Press & Accolades

USITT's TECHnically Speaking Podcast Interview with Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Listen

Adam J. Thompson to Receive 2023 USITT & Live Design Rising Star Award - Click Here to Read the Press Release

Live Design Magazine Q&A with Designer Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Read the Interview

"As an innovator, Adam is revolutionary. He has a way of approaching process that is refreshing and truly eye-opening. His questions and curiosity and dreaming are intrinsic. His ability (and desire) to thinking dramaturgically and directorially is stimulating. And his demeanor throughout is conducive to work, while maintaining a mindset of social awareness, equity, work-life balance, antiracist beliefs, and collaborative spirit."

— Justin Lucero, Artistic Director, El Paso Opera
“Adam has built an extremely diverse and prolific practice, ranging from compelling design work Off-Broadway and across the country, with cutting edge directors like Taylor Mac and Anne Bogart, to creating detailed graphics and other visual elements for streaming TV and film. He is a dedicated artist and vital contributor to the entertainment community."

— Lawrence Shea, Head of Video & Media Design, Carnegie Mellon University

"The show that stood out for me so far was...a world premiere adaptation of Henry James’ 'The Turn of the Screw.' With immersive staging, video projections, puppets, fantastic spooky performances and creepy dolls everywhere, this 'Turn' haunts these darkest, longest nights of the year."

— Arts & Culture Texas
The Turn of the Screw | 2023
"...you have never seen it done like this before. It's a thrill to witness, and unlike anything out there...Never have I seen cinema and stage collide quite so brilliantly...a masterstroke...immaculately executed."

— BroadwayWorld
The Turn of the Screw | 2023
"...the coolest thing I've ever seen in a theatre...I've never seen it done this well...the multimedia is off the charts...A singular event, there is nothing like it anywhere, it begs to be seen. The thumbs are through the roof."

— Houston Car Takes
The Turn of the Screw | 2023
"A magnificent doll house...rules over the detritus, each detailed room perfectly lit by tiny lights...A large transparent scrim is framed behind the doll house, upon which is projected impressionistic visuals...the production looks great..., sounds as good...and even leaves us with a touch of its own ambiguity."

— Houston Press
The Turn of the Screw | 2023
"...a level of hyperrealism with the video design seamlessly integrated into the performance...Video design is by Adam J. Thompson. The visual projection enhances the architecture of the set, identifying different locations and creates a canvas for the brilliant montage of social media at work. There we can sense the voyeurism of people stepping into private space. The play is cinematic and so are the visuals."

— Lacunae Musing
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
"The play is presented on a simple stage design, enhanced by a projection backdrop that adds depth to the story and creates a more immersive theatrical experience."

— West Palm Beach Magazine
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
"The video design by Adam J. Thompson is engaging and, in some scenes, offers a different perspective."

— Palm Beach Daily News
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
"...most of the location setting [is] handled by Adam J. Thompson’s stage-wide videos, which help to emphasize the cinematic nature of Demos-Brown’s script."

— Palm Beach Arts
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
”[The] stage is a wonder to behold, thanks to Anne Mundell’s scenic design, Adam J. Thompson’s video design, Rebecca Pancoast’s huge abstract expressionist oil painting, Kirk Bookman’s lighting, and Roger Arnold’s sound.”

— Theater Pizzazz
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
"...outstanding attention to production values [with] lovely projections by video designer Adam J. Thompson..."

— Florida Theater onStage
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
"The incorporation of projections added depth to the scenery, seamlessly intertwining with the actors’ performances [and] effortlessly transition[ing] from classroom to home to courtroom, enhancing the storytelling experience."

— Film & Stage
The Cancellation of Lauren Fein | 2024
“Parts of the play are filled with projected videos, some falling on the actors themselves but mostly on the white walls, in particular videos of artistic compositions by Miley, and very moving to see them being created in real time. Other projected images are disturbing, such as the bombed out Ghettos which Gabor ‘lived in,’ and symbols of hate that both Gabor and 2020 had to endure. Overall, the video…[is] even more integral than the typical play and kudos to Mr. Thompson…”

— Lacunae Musing
The Messenger | 2023
"Adam J. Thompson’s video design vividly shows a young artist honing her skills."

