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2023 Broadway World Toronto Winner, Outstanding Set Design (Musical)

"a piece of street art with a strong purpose and its own artistic integrity anchored by a self-aware sense of humour. An ingenious conjuring of two giant udders by the design team helps, too"
"By the time the cast brought out an AIDS quilt designed by Brandon Kleiman commemorating loved ones from the Stratford Festival community lost to the disease, I had already teared up multiple times. Oh god, don’t tell me I’m becoming a Renthead!"
- Nestruck, Globe and Mail

"Designed with an impeccable eye for energy and edge by Brandon Kleiman" - Ross, Times Square Chronicles

Mamma Mia!
Set | Drayton Entertainment | Directed & Choreographed by David Connolly | Lighting, Jeff JohnstonCollins | Costume, Rachel Berchtold

Chicago
Set | Globe Theatre, Regina | Director, Stephanie Graham | Lighting, Wendy Lundgren || Costume, Laura Gardner | Photos, Chris Graham

"Brandon Kleiman has created a beautifully grungy set for skid row"
"Terrific in every way."
- Lynn Slotkin

"And shine it does, in its weird and quirky ways. As summer comes far too quickly to a close, a moment of silly levity is worth the drive, not to Stratford or Niagara-on-the-Lake this time, but to quaint, cute, and charming Port Hope."
- Intermission Magazine

"Hats off to the entire creative team and crew who brought this spectacle to reality, with special mention to Brandon Kleiman for the set design."
- Mary Alderson, Entertain This Thought

Boy Falls From The Sky
Set Design | Mirvish Productions| Director, Robert McQueen | Lighting, Amber Hood

Dora Nominated, Outstanding Set Design
2022 Broadway World Toronto Runner Up, Outstanding Set Design (Musical)

"Brandon Kleiman’s two-floor set, a cozy, wall-less apartment with a loft space up a ladder, sits at the centre of the stage with the vastness behind it exposed. It looks like a comment on how small and big “show business” is at once for an actor; one moment you’re in a show at the Fringe Festival that costs $10 a ticket, the next people are paying hundreds of dollars to see you perform on Broadway."
- J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail

"McQueen’s production is simple yet effective. With the walls of the Royal Alex visible behind it (as if to strip away any illusions), Brandon Kleiman’s set resembles a bare studio space. It’s tilted so one angle juts out towards the audience, and Epstein often performs here" - - Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine - 5/5 N's

"Set and lighting are similarly high-calibre: a multi-level playing space (by Brandon Kleiman) is particularly helpful for evoking the perils of playing Peter Parker"
- Aisling Murphy, Intermission Magazine

"Standing downstage centre on the Royal Alex stage in the halo of a spotlight, and with a guitar strapped around his shoulder, Epstein somehow transforms the 1,200-seat theatre into an intimate cabaret club...The production is simply staged by McQueen on Brandon Kleiman’s two-tiered set. How appropriate that the backstage area of the Royal Alex is left visible to the audience — a metaphor for how Epstein’s show aims to pull back the curtain on life as a theatre artist. And the sets of travel trunks that flank the set are a smart nod to Epstein’s days on the road."
- Joshua Chong, The Toronto Star - 4/4 stars

Controlled Damage By Andrea Scott
Set & Costume Design | Neptune Theatre | Director, Nigel Shawn Williams | Lighting, Kaitlin Hickey | Video, Nick Bottomley

METTITT AWARD WINNER (Best Costume Design 2022)

"Brandon Kleiman’s wonderfully evocative set of wooden benches is reminiscent of a church, which figures prominently in Viola’s story. The exploding and slightly angled walls touch on the notion of history and mirror back our modern discomfort with what we see on stage."
- Mark Robins, halifaxpresents.com

"Controlled Damage by Andrea Scott runs to Feb. 23 – and there’s so much interest in seeing Desmond’s story dramatized that it’s actually a tougher ticket to get than Hamilton. The run is officially sold out, and there’s no plan for an extension at the moment, but you can call the Neptune box office to see if there are any returns."
-Kelly Nestruk, The Globe and Mail

Dicken's A Christmas Carol By Jeremy Webb
Set & Costume Design | Sudbury Theatre Centre | Director, John McHenry | Lighting, Kristen Watt | Puppets & Masks, Adam Francis Proulx
Photos, Westmount Photography

BOX 4901 By Brian Francis
Set Design | Buddies In Bad Time & Timeshare Performance | Director, Rob Kempson | Lighting, Cosette Pin | Photos, James Heaslip

"But Francis’s writing has the sparkle of the best of David Sedaris, and his insights into his life are heartbreaking in their honesty."
- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine 4/5 N's

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Costume Design | Buddies In Bad Times | Director, Allyson McMackon | Lighting, Michelle Ramsay | Photos, Jeremy Mimnagh.

