped by a full moon. Doors open in the wall to reveal Titania’s bedchamber or frame Oberon’s rage. In the forest scenes, ladders are inserted into the floor and the actors make ample use of them. The whole thing adds up to one of the best efforts Cal Shakes has put forth to date. It’s the kind of dream from which you don’t want to wake up. culturevulture.com
 

Patterns and shades of blue in a towering backdrop flow into the stage and down the stairs leading to the audience. The flat design oddly creates depth on this otherwise sparse stage that eventually offers doors, grows ladders that act as trees, and cradles oversized pillows on which the mixed up lovers sleep and fight.  Perhaps the most mesmerizing part of Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set design is the full moon looming above.... casts a heavenly reflection, of sorts, of this moon in the clear night sky above Bruns Amphitheatre, somehow emphasizing the starry sky above, creating an open universe for this play and a brilliantly lucid dream as our eyes are drawn upward. This magical feeling is further emphasized by the transcendent and melodious howling of Doug Hara’s Puck, who seems to have some otherworldly connection to the moon and the skies above. playshakespeare.com
 

It all works in a wonderfully fun, frenetic, eclectic way. I've seen many, many performances of Midsummer Night's Dream, but as Puck stands on top of the set—a blue geometric mountain that towers up into the sky and appears to melt into the stage—I know that this is one I'll remember for years to come. diablomag.com

Doug Hara's acrobatic faun of a Puck is everywhere, from the stage floor to the full moon atop the stepped tower of Brian Sidney Bembridge's thoughtful spare set. SF Gate

actors theatre of louisville 2009

direction: Marc Masterson

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design:  Brian J Lilienthal

costume design: Lorraine Venberg

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s principal set design consists of soft, clean lines that fill a wide space. As the play progresses, he introduces more colors and images — a lava lamp backdrop and a funky VW Bug — keeping a circular theme throughout. Brian J. Lilienthal’s lighting design further complements Bembridge’s set. And Lorraine Venberg’s costumes help define the characters in the various social groups of the ’60s era — rock stars, soldiers, hippies, etc. LEO Weekly

Every aspect of the production design was outstanding, including bold and vivid scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, costumes by Lorraine Venberg, and lighting design by Brian J. Lilienthal. A classic play that is performed with contemporary comic style and bite, this is a triumph of style and silliness. Theatre Louisville

world premiere

guthrie theatre 2008

playwright: Naomi Iizuka

direction: Lisa Portes

scenic design:  Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Marcus Dillard

costume design: Matthew J LeFebvre

sound design: C. Andrew Mayer

A beautiful set by Brian Sidney Bembridge with lighting by Marcus Dilliard capitalizes on the Dowling Studio’s intimacy. When a stream of rice pours onto the stage we cannot help but be reminded of how precious, and beautiful, mere survival is. Twin Cities Daily Press

Hundred Years, which takes place on Brian Sidney Bembridge's turntable set that has a chessboard pattern at its center, is ambitious. Under director Lisa Portes, it is realized with relative efficiency, including minimalist lighting and sound to create scenic changes. (That we as audience members have to imagine the different settings is a big plus.) Star Tribune

photos: Michal Daniel

drury lane theater oakbrook 2010

direction: William Osetek

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian SIdney Beembridge

costume design: Tatjana Radisic

William Osetek's production makes for quite a spectacular show. The rise in production values at the Drury Lane has truly been meteoric. And in this most recent example, the gifted designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has created huge, dazzling, art-deco murals that decorate the rear of Mame's New York apartment. Chicago Tribune

Brian Sidney Bembridge's Art Deco-style Beekman Place set is a black and gold stunner, with giant Tamara de Lempicka paintings of women dominating the stage. Chicago Sun-Times

The initial dazzler comes courtesy of Brian Sidney Bembridge's ingenious set design. From a nondescript New York City street, "Mame" opens up like a glorious, life-sized pop-up book to reveal the opulent, art-deco apartment of the title character. A curving grand stairway and an on-stage orchestra create the feel of a truly marvelous party. But what defines this elaborate, evocative set are huge, floor-to-flyspace murals (Tamara de Lempicka's paintings were adopted for the set by Bembridge) reflecting Mame's emotional journey. For the flapper-in-full-swing decadence that defines her life before the Depression, the backdrop is a neo-Botticelli glam-slam siren. Pioneer Press

Set chiefly in the 1920s and 1930s, this Mame also benefits mightily from the decor of Brian Sidney Bembridge, a scenic designer who always enjoys working on a large scale. In this case, his designs are dominated by enormous, gorgeous mural backdrops of women in High Art Deco style, worth the price of admission all by themselves. WIndy City Times