— Florida Theater On Stage
The Messenger | 2023
“Adam J. Thompson handled the video design, which vividly shows an artist at work.”

— Theatrical Musings
The Messenger | 2023
"It is also important to note the projections used for this production were original designs by Adam Thompson based on sets by Pieretto Bianco for the 1919 Met Opera production of 'Crispino'. They fit the style and purpose of every moment, as projections very rarely do these days. The projections’ tone, stylized text font, and vignette frames were perfect."

— OperaWire
Crispino e la Comare | 2023
"...ingenious use of projections leveraged historical set designs - the Metropolitan Opera's 1919 production of 'Crispino' and the 1840 premiere of the French version of 'Poliuto' - as backdrops for each concert."

— New York Times
Crispino e la Comara & Poliuto | 2023
"...makes ingenious use of projections of original designs by Adam Thompson based on surviving photographs of the sets by Pieretto Bianco for the 1919 Metropolitan Opera production of 'Crispino e la Comare' as backdrops."

— Classical Source
Crispino e la Comara | 2023
“...three analysts tabulate the answers to the [participatory] digital polling and project the results on overhead screens. The instant temperature-taking of the room is a measure of how we hear others...an innovative, hybrid genre — a mix of drama and journalism — that sees conversation gleaned from interviews as a way to intensify authenticity and stir vigorous reflection.”

— The Washington Post
Whatever You Are, Be a Good One | 2022
“Truth was suddenly in my face and I felt trapped. This, of course, speaks to the success of [the] work…This is not an easy production to watch, but one that I think everyone should see.”

— LA Dance Chronicle
Big Black October Surprise | 2020
“…the show uses a lot of effective images of confinement and tells stories of sexual assault, slavery, and violence committed against Black men…When BigBlackOctoberSurprise functions as a mosaic of words, images, and ideas - all pretty potent on their own… - it has a poetic quality.”

— Exeunt Magazine
Big Black October Surprise | 2020
“...backed by a filmed wall of water, representing the Irish Sea that looms, tantalizingly and cruelly, as a conduit to another world.”

— New York Times
Sing Street | 2020
“…it looks and sounds terrific, especially when projections, by Adam J. Thompson, of Smith’s photographs play across Troy Hourie’s complex, multilayered set while the house band wails.”

— The New Yorker
(A)loft Modulation | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson’s video design places cameras throughout the loft, projecting lo-fi close ups and unedited peeping tom angles like fragments of early era Casavetes films.”

— Theater Pizzazz
(A)loft Modulation | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson's video designs add to the show's feel of a multimedia mélange, with projected live video of the reel-to-reel tapes playing the historic recordings, alternating with archival photographs of some of the real inhabitants of the Jazz Loft.”

— TheaterMania
(A)loft Modulation | 2019
“The production elements in (A)loft Modulation are top-notch. Especially solid are…Adam J. Thompson’s video design…There are several beautiful montages…of live music, manic video, and wordless movement.”

— The Reviews Hub
(A)loft Modulation | 2019
“The playwright's bottom-up view of this rattletrap bohemia is richly atmospheric…aided by Adam J. Thompson's video design -- of tape reels, police cars, musicians, and Pittsburgh streets, projected on every available surface.”

— Lighting and Sound America
(A)loft Modulation | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson supplied the creepy images of the executed hanging on the Wall, a menacing symbol of the consequences of disobedience.”

— Wall Street Journal
The Handmaid’s Tale | 2019
“[T]he orchestra was in rare form, as were the creative elements…with Video Design by Adam J. Thompson. [T]his is unquestionably the finest, most creative and unforgettable production in BLO's storied history. Full stop.”

