Young Designers in the Spotlight: Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium

What does it take to bring a character to life, not on stage, but through fabric, shape, and imagination?

For students in Hailey Marquez’s high school theater class at Oak Ridge High School, costume design became more than just a technical exercise, it was an opportunity to express themselves, build storytelling skills, and see theater through a brand-new lens.

Orlando Family Stage’s Young Designers in the Spotlight is a program that features design work generated by theatre classes within schools throughout Central Florida. Young people are encouraged to connect with our shows and stories by creating unique designs inspired by the current production and are put on display for all patrons to enjoy! 

The project began with a personal touch. “I had students design themselves in their favorite outfit,” Hailey shared. “It had to be specific. What jewelry would they wear? A hat? Sneakers? I wanted them to connect emotionally and understand how costume renderings communicate character.”

From there, students shifted focus to designing for the television adaptation of Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium. Together, they watched the episode and began asking deeper questions: What is the setting? What kind of clothes would make sense in this world? How old are these characters? What time period are we in?

Hailey guided students through a structured design process:

Concept → Design → Fabric.

They studied examples of renderings from both Broadway and film, ranging from the fantastical world of The Little Mermaid to the familiar, everyday fashion of High School Musical. Once students developed their initial sketches, they explored fabric swatches to bring their costumes to life. “Some of their favorite creative moments came during this phase,” Hailey said. “Several students even told me, ‘I wish I had picked this swatch first, now it matches my design perfectly!’”

More than anything, the project offered space for unexpected voices to shine.

“In theater, students often think the spotlight belongs only to performers,” Hailey explained. “But design gave some of my quietest students a chance to lead creatively. They made big decisions. They saw themselves in the process.” For a few, it was even their first time engaging with a musical at all. “They were so grateful for the experience,” she added. “It’s one thing to talk about theater in class—it’s another to be part of creating it.”

Hailey hopes other teachers will consider incorporating more design projects into their curriculum, not just for the artistic value, but for the pride students feel in seeing their ideas take shape. “They understood the intention behind every choice,” she said. “They knew their designs had meaning. That’s what makes it powerful.”

Please enjoy some of these pieces created by our participating students and get your tickets for Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium.

The photographs of the students working during the process were taken by Daniel G., one of Ms. Marquez’s theatre students.