The show’s third star is Brian Sidney Bembridge’s dazzling and ever-changing scene design. Just when you think Drury Lane has run out of space backstage — it is one of the oldest theatres in the western suburbs — another gorgeous and perfect period piece appears as if out of thin air. The Insider

The show has the kind of visual pop that has become a Drury Lane trademark this year. Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge makes a grand statement using a few pieces - an imposing black and gold staircase (whose landing is occupied by music director Ben Johnson's nine-piece band), shimmering black curtains and every-changing murals consisting of comely women. Mostly Bembridge lets us fill in the details for ourselves. Daily Herald

If you are going to tackle staging Mame, you can’t go half way and Drury Lane has pulled out  all the stops, from an exquisite set to dazzling costumes this Mame is a feast for the eyes.  showbiz.com

ensemble theatre company at the new vic 2015

music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

book: Hugh Wheeler

direction: Jonathon Fox

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Dianne Graebner

sound design: Avery Wheeler

From the moment one lays eyes on Brian Bembridge’s masterful unit set for Ensemble Theatre Company’s terrific new production ofSweeney Todd, it’s clear that something special is about to happen. In director Jonathan Fox’s intimate interpretation, Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece of the macabre gains in intensity without losing any of the power more typically associated with grander spectacles.  Santa Barbara Independant

Set in the filthy streets of pre-sanitation London, Sweeney Todd's stomping grounds are the dark and putrid cobblestoned alleys surrounding Fleet Street. Scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge created a dual-tiered set that allowed Todd's barbershop to exist directly above the pie shop, and complete with a chute for Todd's victims to slide from barbershop to the meat grinder in the basement. The stage lighting was exceptionally attractive, with splashes of deep, ominous reds that signified the mounting death toll, and terrifying up-lighting, creating the chilling impression of a ghoulish chorus. bww.com

Opening Night at the New Vic was hot and humid, yet entering the theater I was immediately struck with chills emanating from Brian Sidney Bembridge's cold, dark, damp, and incredibly foreboding set before me. It was tantamount to being suddenly in the center of a dreadful storm of Edvard Munch's The Scream rushed at me.  CASA Magazine

....from the first foggy scene, which evokes memories of the Victorian era and Jack the Ripper, a great credit goes to scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. Montecito Journal

drury lane theatre oakbrook 2009

direction: Jim Corti

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Jesse Klug

costume design: Tatjana Radisic

But Jim Corti’s eye-popping revival of “Sweet Charity” also comes with another, less tangible feature. This is a show bursting with new ideas. Corti and Hamilton create a seamless, semi-fantastical visual picture of 1966 New York. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s setting shimmers with life. Chicago Tribune

Corti and his team have brought a lightness of touch and an easy warmth to every element of the show, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s sets are full of spice, and the stage itself, cut like a runway, adds zest to Corti and Hamilton’s work... Chicago Sun-Times

This is quite simply the most stylish and confident production the venerable Drury Lane Oakbrook has seen in several seasons. The bold neon and blue-diamond design set by Brian Sidney Bembridge practically screams sixties kitsch, yet the stage is kept relatively clean to focus on what's really important - the dancers. steadstylechicago.com

The whole shebang comes under the emotionally intelligent and playful direction of Jim Corti, who crafts a 1960s world straight out of a Peter Maxx poster. Brian Sidney Bembridge's set—a psychedelic panorama of colored lights and swirly blue backdrops - is a clever stunner. Windy City Times

Brian Sidney Bembridge has outdone himself with a set that seamlessly transitions between Charity's dance hall hostess job at the Fan-Dango Ballroom to a penthouse suite at a New York hotel to a Mexican restaurant chock full of parakeets and pinatas. Add to that some imaginative locales -- an elevator and Ferris Wheel car -- and there's no lack of visual treats. Pioneer Press

timeline theatre company 2013

Joseph Jefferson Award: Best Production 

Chicago Sun-Times: best of 2013

Chicago Magazine: ten best plays 2013

Time Out Chicago: top ten plays of 2013

playwright: Larry Kramer

direction: Nick Bowling

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

projection design: Michael Stanfill

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge 

costume design: Alex Meadows

sound design: Andrew Hansen

As always, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set is ingenious — a towering wall of thousands of books, plus movable panels that define many different rooms and serve as the backdrop for Michael Stanfill’s projections. Chicago Sun-Times

Bembridge's backdrop, depicting Ned's twin obsession with politics and people, is gorgeous, and reveals just as much as the disco-and-video vistas. Chicago Tribune

Still, Cromer's surrounded by an ace ensemble—not to mention a brilliant set by Brian Sidney Bembridge, with projections by Michael Stanfill that keep us rooted in the historical moment. Chicago Reader