— South Shore Critic
The Handmaid’s Tale | 2019
“Powerful…Stunning…an ambitious, immersive staging.”

— The Boston Globe
The Handmaid’s Tale | 2019
“A triumph.”

— New York Times
The Handmaid’s Tale | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson’s projected animations add visual pop….heart is something this show has in abundance.”

— San Diego Union Tribune
Hedwig and the Angry Inch | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson’s projections enhance the sad story and riotous, rockin’ songs.”

— KSDS FM San Diego
Hedwig and the Angry Inch | 2019
“Adam J. Thompson’s projections contribute to the hallucinatory atmosphere…a thrilling love letter to rock and roll and a fascinating look at gender identity.”

— Gay San Diego
Hedwig and the Angry Inch | 2019
“…the evening’s logo [and] bright cutouts that looked like Matisse on molly, danced across the screens that backed the stage.”

— The Village Voice
63rd Annual Obie Awards | 2018
“The projected effects by Adam J. Thompson from floor to back wall to ceiling are vivid and reinforce both the personal journeys of the people we meet and where they live and work. Moreover, we even see the faces of other young black men lost to gunshots –including Antwon Rose and Trayvon Martin – referencing every parent’s worst nightmare and our recent history.“

— Pittsburgh in the Round
Pipeline | 2018
“Adam Thompson’s media design enlivens the space with images and text that raise the stakes of the action for both the characters and the audience – including, at one throat-catching moment, images of Trayvon Martin, Antwone Rose, and other young men whose promise may likely have been thwarted by our education system long before they fell victim to the racist assumptions of a man with a gun.”

— The Pittsburgh Tatler
Pipeline | 2018
“The biggest star on the stage is the stage itself…Coupled with Adam J. Thompson’s video design…the most basic elements of theatre become magical.”

— Burgh Vivant
Pipeline | 2018
“…a specifically theatrical vision with admirable success. There’s not a misstep in the staging, from the queasy-making projections of swirling water (by Adam J. Thompson) to the uncompromising and unflattering lighting... ‘Emma and Max’ is always fascinating to look at, even if it’s in a masochistic way.”

— New York Times
Emma and Max | 2018
“The captivating video designer Adam J. Thompson knocks it out of the ballpark with his compelling designs.”

— TheaterScene
Emma and Max | 2018
“Adam J. Thompson's video, including scenes of Emma and Max playing with their new au pair and shots of Caribbean skies, palm trees, and pools, makes a big contribution.”

— Lighting and Sound America
Emma and Max | 2018
“The two adorable kids make numerous appearances in the most perfect and telling manner, courtesy of the fine work by…video designer Adam J. Thompson exemplifying all we need to know about these two young children and their world of wealthy entitlement and parental engagement.”

— Front Mezz Junkies
Emma and Max | 2018
“…with the help of an inventive design team, Solondz creates a stagecraft that you might have called cinematic even if you didn’t know his background. Emma and Max and the new nanny, for example, exist only as silent video images, one of many stage-wide projections.”

— New York Theater
Emma and Max | 2018
“…projected words and blueprints…sets [this place] swirling into giddy decomposition.”

— New York Times
He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box | 2018
“It’s so exciting to see a production whose mission is so purposeful and whose work is not only unique, but also innovatively reflective on the future of the performing arts.”

— Letters from the Mezzanine
The Orpheus Variations | 2013-2015
“The Orpheus Variations is one of the most intoxicating performance experiences in recent memory….Thompson gives his audience choice by allowing us to focus on the various elements at play. While one may instinctively pay closer attention to the film being projected, there are guaranteed to be moments when the eye wanders to the ensemble setting up for the next scene (a fascinating process), or the principal lovers interacting when they are off-screen (a particularly beautiful throughline). In an age where theatre is constantly trying to reinvent itself and distinguish itself from film, [T]he Deconstructive Theatre Project takes the opposite approach and creates a hybrid experience that never sacrifices the magic of the movies, the rush of live theatre, or the cathartic experience of clear and simple storytelling.”