Dora Nominated, Outstanding Costume Design

"Brandon Kleiman’s costumes run the gamut from leather-and-buckle fetishwear to pink and sparkly athletic gear and somehow it all manages to cohere"
- José Teodoro, NOW Magazine 5/5 N's

"Every single creative decision from the casting to the design to the performances to the direction is so accomplished they make my head swim.... kudos to costume designer, Brandon Kleiman"
- Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter

"On the whole, this production of Midsummer was a sight to behold."
- Isabella O'Brien, Mooney On Theatre

"Costume designer Brandon Kleiman outfits these these varied bodies in a ragtag blend of style, texture and colour. From leather kink and glittery spandex to preppy slacks and pink valour—this odd assortment feels disorienting at first, but as the aesthetic alchemy unfolds, it all coalesces in thrilling defiance of homogeneity."
- stvandugalin.com of Istvan Reviews

James and the Giant Peach
Set & Costume Design | YES Theatre, Sudbury| Director, Jake Deeth | Lighting, Tim Stenabaugh | Photos, Robert Provencher

The stage design by Brandon Kleiman, featuring a spacious two-level structure, suits the Capitol stage perfectly. The design is not excessively showy but instead evokes a Grand Ole Opry style, which is appropriate thanks to Cosette Pin’s lighting design. The presence of a big guitar on stage is a delightful sight as it powerfully underscores Tom’s musical instrument of choice. It adds to the visual appeal of the performance when the strings light up during certain musical numbers.
- Joe Szekeres, ourtheatrevoice.com

The Ballad of Stompin' Tom
Set Design | Sudbury Theatre Centre | Director, Rob Kempson | Lighting, Michelle Ramsay | Costumes, Miranda VanLogerenberg
(select photos by AJ Laflamme)

George Brown College Spring Rep Shows - You Never Can Tell & Scott Shorts and Zelda
Set & Costume Design | George Brown College - Young Centre: Tank House Theatre | Directors, Susan Ferley and Allyson McMackon
Lighting, Jareth Li | Costumes (You Never Can Tell), Merdith Hubbard

Mary Poppins The Musical
Set Design | Young Peoples Theatre (Toronto) | Director, Thom Allison | Costumes, William Layton | Lighting, Jason Hand

Dora Nominated, Outstanding Set Design

"The show wins as a first-time theatre-going experience since Allison relies on the old-fashioned resources of the theatre rather than on projections or electronic effects to bring the magic of the show to life."
- Christopher Hoile, Now Magazine 4/5 N's

"Brandon Kleiman’s set is efficient"
-Lynn Slotkin

"The two-story set by Brandon Kleiman is easily converted into a street scene and even a rooftop scene for the chimney sweeps. [it] is efficient and effective."
- James Karas Reviews

"Brandon Kleiman’s set perfectly captures the MTV aesthetic—a dizzying spiral that sucks us into Westerburg High School. "
- Istvan Dugalin, mooneyontheatre.com

"Brandon Kleiman’s vivid, multi-level set, complete with a screen for projections of videos and 1980s-styled graphics, is perfection."
- Debbie Fein-Goldback, NOW Magazine

Harvest
Set & Costume Design | Thousand Islands Playhouse | Director, Charlotte Gowdy | Lighting, Kaileigh Krysztofiak

"The technical elements of the show each do well to complement its staging. Brandon Kleiman’s ingenious set, featuring a series of stacked boxes painted with the sky and clouds that easily double as props demonstrates this production’s efficiency."
-Natasha Lomonossoff, Capitol Critics' Circle

My Name Is Asher Lev
Set & Costume Design | Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company & Studio180 | Director, Joel Greenberg |
Lighting, Kimberly Purtel | Photos, Dahlia Katz

"director Joel Greenberg directs a handsome, tasteful production designed by Brandon Kleiman"
- Glenn Sumi, NOW magazine

"Brandon Kleiman’s set of the interior of a Brooklyn apartment is striking and appropriately painterly"
- Karen Fricker, Toronto Star

Dora Nominated, Outstanding Set Design

"Brandon Kleiman's tiered wooden set thrusts like a shard into the Berkeley Street audience dividing it into two sections."
- Christopher Hoile stage-door.com

"McQueen makes good use of Brandon Kleiman's set, dominated by a series of wooden platforms
- Glenn Sumi, Now Magazine, 4/4 N's

"Note Perfect, a Toronto musical theatre milestone"
- Globe and Mail, 3.5/4 stars

"A Layered whirlwind of humour, grief and humanity"
- Toronto Star, 3.5/4 stars

"Musical theatre perfection. Exquisite from start to finish"
-Broadway World Toronto

Undercover
Costume Design | Tarragon Theatre and Vertigo Theatre | Director, Rebecca Northan | Set/Lighting, Glen Davidson | Photos, Little Blue Lemon Inc.