It's also a reminder of just how recent a history this is; astonishing tandem work by sound designer Andrew Hansen and video designer Michael Stanfill, whose output is projected onto scenic and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's versatile sliding screens, is chillingly effective at setting up scenes in their proper context: While the world was focused on Reagan's inauguration, Charles and Diana's wedding and Who Shot J.R., gay men were beginning to drop like flies from diseases. Time Out Chicago

Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge has littered the back of the intimate production’s stage with sprawling bookshelves stacked ten shelves high that suggest a salute to the wealth of knowledge stirring in Kramer’s head. His minimal lighting also allows for the dark events of the play itself to dictate the eerie mood. New City Chicago

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s backdrop of 5,000 books recalls Ned’s cluttered but cultured apartment where if blood isn’t spilled, milk in a particularly dramatic scene certainly is. stageandcinema.com

This intimate production utilizes a shallow platform stage. Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge backs it with a wall of books, and wing to wing and floor to lights to represent Ned Weeks' apartment. In front of it, Bembridge places a wing-to-wing wall of opaque panels that slide like barn doors to reveal scenes behind them. It's a useful metaphor for the early AIDS era, with a wall separating viewers from what they need to know, what's coming next. theatermania.com

Nick Bowling unfussily directs this ensemble, aided immensely by an impressively flexible stage design by Brian Sidney Bembridge and lets them bring Kramer’s potent, still-relevant words to vivid life. fromtheledge.com

Scenic and Lighting Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge creates a massive backdrop of book covered shelves. In front of it, he lines the stage with opaque sliding doors. Although they effectively move back and forth to create a hospital room, apartment, office, the glass wall is also brilliantly used for projections by Designer Michael Stanfill. It become a wall memorial. The moment is gasp-worthy. The set is visually stunning. fourthwalsh.com

world premiere

asolo repertory 2012

direction: Gordon Greenberg

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting desgn: Paul Miller

costume design: Mattie Ullrich

..as they sing the songs and move set pieces on the attractive set by Brian Sidney Bembridge, dominated by a caged wall of books, inviting and forbidden at the same time. Sarasota Herald Tribune

From the moment the curtain rises, it’s also apparent that the world of books and learning towers over Yentl (Hillary Clemens, in an energetic and engaging performance). Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set features a high, high wall of shelves of books, filled with the knowledge of the world—all of which would be denied to Yentl as a female under the strict Jewish religious laws of the time and place, in a small town in Poland. Sarasota Magazine

There’s an impressive full stage, top-to-bottom backdrop of a caged, stacked library full of  Jewish religious books that presents a proper scenic metaphor. Tech artists who deserve recognition include set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge along with designers Mattie Ullrich, costumes; Paul Miller, lights. aislesay.com

Another new twist is brief full frontal male nudity during a bathing scene, which is unusual enough to be somewhat shocking but highly appropriate to the context of a girl passing herself off as a boy. This scene is made physically possible with the aid of brilliantly symbolic scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, whose background frieze includes a towering scaffold filled with books. observer.com

...it becomes clear that this is a very different beast, and one that cuts much deeper. Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design is simple, but effective, and Paul Miller's lighting design is gorgeous. Both work together to create a beautiful atmosphere for Yentl's world. neontommy.com

world premiere
arden theatre company 2016

playwight: Bruce Graham

direction: Matthew Pfeiffer

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Thomas Weaver

costume design: Alison Roberts

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set design, and black and white clips from TV commercials take us on a nostalgic trip back to the 1950s, while Videographer Jorge Cousineau gives us a peek into Chick’s career and his many talents. The magnificent team of designers transports the audience back to a time that was slowly shifting from gimmicky theatre to more experimental explorations. dcmetroarts.com

Vintage hair-dos and costumes (Alison Roberts), props and furnishings (smart scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge), establish the mid-century style of FUNNYMAN’S transitional era, while black-and-white clips from ‘50s sit-coms contrast with original TV commercials featuring Chick and his old-fashioned shtick (videography by the brilliant Jorge Cousineau). It all adds up to another stellar work by Graham and the Arden. phindie.com

Director Matt Pfeiffer's smart, sincere production, which plays fluidly on Brian Sidney Bembridge's bare-stage set (all other locations theatrically suggested by a few pieces of furniture), emphasizes the personal. broadstreetreview.com

world premier

northlight theatre 2013

playwright: Bruce Grahm

direction: BJ Jones

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: JR Lederle

costume design: Rachel Laritz

sound design: Andrew Hansen

The action unfolds in the faded Philadelphia bar Lou (Guinan) inherited from his father-in-law decades earlier. Designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, it's a shot-and-a-beer neighborhood joint, with dim lighting, cheaply paneled walls and linoleum floors. Faded posters flank a single dart board, and a small mirrored disco ball hangs from the ceiling like an afterthought. Daily Herald