— Theatre is Easy
The Orpheus Variations | 2013-2015
“What I find most exciting about The Orpheus Variations…is that it is quite literally impossible for any two audience members to experience the piece in the same way. By design, each performance contains an infinite number of possible journeys – from film to construction of film to individual actors and back again – creating an intentionally subjective, wholly viewer-dependent theater-going experience. By simultaneously deconstructing both the mind’s interpretation of reality and the theater-making process, The Orpheus Variations has masterfully reinvented what live theater can mean for the individual, while illuminating the utter complexity + subjectivity of our own consciousness.”

— ArtLab
The Orpheus Variations | 2013-2015
“Adam J. Thompson [has] created a myth of Orpheus which is unlike any that preceded it and provide[s] the audience with an array of variations satisfying to every critical ear…The spirit of Virginia Woolf consumes the theatre as the [c]ompany creates a room of Orpheus’ own illuminated by his stream of consciousness recollection of his past. Resist as it might, the audience falls prey to the temporary dissolution of its ego strength and swims freely in the surreal seams of the Id where it finds unexpected surcease and comfort. Orpheus and the audience experience catharsis, redemption, and release and emerge ready to re-enter life’s stage.”

— Theatre Reviews Limited
The Orpheus Variations | 2013-2015

Press & Accolades

USITT's TECHnically Speaking Podcast Interview with Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Listen

USITT's TECHnically Speaking Podcast Interview with Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Listen USITT's TECHnically Speaking Podcast Interview with Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Listen

Adam J. Thompson to Receive 2023 USITT & Live Design Rising Star Award - Click Here to Read the Press Release

Adam J. Thompson to Receive 2023 USITT & Live Design Rising Star Award - Click Here to Read the Press Release Adam J. Thompson to Receive 2023 USITT & Live Design Rising Star Award - Click Here to Read the Press Release

Live Design Magazine Q&A with Designer Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Read the Interview

Live Design Magazine Q&A with Designer Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Read the Interview Live Design Magazine Q&A with Designer Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Read the Interview

"The show that stood out for me so far was...a world premiere adaptation of Henry James’ 'The Turn of the Screw.' With immersive staging, video projections, puppets, fantastic spooky performances and creepy dolls everywhere, this 'Turn' haunts these darkest, longest nights of the year."

"...you have never seen it done like this before. It's a thrill to witness, and unlike anything out there...Never have I seen cinema and stage collide quite so brilliantly...a masterstroke...immaculately executed."

"...the coolest thing I've ever seen in a theatre...I've never seen it done this well...the multimedia is off the charts...A singular event, there is nothing like it anywhere, it begs to be seen. The thumbs are through the roof."

"The play is presented on a simple stage design, enhanced by a projection backdrop that adds depth to the story and creates a more immersive theatrical experience."

"The video design by Adam J. Thompson is engaging and, in some scenes, offers a different perspective."

"...most of the location setting [is] handled by Adam J. Thompson’s stage-wide videos, which help to emphasize the cinematic nature of Demos-Brown’s script."

”[The] stage is a wonder to behold, thanks to Anne Mundell’s scenic design, Adam J. Thompson’s video design, Rebecca Pancoast’s huge abstract expressionist oil painting, Kirk Bookman’s lighting, and Roger Arnold’s sound.”

"...outstanding attention to production values [with] lovely projections by video designer Adam J. Thompson..."

"The incorporation of projections added depth to the scenery, seamlessly intertwining with the actors’ performances [and] effortlessly transition[ing] from classroom to home to courtroom, enhancing the storytelling experience."

"Adam J. Thompson’s video design vividly shows a young artist honing her skills."

“Adam J. Thompson handled the video design, which vividly shows an artist at work.”

"...ingenious use of projections leveraged historical set designs - the Metropolitan Opera's 1919 production of 'Crispino' and the 1840 premiere of the French version of 'Poliuto' - as backdrops for each concert."

