2020 HELEN HAYES AWARD RECIPIENT | 2021 + 2022 USHER LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY | 2021 TURANDOT VIENNA
Paul Tate dePoo III is a Cuban-American scenic, projection, production designer, and a fifth generation island native of Key West, FL, where his design interests were sparked through touring productions of David Copperfield and the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus on the mainland. As an international designer, and the founder of Tate Design Group, he has established himself as one to watch in production and design. dePoo’s exquisitely bold and aesthetically balanced design philosophy, combined with his commitment to excellence and attention to detail, helps bring the stage to life in each of his works. The New York Times described dePoo’s design for R.B. Schlather’s production of the Handel opera Alcina as “ingenious.” Live Design Magazine also named him as the “Designer to Watch.”
Founded in 2012, Tate Design Group’s mission is to create worlds that help to tell a complete story while also pushing the standard with an impeccable balance of beautiful design and performance. Tate Design Group caters beyond the industry standard of theatre, to opera, film, music, dance, circus, events, restaurants and hospitality, architecture, and interiors.
With Tate Design Group, dePoo has worked internationally in Seoul, South Korea, Bogota, Columbia, Vienna, Austria, and Toronto, Canada. Just recently, he won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Scenic Design with his design of Grand Hotel. During this past summer, he was the Creative Director for Angels In America staring Glen Close and Patti Lupone benefiting amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. He has also designed for a number of Broadway directors and choreographers including Tony Award winners Savion Glover, Walter Bobbie, Michael Greif, and Kathleen Marshall, as well as Marc Bruni, Connor Gallagher, JoAnn Hunter, Dennis Jones, and Lorin Latarro. dePoo also serves as the resident scenic and projection designer for The Kennedy Center’s Broadway Centerstage Series, whose productions include The Music Man, The Who’s Tommy, Footloose, and Bye Bye Birdie.
dePoo has designed the scenic elements for the Broadway-aimed productions of Titanic, Bruce Villanche’s A Sign of the Times, Josephine, and War of the Roses. He also designed the opening ceremonies for the MUNY’s centennial celebration in St. Louis, the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre where his credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Young Frankenstein, Singin’ In the Rain, and Jersey Boys.
In addition to his work in traditional entertainment, dePoo designed the restaurant Swim Two Birds in Jackson Heights, Queens, which is owned by internationally renowned chef Stewart Wadden, former chef for the British Royal Family. He has also designed the world’s largest TEDx event at the Boston Opera House, and has created concepts and designs for The Greatest Showman Musical Experience, Lexus’ national dealer meeting, Samsung’s 2018 global product launch, Vogue print spreads, and numerous New York Fashion Week productions.
dePoo began his career assisting Tony Award-winning designer David Zinn and Michael Cotton on the design of Michael Jackson’s This Is It at the O2 Arena in London. From there, he went on to work on a number of award-winning productions including the Emmy Award-winning Lincoln Center production of Sweeney Todd, starring Emma Thompson and the 2014 Broadway production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, which famously won Audra McDonald her record-breaking sixth Tony Award.
Immediately prior to forming Tate Design Group, dePoo was an associate designer for Tony and Emmy Award-winning scenic designer Derek McLane for over three years, adding Broadway productions including How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (starring the late, great Robin Williams), Follies, and the Tony Award-winning Anything Goes to his resume.
In 2021, dePoo plans to open Turandot on the world’s largest outdoor opera stage in Vienna, Austria for Oper im Steinbruch directed by Thaddeus Strassberger.
dePoo has taught and lectured at Yale University, Boston University, Penn State, Rutgers University, and Camp Broadway. He is a member of Lincoln Center’s Directors Lab, United Scenic Artists, and one of Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Cognoscenti. dePoo earned his BFA in Production Design from Boston University where he was the recipient of the Kahn Career Entry Fund for the Arts.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 PRODUCTIONS OF 2020 ANGELS IN AMERICA
HELEN HAYES AWARD WIN : BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2020 GRAND HOTEL
GERTRUDE LAWRENCE AWARD WIN, BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2020 LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
BEST SCENIC DESIGN SOUTH KOREA NOMINATION, 2018 TITANIC
HELEN HAYES NOMINATION, BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2017 TITANIC
IRNE AWARD, BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2017 SHOWBOAT
CARBONELL AWARD, BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION, 2015 LES MISÉRABLES
BROADWAY WORLD AWARD NOMINATION, BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2015 RING OF FIRE , BABY
CARBONELL AWARD, BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION, 2012 MUSIC MAN
CARBONELL AWARD NOMINEE, BEST SCENIC DESIGN , 2013 ANNIE
CARBONELL AWARD NOMINEE, BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION, 2012 HELLO, DOLLY!
BROADWAY WORLD AWARD NOMINATION, BEST SCENIC DESIGN, 2012 HELLO, DOLLY!
USITT + USA NATIONAL EXHIBIT DESIGN COMPETITION PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL 2015 FINALIST
OPERA AMERICA DIRECTOR + DESIGNER SHOWCASE 2013
EXHIBITED AT THE WORLD STAGE DESIGN UK 2013
RECIPIENT OF THE KAHN CAREER ENTRY FUND AWARD FOR THE ARTS
UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF THEATRE TECHNOLOGY 'RISING STAR' AWARD NOMINATION, 2013