...you want to step up from your seat and down a domestic or two in Brian Sidney Bembridge's well-stocked on-stage tavern. Chicago Tribune

...and Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set looks as though the linoleum floor has been mopped a thousand times to no effect. New City Chicago

While Stella generally stops by the bar (a dingy, wood-paneled classic designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge) a few times a week... Chicago Sun-Times

The scenic design by Brian Sidney Brembridge, added to the reality of Lou’s Bar. It was very real and it brought the audience to Lou’s Bar. showbizchicago.com

Lou (Francis Guinan) is the proprietor of a dingy old-man bar in Philly (convincingly rendered by scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge)... Time Out Chicago

With this collection of sensitive performances and with the help of a perfectly detailed set by Brian Sidney Bembridge, Jones and Graham give us a warm, funny and realistic exploration of an important theme. talkingbroadway.com

This all spins out against the backdrop of Brian Sidney Bembridge's set and JR Lederle's lighting, which perfectly conjure a neighborhood bar that has seen spiffier days. nilespatch.com

Set in a bar, Lou’s Bar ( a great set by  Brian Sidney Bembridge), we meet our main characters  on a day that has taken its toll on Lou.  aroundtown.com

photos: Michael Brosilow

world premiere

northlight theatre 2011

playwright: Bruce Grahm

direction: BJ Jones

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: JR Lederle

costume design: Rachel Laritz

sound design: Andrew Hansen

Set on the patio of a wood shingle cottage on Chesapeake Bay (Brian Sidney Bembridge's handsome architectural set is down payment worthy) Chicago Sun-Times

Sound designer Andrew Hansen’s beautifully bucolic opening music and scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s picture perfect rendering of a home on the shore of the Chesapeake instantly transport us to the location of the story, but it is the impeccable ensemble that breaths heartrending life into this imperative story about an under-addressed issue. chicago stage review

The action takes place in their waterfront home on the shore of The Chesapeake ( an extraordinary set by Brian Sidney Bembridge), where Gunner, who is starting to lose it has invited his son to meet with him relative to the future. aroundtownchicago.com

Set against a realistic representation of a waterfront gray clapboard house by set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, and with sound effects by Andrew Hansen suggesting the water in which the audience is presumably sitting, this production is strong enough for a Broadway transfer. talkingbroadway.com

Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge provides the wide back wall and dock of Gunnar and Peg's cedar-shake house, suggesting size and luxury without filling in the details, and the neutral cyclorama in back of the house can be sea or sky or both as the observer chooses. theatermania.com

world premiere

alliance theatre 2011

direction: Wendy Dann

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Marcus Doshi

costume design: Toni-Leslie James

timeline theatre company 2012

Joseph Jefferson Award: best production

playwright: Moisés Kaufman

direction: Nick Bowling

scenic design:  Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Mike Tutja

lighting design: Keith Parham

costume design: Alex Meadows

sound design: Andrew Hansen

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s bi-level blond wood set makes a clean canvas for Mike Tutaj’s masterful projections while concealing surprises of its own. Time Out Chicago

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s amazing scenic design and Keith Parham’s revolutionary lighting techniques meet with magnificence as Brandt’s and Beethoven’s worlds merge. Here, these two behind the scenes talents help create one of professional theater’s most stunning visual moments of all time. Sheridan Road Magazine

33 Variations hits the right notes. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s wood-paneled two-level set, mimicking a concert stage, is like a life-size dollhouse, doors and drawers popping out and conveying everything from a New York doctor’s office to a German country house. paperblog.com

What really separates this production from any other staging is Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design whose elegant and resourceful two tiered set allows the most breathtaking projections which moves the story forward as much as any of the dialogue. showbizchicago.com

Bowling’s elegant, precision-tooled staging is a marvel, aided and abetted by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s thoroughly ingenious, ever- transforming set, Mike Tutaj’s fascinating projections... Chicago Sun-Times

A period-generic table resides stage right, the grand piano plays in the center, and a bed sleeps stage left. A second level is used primarily when characters are in transit, but also contributes two of this production’s strongest moments: a juxtaposition of projected sheet music to x-rays and a striking, gorgeously-sung “Missa Solemnis.” Mike Tutaj’s projections are prominently featured on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set, ...they provide decisive location change without an overabundance of physical scenery. podunkcritic.com

