BLACK LIVES MATTER. But of course that is only the baseline. Black lives are loved, and cherished, and needed in our industry and our world. Now is the time to prove our solidarity and take action to ensure equity for all. Please click here for ways to be involved in the movement.
Madie graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in the History of Art and Architecture. For those four years, she spent most of her time outside of classes in one of the various theaters on campus designing and constructing her sets or working as a Tech Assistant for the Office for the Arts at Harvard, while also finding time to spend as a peer counselor. Her work has received much acclaim in the theater community at Harvard, having been nominated for and winning several Harvard Theatre Awards for Best Set Design throughout her time there. She was awarded an Artist Development Fellowship, which allowed her to expand her education in theater by studying with Tony Award-winning Broadway set designer, Derek McLane. Madie also won the Harvard Council on the Arts award for Excellence in Visual Arts.
After graduation, Madie began working as the Technical and Design Supervisor at the American Repertory Theater's Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, MA. There she guided student production teams in the Harvard-Radcliffe Drama Club to conceive and execute design plans for their many shows throughout the semester. During that year, Madie also designed her own shows for the HRDC and for the A.R.T. Institute. She also recently became interested in film and made her Production Design debut on a short film called "Quid Pro Quo" with Redtere Production company. Ms. Hays continued to work as a freelance set and production designer in the Boston area, cultivating her skills as a young artist in this flourishing and unique community until 2017 when she realized that she wanted a new challenge and a chance to learn more about her craft.
Currently, Madie is preparing to graduate from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, & Television, where she will receive her Master’s Degree in Scenic and Production Design. While in school, she has excelled in the art of organization and time management, as she has balanced schoolwork with realized production work 8 out of the 9 quarters she has been enrolled. These years at UCLA have allowed her to develop both her conceptual and technical skills such as drafting, modeling, and even work in Virtual Reality. After graduating, Madie is excited to find work in the art department of the film and television industry, continuing to learn about production design in a more hands on environment. She hopes to be admitted to the Art Director’s Guild as soon as possible.