"It looks like Northan has another killer hit on her hands
- Toronto, 3/4 stars

"So much fun, it's a crime!"
-Now magazine, 4/4 N's

Our Town
Costume Design | Theatre Rusticle | Director, Allyson McMackon | Lighting, Michelle Ramsay | Photos, Jeremy Mimnagh

"Brandon Kleiman’s costumes are understated in the first part but literally shine in the last... It’s an unforgettable ending."
- Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine. 4/4 N's

"The cast's impressive physical performance is pushed further with the breathtaking transformation of the space using innovative lighting and costumes (designed by Michelle Ramsay and Brandon Kleiman respectively) that enhance the images created in this world.”
- Alexandra Caprara, The Theatre Reader

Moose On The Loose
Set & Costume Design | Sudbury Theatre Centre | Director, Caleb Marshall | Lighting, Simon Rossiter | Photos, Robert Provencher

The Immigrant: An American Musical
Set & Costume Design | Harold Green Jewish Theatre | Director, Robert McQueen | Lighting, Kimberly Purtel

"Brandon Kleiman’s set and costumes are just right "
- Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star

Mockingbird - a new play by Rob Kempson
Set & Costume Design | Next Stage Theatre Festival | Director, Rob Kempson | Lighting, Michelle Ramsay.

"Out of the entire Next Stage lineup, Rob Kempson's high school staffroom comedic drama is the one you could pluck out of its festival context and plunk right down into almost any seasoned Toronto theatre. First of all, Brandon Kleiman’s costumes and set are beautifully monotone and drab with a level of thought and detail that’s rare for any festival. The large ensemble cast of 11 features some memorable performances. And Kempson’s script is funny and thoughtful."
3/4 starts, Carly Maga, Toronto Star.

"designer Brandon Kleiman hits it out of the park with Wing’s outfits; she’s every English teacher I ever had. Every festival has a must-see; this is it for Next Stage 2016."
Kelly Bedard, myentertainmentworld.com

"I also loved Brandon Kleiman’s set. "
Sam Mooney, mooneyontheatre.com

4/4 N's - Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine

"Brandon Kleiman’s minimalist, multi-tiered set is an urban showcase with steel girders set against a cityscape backdrop. Some very colourful characters pop out of this inner-city jungle and their interactions are swift and punchy. "
- Istvan Dugalin, Mooney on Theatre
" Brandon Kleiman has designed a very clever set that can change into the numerous interior and exterior locations in downtown Toronto that Walker demands."
- Christopher Hoile, Stage-door.com

A fast paced Italian comedy by Steve Galluccio set in a small Piazza in Naples, August 1952.

" Brandon Kleiman's 1950's costumes ... transport the audience to a Naples that's full of ageless appeal and small town charm". - Scott Overton, Northern Life.

Roughly 130+ costumes and 16 very talented students take us through the life of Peer Gynt, into the mountains, across the oceans, and back home. Part reality and part fantasy.

Mourning Dove
Set & Costume Design | Sudbury Theatre Centre | Director, Matthew Thomas Walker | Lighting, Jareth Li

"The set, by Brandon Kleiman, pulls us into Doug and Tina’s world in a personal and concrete way. It’s a place where Sandra and Keith enter as guests and sometimes interlopers, and where objects like a garden hose or shears take on multiple meanings." - Lara Bradley, Sudbury Star

Real Estate by Allana Harkin
Set Design | Sudbury Theatre Centre | Director, Shari Hollett | Lighting, Travis Hatt | Costume, Sara Pasmore

Romeo & Juliet
Set and Costume Design | Hart House Theatre | Director, Jeremy Hutton | Lighting, Andre du Toit | Photo, Daniel Dimarco

"And Brandon Kleiman’s set, atmospherically lit by Andre du Toit, morphs beautifully into a variety of locations.You know when a DJ booth transforms into Juliet’s balcony, you’re watching something special." - Glenn Sumi, Now Magazine NNNN

Cabaret
Set and Costume Design | Hart House Theatre | Director, Adam Brazier | Lighting, Siobhan Sleath | Photo, Daniel Dimarco

"I really loved the thoughtful production design. The set is framed by a charred and partially broken proscenium suggesting violence and decay, the costumes are appropriately sexy and each chorus member is given a unique costume treatment suggesting a distinct character." - Wayne Leung, Mooney on Theatre

"The gritty, theatrical aesthetic by costume and set designer Brandon Kleiman helps to blur the line between the two worlds forcing the audience to constantly question where the action is actually taking place." - Stuart Munro, The Carlebois Post