Thanks to the ingenious directing of Bowling; the set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge and Mike Tutaj's projections the well-chosen cast has the perfect backdrop to perform their magic. chicagonow.com

Mike Tutaj brings nineteenth century Bonn to life with his vivid projections. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set consists of a bed on one side of the stage, the piano in the middle, and a table on the other side, but in combination with Tutaj’s visuals, it’s sufficient to establish a strong backdrop for the action. stageandcinema.com

The production is further enhanced by the wood-paneled, scenic designs of Brian Sidney Bembridge, augmented by the brilliant projection designs of Mike Tutaj. Chicago Lawyer Magazine

Enter projections designer Mike Tutaj, scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, sound designer Andrew Hansen and a live pianist onstage underscoring the action with Beethoven’s own music. It is an ace technical team directed by Nick Bowling that helps the audience share in these epiphanies. An elaborate choreography of visual projections seems to follow Beethoven’s jottings as he writes them. The visuals are in fine sync with dialogue intended to guess at Beethoven’s thoughts as the snippets are performed live. You don’t need to be able to read the music to get the idea of the restless mind at work in these moments. chicagoontheaisle.com

photos: Bran Sidney Bembridge & Lara Goetsch

peninsula players 2012

direction: Greg Vinkler

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Steve White

costume design:  Karin Simonson Kopischke

the repertory theatre of st louis 2009

direction: Seth Gordon

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: John Wylie

costume design: Lou Bird

One of the most striking things about the production is the marvelous scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge. The stage is framed in large white slats, like giant vertical blinds and a similar, curved structure of vertical white slats slides in and out of the stage for scene changes, moving away to make room for a sliding backdrop of white walls and bookcase for scenes in their apartment. Simple modern furniture is re-purposed for different scenes but a yellow, cleanly-modern rectangular bench remains in every scene, tying things together. The sheer clever inventiveness of the sets is amazing. The Current

He benefits from an impressive scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge that shows both the sterile, cold loneliness of a hospital and the warm and cozy apartment shared by Luke and Adam, courtesy of quick-moving assistants. Ladue News

The technical aspects of Next Fall are first rate with particular kudos going to Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design, which uses two basic setups: A convex semi-circular wall provides the backdrop for the hospital waiting room, a city park and a restaurant (the latter two using projections of leaves and the New York skyline, respectively, to great effect) and a second set represents Adam and Luke's improbably spacious apartment. talkingbroadway.com

As we enter the Grandel Theatre, the set seems to be a stylishly spare Manhattan apartment, snappily designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge and deceptively lit by John Wiley in soothing turquoise hues. The moment Next Fall begins, that tranquility is abruptly snapped, and we realize we are in a hospital waiting room. The friends and family of Luke, a young actor who has been in a terrible accident, co-exist uneasily as they share the vigil of awaiting news of his fate. Riverfront Times

Brian SIdney Bembridge's scenic design makes full use of the stage, utilizing blinds to conjure up the feel of a clinical environment, while allowing for projections of background images to set the scene. broadwayworld.com

Happily, Brian Sidney Bembridge has created a scenic design that transforms easily and quickly, aided by John Wylie's effective lighting and Rusty Wandall's evocative sound. KDHX 88.1

world premiere

timeline theatre company 2012

playwright: John Conroy

direction: Nick Bowling

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Nic Jones

costume design: Alex Meadows

Brian Sidney Bembridge has designed a set that fits many locations and never leaves us questioning where we are. The set serves as a police station, many different kitchens, an interrogation room, a conference room, and a court of law, as well as a prison cell and a fire escape. Bowling’s direction has these set areas used by different people, sometimes in more than one location at the same time, as we go from scene to scene. For example, one table is used for two couples having separate conversations, which are clearly happening in different kitchens in the city. The smoothness of the transitions adds to the mystique of the production. Epoch Times

The set(Brian Sidney Bembridge,U.S.A.) is unique ( as are most of the sets at TimeLine) in that with its levels it can be many locations with very little added. It is a police station, many different kitchens, an interrogation room, a conference room and a court of law as well as a prison cell and a fire escape. Bembridge has designed a set that fits all these and never leaves us questioning where we are. Bowlings’ direction has these rooms/areas being used by different people as different areas as we go from scene to scene and the smoothness of the transitions adds to the mystic of the production. around the townchicago.com

The production is performed at a brisk pace that reinforces the intensity of the story. Brian Sidney Bembridge designed the effective multi-level set for the intimate theater space. stageandcinema.com

Powerful theatre packed into a small space, slightly thrust. Set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge provides layers and rooftops and kitchens around corners and a sense that the past is the present and surrounds the people in this story. urbanexcovations.com

