In partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, Monaco Life proudly presents a monthly series spotlighting the lives and artistic contributions of the Foundation’s remarkable Award winners.

For Tony Award-winning scenic designer Rachel Hauck, theater is about more than creating beautiful spaces—it’s about shaping the way audiences experience a story. From the industrial mythology of Hadestown to the immersive spectacle of the Tony-nominated Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Hauck has built a career transforming stages into dynamic worlds that invite audiences to see familiar stories in entirely new ways.

Since receiving a Princess Grace Award in Theater in 1998, Rachel Hauck has become one of the most acclaimed scenic designers of her generation. Her Broadway credits include Hadestown, Swept Away, Good Night, Oscar, and What the Constitution Means to Me, and her dedication to fostering new work and mentoring the next generation of artists has extended her impact far beyond the stage.

In this conversation, Hauck reflects on the impact of the Princess Grace Foundation, the collaborative nature of theater, the creative risks behind Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and why live performance continues to offer audiences something no other art form can.

On the Princess Grace Foundation-USA

You received the Princess Grace Award in 1998, early in your career. What did that recognition mean to you at the time?

To be recognised with this award – to be seen as worthy of it – foundationally changed my self confidence. I was struggling, trying to find my voice, and in an absolutely perilous financial situation. 

Honestly, I was a bit shocked. I had been working so intensely, making work I was passionate about. The gift of being recognised with such an incredible honor made me feel like my voice artistically had value, and the financial support made it possible for me to continue.

What has being part of the Princess Grace Foundation artistic community meant throughout your career?

This community is a broad network and shared family, it is a community that I cherish. 

I have always had a great desire to give back to the PGF because of the significant impact the recognition had for me. I have been honored to be a part of a few of the grant panels, searching for the next generation of artists. And of course, it’s always fun to discover that artists with whom I have worked were also supported by the Foundation. 

Do you feel Princess Grace’s legacy still resonates within today’s theater world?

Absolutely. This support fuels and supports the next generation in a moment when there is even less of that support out in the world. I am fortunate to have two recent grantees currently working with me: Sim Carpenter (Theater, 2024) and Diggle (Theater, 2023) who were recognised a year apart. 

Diggle has been working with me for a long time, most recently on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’. And I met Sim at the PGF gala when they were both recognised. Sim is an incredible artist and presence, and I immediately invited him to come work with me when he graduated from NYU, which he did. 

Sim and Diggle are both powerful designers in their own right. I’m excited to have them in the studio for as long as they would like to stay and help them in any way that I can, and of course I am most excited to see what brilliant work they make .

On Mentorship

What advice would you give emerging scenic designers trying to find their artistic voice?

I am proud to have been a mentor to many young designers who have worked with me in my studio as Diggle and Sim are currently. You get to see so much when you are working with someone, and what you learn is never quite what you expected to learn. I hope that being here has been a help to the folks who have been with me.

Young people write to me often seeking advice, I’m incredibly moved by that. My feedback varies based where people are in their lives and careers, but one thing is constant. I always suggest that people see as much theater as they can, and discover artists whose work inspires them or provokes them, scares them or moves them to tears. To continue to look for the new work that excites them. And then to go to work.

Jump into the deep end of the pool and start swimming. Immerse yourself in what’s happing around you and make as much work as you can. That’s the best way to find your voice.

On What’s Next

What projects or creative ideas are inspiring you most right now?

I’m working on a number of things that I’m excited about. I’m working on a new musical called ‘Galileo’ which will open on Broadway in the fall. It’s a fantastic new rock musical by Zoe Sarnak, Michael Weiner and Danny Strong, directed by Michael Mayer. I’m excited by what they see in Galileo’s story, and how much it resonates with the current political climate.

Today, I’m in rehearsals for a new musical adaptation of ‘Eugene Onegin’ by the great Sarah Gancher, directed by my dear friend Rachel Chavkin. It’s terrific, a bluegrass musical with an impossible amount of talent on stage, and it’s changing every second as we discover it with the audience. We are currently in previews, and we just turned the third act upside down this afternoon. We’ll see what happens tonight!

On Theater Today

What do you think audiences are craving from live theater right now?

I think people are always craving the human experience. Something happens when you’re in a room hearing a story with a thousand other people, or 200 other people, or 10 other people. You share a story and an experience with a roomful of strangers, and you become a community. 

There’s something absolutely profound about hearing a story that is so different than any of your lived experience. You have a chance to intimately experience someone elses world – or at least corner of their world – and maybe understand something you’ve never understood before.

There’s also something profound about seeing yourself represented on stage in some way. I think that’s part of the reason why ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ has meant so much to so many.

Many, many people in the queer community are seeing themselves on stage for the first time, in some form. And many people outside the queer community are being invited into a joy that they have not known, and sharing that experience with in the community of 1,200 people. That is deeply powerful. 

There’s no other art form like this one. It is ancient, it is human, like listening to someone telling you a story in the dark. There’s just nothing else like it.

On Monaco

Have you spent much time in Monaco? What would your ideal day in the Principality look like?

I was in Monaco once, when I was quite young. I was traveling around Europe by myself with a backpack. I got off the train in Monaco, chained my backpack to a tree, and for an afternoon, I walked everywhere in Monaco I could go, and stayed until the last train left for the Youth Hostel in the next town.

I just really loved being there, it is a city of dreams. I loved getting a glimpse of the Casino and a sense of the city. This was years before I had the incredible honor of receiving the Princess Grace Award which has meant so much to me. Maybe someday I’ll get to go back.

Follow Rachel Hauck on Instagram @rhwuzhere.

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Main photo credit: Tess Meyer