05/12/2026
Tony Award winning scenic designer, Mimi Lien, pushed the boundaries of contemporary scenic design for TRIBE Arts Collective’s, Marks of RED. Mimi’s set is an immersive environment. Soft yet tensile, the striking piece (engineered with seamed and tensioned stretch fabric), envelops the performers and gives the impression that they are being held and nurtured within the bounding curves of a warm, red womb.
In this exclusive interview, Mimi Lien details how her awe-inspiring experimental design came to life. From humble beginnings as a dollar store durag in a cardboard model box, to a full-scale piece in-situ, Mimi collaborated with Rose Brand engineers and fabricators to build a stage-enveloping womb from red Boost stretch fabric.
Rose Brand’s fabrication experts recommended red Boost IFR stretch fabric, which had similar qualities to the red durag from the scale model. At 122” wide, Boost was the perfect candidate to envelop the entire stage while maintaining complex curved geometry at scale with as few seams as possible. Its inherent flame resistance made it an ideal fabric for the internationally-touring show to ensure safety compliance across borders.
For more details on this project, head to our link in bio for the blog post!
Concept Director & Choreographer: Shamel Pitts
Performers: Ashley Pierre-Louis, Marcella Lewis, Imani Gaudin, Dominica Greene, Ke'ron J. Wilson, Kris Lee
Scenic Designer: Mimi Lien
Video Light & Mapping Designer: Lucca Del Carlo
Lighting Designer & Artistic Production Manager: Sarai Frazier
Costume Designer: Sharifa Morris
Costume Fabrication Director & Design Consultant: Errin Shin
Rigging Consultant: Janet Clancy
Tour & Stage Manager: Kaz Russell
Photography: Kameron Herndon, Douglas Mason, Joe Nalieth
TRIBE Creative Director: Mirelle Martins
TRIBE Managing Director: Brittany Wilson
TRIBE Development Director: Eric Umble
TRIBE Artistic Administrator: E Katrina Lewis
TRIBE Digital Creative & Development Associate: Pam Panozzo
Rose Brand Fabrication Team:
Jordan LaMagna-Meneghetti
Tom Sullivan
Daniel Huston
Patty Jaeger
Luz Gonzalez
Matt Biringer
Videography and Editing: Joe Nalieth