My Kind of Town” churns forward with provocative ambiguity, scene melding into scene thanks in part to Brian Sidney Bembridge’s efficient, adaptable set. Far from a rush to judgment, it is the even-handed work of a good reporter become adept dramatist, a mélange of characters and circumstances signifying life on the streets and at home in the kitchen. As for the ominous basement, who knows? We’re never down there. chicagoontheaisle.com

Kudos to the creative team also: Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge for providing a realistic and functional set design that has the necessary grime and gritty look, allowing the actors the space they need to perform their magic.  Nic Jones’ mood-inducing lighting design compliments Bembridge’s effort and lends verisimilitude to the costumes of Alex Wren Meadows.  What impresses me the most is the fluid motion and pacing of director Nick Bowling’s unseen hand on Bembridge’s multi-level set.  Desert Local News

world premiere

circle x theatre / theatre @ boston court  2010

LA Ovation Award: best scenic design

LA Ovation Nomination: best lighting design

LA Drama Critics Circle Award: outstanding set design

LA Drama Critics Circle Nomination: outstanding lighting design

Stage Scene LA Award: outstanding scenic design & lighting design

directed by: John Patrick Langs

set design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Dianne K Graebner

The most vivid element of the production, directed by John Langs, is Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set design, which re-creates Murray’s scriptorium in Oxford, England. Slips of paper line the shelves of this beehive of etymological and definitional activity. Desks, hierarchically coded by height, reveal the standing of the workers. Los Angeles Times

Brian Sidney Bembridge's set, depicting Murray's Oxford scriptorium, contains walls comprising filing compartments. Bembridge also tucks books into crannies and beneath the floorboards of a strategically claustrophobic confine — made more so by an overhanging panel near the front, which blocks the air of the open stage and urges focus down onto a hierarchy of three or four desks (depending on the scene), with size and height corresponding to the rank of the employees. In a pair of comparatively metaphysical scenes, the walls open onto the carcass of a tree and a larger, more open universe that nonetheless hints of a horizon consisting of tiny files extending into eternity. LA WEEKLY

Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge is the evening's real hero. There's more eloquence in the contrast between cramped interior and great outdoors, and more hints of lexicographical joy in the lights suggestively peeping through the pigeonholed submission slips… Variety

The scenic and lighting design should make you gasp; Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scriptorium (and even the tree and sky) is honeycombed with books and thousands of sheets of paper. stagehappenings.com

Things turn around in the second act, which opens with a flashback scene where we see who Jane was before she ended up locked in the oppressive garden shed full of papers and books. (Full marks—indeed, bonus points—to set and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge for making the walls overloaded with paper slips alternately awe-inspiring or soul-crushing, as the circumstances require. talkingbroadway.com

writers' theatre 2009

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: best scenic design

direction: Jimmy McDermot

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Rachel Healy

...and the design team has transformed the intimate, fifty-seat Books on Vernon venue into a gorgeous and claustrophobic French boudoir setting replete with ornate floral prints, black crystal lamps and pink velvet walls. These qualities would make any production worthy of professional admiration. New City Chicago

The Writers Theatre delivers an elegant, effective production of Jean Genet’s legendary “The Maids.” While reveling in Genet’s gorgeous abstractness,….
His moody layering of the action is highlighted by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s exquisitely velvet set and Rachel Anne Healy’s sumptuous costumes. In fact, Bembridge’s subtle work looks as photogenically real as the majestic homes in Glencoe that one passes on the way to the theater. Pioneer Press

The setting for all this psychodrama is a chamber festooned with roses and silhouette drawings. A breathtaking accomplishment by scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, it's the sort of room that looks beautiful but in a claustrophobic way. Spend a few years in this room and you might go crazy, too. Chicago Free Press

The set by Brian Sidney Bembridge is very real and almost becomes the fourth character... All of this adds to the marvelous performances by these three actresses. Epoch Times

world premiere

lookingglass theatre company 2002

direction: David Kersnar

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Ben Spicer

costume design: Susan Hass

There are six bodies in the cast of Lookingglass Theater’s La Luna Muda.  Five are human and the sixth is heavenly, an embodiment of the moon as elaborately envisioned by the production’s design team.  Ultimately though however the moon steals the show as designed in several striking configurations by Brian Sidney Bembridge, this magnetic orb draws the audience into a uniquely theatrical make-believe world. Chicago Tribune

As conceived and directed by David Kersnar and choreographed by Sylvia Hernandez DeStasi, the production is gentle-spirited, wistful and full of engaging stage pictures…Visually, La Luna Muda has the allure of an old-fashioned valentine as it plays out on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s enchanting set–an antique Italian rococo theatre with multiple red velvet curtains and a touch of what feels like gaslight...Chicago Sun-Times

