UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State School of Theatre graduate student Mia Irwin has been named a recipient of the 2023 United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Scene Design Award sponsored by Rose Brand, and the Young Designers, Managers and Technicians Award for her work on “The Wild Party,” “Nostalgia Night” and “Metamorphoses” presented by Penn State Centre Stage.

USITT was founded in 1960 as an organization to promote dialogue, research and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology. The organization connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators and students.

Irwin received her award in March at the organization’s annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, during which emerging leaders in theatre technology are recognized for their work.

“I’m very grateful for this experience,” Irwin said. “Being able to go to the conference and seeing people that I love and being able to support each other was very awesome.”

For her submission, Irwin submitted photos of her work on the three shows, as well as a brief statement outlining why she chose to submit the work and her design process.

The award, according to Irwin, helped her curb any doubts she had about her abilities and talent, especially in a field she described as “male-dominated.” She added that the training and support she has received at Penn State has been instrumental in her success.  

“I really love the studio that I work in,” Irwin said. “Penn State allows their scenic designers to jump into a project and dream big.”

To learn more about her and her work, visit Irwin’s e-portfolio at miairwindesign.com.