"...makes ingenious use of projections of original designs by Adam Thompson based on surviving photographs of the sets by Pieretto Bianco for the 1919 Metropolitan Opera production of 'Crispino e la Comare' as backdrops."

“Truth was suddenly in my face and I felt trapped. This, of course, speaks to the success of [the] work…This is not an easy production to watch, but one that I think everyone should see.”

“…the show uses a lot of effective images of confinement and tells stories of sexual assault, slavery, and violence committed against Black men…When BigBlackOctoberSurprise functions as a mosaic of words, images, and ideas - all pretty potent on their own… - it has a poetic quality.”

“...backed by a filmed wall of water, representing the Irish Sea that looms, tantalizingly and cruelly, as a conduit to another world.”

“…it looks and sounds terrific, especially when projections, by Adam J. Thompson, of Smith’s photographs play across Troy Hourie’s complex, multilayered set while the house band wails.”

“Adam J. Thompson’s video design places cameras throughout the loft, projecting lo-fi close ups and unedited peeping tom angles like fragments of early era Casavetes films.”

“Adam J. Thompson's video designs add to the show's feel of a multimedia mélange, with projected live video of the reel-to-reel tapes playing the historic recordings, alternating with archival photographs of some of the real inhabitants of the Jazz Loft.”

“The production elements in (A)loft Modulation are top-notch. Especially solid are…Adam J. Thompson’s video design…There are several beautiful montages…of live music, manic video, and wordless movement.”

“The playwright's bottom-up view of this rattletrap bohemia is richly atmospheric…aided by Adam J. Thompson's video design -- of tape reels, police cars, musicians, and Pittsburgh streets, projected on every available surface.”

“Adam J. Thompson supplied the creepy images of the executed hanging on the Wall, a menacing symbol of the consequences of disobedience.”

“[T]he orchestra was in rare form, as were the creative elements…with Video Design by Adam J. Thompson. [T]his is unquestionably the finest, most creative and unforgettable production in BLO's storied history. Full stop.”

“Powerful…Stunning…an ambitious, immersive staging.”

“A triumph.”

“Adam J. Thompson’s projected animations add visual pop….heart is something this show has in abundance.”

“Adam J. Thompson’s projections enhance the sad story and riotous, rockin’ songs.”

“Adam J. Thompson’s projections contribute to the hallucinatory atmosphere…a thrilling love letter to rock and roll and a fascinating look at gender identity.”

“…the evening’s logo [and] bright cutouts that looked like Matisse on molly, danced across the screens that backed the stage.”

“The biggest star on the stage is the stage itself…Coupled with Adam J. Thompson’s video design…the most basic elements of theatre become magical.”

“The captivating video designer Adam J. Thompson knocks it out of the ballpark with his compelling designs.”

“Adam J. Thompson's video, including scenes of Emma and Max playing with their new au pair and shots of Caribbean skies, palm trees, and pools, makes a big contribution.”

“The two adorable kids make numerous appearances in the most perfect and telling manner, courtesy of the fine work by…video designer Adam J. Thompson exemplifying all we need to know about these two young children and their world of wealthy entitlement and parental engagement.”

“…with the help of an inventive design team, Solondz creates a stagecraft that you might have called cinematic even if you didn’t know his background. Emma and Max and the new nanny, for example, exist only as silent video images, one of many stage-wide projections.”

“…projected words and blueprints…sets [this place] swirling into giddy decomposition.”

“It’s so exciting to see a production whose mission is so purposeful and whose work is not only unique, but also innovatively reflective on the future of the performing arts.”

USITT's TECHnically Speaking Podcast Interview with Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Listen

Adam J. Thompson to Receive 2023 USITT & Live Design Rising Star Award - Click Here to Read the Press Release

Live Design Magazine Q&A with Designer Adam J. Thompson - Click Here to Read the Interview