The piece works so remarkably because there isn’t a weak link in the forces that bring this lunar landscape to life: from the talented ensemble (including Laura Eason, David Catlin, Lawrence DiStasi, Tony Hernandez, and the wonderful, childlike quality of Heidi Stillman as the niece), to the creative genius behind the otherworldly costumes, the magical set (Brian Sidney Bembridge), Sylvia DiStasi’s gorgeous choreography and the sure handed direction of David Kersnar, everything works in tandem to ignite the imagination and leave us with a story that resonates within us long after we leave the theatre.  Windy City Times

Calvino's story chronicles one of the last such voyages. Conveying that mystical trip, the gorgeous scenery, by Brian Sidney Bembridge, consists of elegantly receding classical proscenia that frame the advancing or retreating moon and expose a moonscape that recalls the famous 1900 film based on Jules Verne's famous fantasy. Along the way the five Lookingglass performers clamber about their wonderfully supple rowboat (a ladder on a curved bow). When they reach the moon (a huge disc equipped with streamers for the moon milk and pegs for the acrobats), they climb its Zinc Cliffs, traverse a high wire, and juggle the cream that's squeezed from the craters. Chicago Free Press

timeline theatre company 2009

Joseph Jefferson Award: best production

Joseph Jefferson Award: best scenic design

direction: Nick Bowling

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Mike Tutaj

lighting design: Keith Parham

costume design: Lindsey Pate

No small part of the potent effect of this production derives from Brian Sidney Bembridge's ingenious environmental set, which envelops the audience (you enter the theater through the boys' dorm rooms) and heightens the impression that you're in the middle of the fray. The Wall Street Journal

Enter TimeLine Theatre -- where "The History Boys," Alan Bennett's Tony- and Olivier Award-winning play, is receiving one of those Chicago productions that exults in the glory of the ensemble -- and you instantly become part of its hothouse world.
The main playing space is a classroom with movable desks, where the eight sharp-witted, sensitive seniors in a boy's high school in the north of England are preparing for their A-Levels, the exams that will determine whether they gain entrance to the elite halls of Oxford or Cambridge. But every other loft and lobby space also has been put to use. So even when the boys are not directly engaged in a scene, we see them "living" in their cramped and cluttered rooms, with clothes strewn about, earphones on and posters bearing such collaged images as the head of Virginia Woolf appended to the body of a Victoria's Secret-style model.
…..director Nick Bowling's altogether remarkable production, in many ways better than the excellent Broadway edition, thrives on the intimacy of TimeLine's space…. Chicago Sun-Times

With the help of Brian Sidney Bembridge, whose immersing set is extraordinarily effective, director Nick Bowling surrounds the audience with the boys' lives,... Chicago Tribune

But to be honest, the true star of the play here is the set design by Brian Sidney Bembridge. The attention to detail in the boy's rooms section of the stage allows the audience to truly get a sense of each of the personalities of the student characters, even those who are not in the fore of the show. The dormitory section is in stark contrast to the teacher’s lounge and grammar school set on the opposite side of the stage. The basketball court-like staging allows the play to unfold almost like you’re seated right in the middle of it. It’s a unique design and is rendered perfectly for the show. chicagomaroon.com

Bowling’s Chicago premiere, a high-water mark for both him and TimeLine, exudes charm from every pore,….. Scenic artist Brian Bembridge, too, outdoes himself: A simple lacquered playing space spills into the gutted theater lobby, here converted into messy, postered boy's rooms. Time Out Chicago

For The History Boys, the TimeLine Theatre is configured like a basketball court. The newly rediscovered and refinished hardwood stage is flanked by risers, creating a house with the feel of bleachers in a school gym. When the house opens, several actors are already in place: the path to the seats is a crazy-quilt of dorm rooms, two stories high, in which the students are engaged in the routines of daily life. At the opposite end of the stage is a door, with a foyer beyond in cutaway view. Above the door is a balcony that doubles as the staff room and the choir loft. This set is a collage of a British school, but is never a jumble. It is magnificent. Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge will win awards for this set. chicagocritic.com

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s inventive environmental set re-creates not only a schoolroom but the boys’ bedrooms, each decorated according to its inhabitant’s jumbled tastes and evolving personality. (Rudge’s wall is plastered with sports photos, Dakin’s got an Elvis Presley poster, Posner prefers Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, and so on.) Chicago Reader

...having to literally pass by the cluttered bedrooms of the “The History Boys” to find your seat—with the boys there engaged in various leisure activities as you do—it is amazing how instantaneously you are transported back to school. As you find a seat, you notice that four across each section have upright armrests and there is a natural instinct not to take these desks, in the same way that most of us were unlikely to sit in the front of a classroom on the first day. As the bell rings and the boys whoosh by you to take their seats, class is in session.  New City Chicago

At five minutes to curtain, I am marveling at this ingenious use of space, gawking at the little bits of stage business playing out in the dorm rooms. I wonder what sort of gift TimeLine will present in this showy box. chicagostagereview.com

When the house opens the play has already begun; as you enter you find yourself passing through the boys' living quarters where they are studying, listening to music or just being teenagers. The theater's alley seating draws the audience onto the perimeter of the classroom (never more than a few feet from the actors) allowing everyone to feel like part of the student body.  centerstagechicago.com

Scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge gets an A. Creating individualized dorm rooms as background gives the play a nonchalant depth. fourthwalsh.com

world premiere

teatro vista 2009

16th street theatre 2010

Joseph Jefferson Nomination: best production

director: Sandra Marquez

scenic designer: Brian Sidney Bembridge

projection design: Mike Tutaj

lighting designer: Jesse Klug

costume designer: Christine Pasquale

I spent many minutes last weekend staring at Our Lady of the Underpass, as meticulously re-created by the set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge at the Greenhouse Theater. It’s one of the many compelling aspects of a hugely entertaining new play by Tanya Saracho that’s derived from the many interviews that Saracho conducted at the site. Chicago Tribune

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set is a museum-quality replication of the underpass. Examiner Chicago

Delivered in front of an invitingly ugly cement slab courtesy of designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. Time Out Chicago

The scenes play out on Brian Sidney Bembridge startlingly accurate replication of the underpass and the image on it. chicagotheatrebeat.com

world premiere

steppenwolf theatre company 2006

direction: Austin Pendleton

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Michelle Habeck

costume design: Rachel Healy

Chicago has seen quite a few recreations of contemporary urban homes on stage in the past twelve months (Robert Brill's sets for The Well-Appointed Room for Dollhouse, and Dan Ostling's for The Pain and the Itch), but Brian Sidney Bembridge's design for this production is the best of the lot. Primarily a representation of Harry and Joan's apartment, with its loft-like appearance, high-end stainless steel kitchen appliances and elevated platform for the architect canopy bed, it's as convincingly Metropolitan Home as any of the others mentioned. Behind it is a series of windows from neighboring buildings which are occasionally backlit to look frighteningly close. As a representation of the big city's capacity for alienation among the crowd, this bank of windows is as ominous as a backdrop for Beane's tiny room (played downstage center with only a few props) as it is against Harry and Joan's comfortable surroundings. The Chicago-based Bembridge is a major talent I predict is likely to soon reach national prominence. talkingbroadway.com

As you enter the Steppenwolf Theatre, you find yet another gorgeous architectural design by Brian Sidney Bembridge (his first work for the mainstage, and a beauty) -- one of those ready-to-buy urban lofts with bare brick walls, vast windows, a stainless steel kitchen and ultra-chic, Zen-infused bedroom and living area. Chicago Sun-Times

Set in Brian Sidney Bembridge's stunning loft apartment of hardwood floors, extruded-brick walls, huge windows and a stainless-steel, ultra-modern kitchen, this production overflows with the kind of absurd poetic imagination and hilarious wordplay that makes one giddy with delight. Daily Southtown

Barford swings exuberantly from Brian Sidney Bembridge's remarkable set, which subtly makes its upper-class apartment simultaneously an object of desire and iron cage. New City Chicago

pennsylvania shakespeare festival 2017

playwright: William Shakespeare

direction: Matt Pfeiffer

scenic design: Brian SIdney Bembridge

lighting design: Masha Tsiming

costume design: Devon Painter

sound design: Alex Bechtel

Brian Sidney Bembridge's open set — not at all compromised by also serving The Three Musketeers, playing in repertory — allows Masha Tsimring to define the forest with whimsical hanging lamps. broadstreetreview.com

Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's Forest of Arden consists of metal trees, hanging lamps, and a geometric backdrop, with Masha Tsimring's lighting underlines the show's shifts between romantic enchantment and melancholy. the inquirer

As Stephen Sondheim famously wrote, "Anything can happen in the woods," and in "As You Like It," nearly everything does happen in the Forest of Arden, suggested by scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's schematic wood and metal trees with magical fairy lights hanging from the imaginary highest boughs. reading eagle

cincinnati playhouse in the park 2020

playwright: Anna Ziegler

director: Bridget Leak

scenic design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

lighting design: Brian Sidney Bembridge

costume design: Gordon DeVinney

sound design: Kevin Alexander