“Robert Mark Morgan’s set design weaves hints of Indiana into every inch of the stage. It’s a piece of art in its own right.”
– Melissa Hall, Stage Write, Indy about Finding Home: Indiana at 200 at Indiana Repertory Theatre
“But what’s delivered to the audience is mostly fun, romping around Robert Mark Morgan’s detailed, folksy set, including emblems of Hoosier history in a floor collage.”
– Jay Harvey Upstage about Finding Home: Indiana at 200 at Indiana Repertory Theatre
“Enough cannot be said about Robert Mark Morgan’s set design. This kind of achievement really is what makes up the stuff of theatrical dreams. The world he and his crew created for the actors to play in was exquisitely detailed and masterfully constructed.”
– Jim Ryan for Playback STL about A Christmas Carol at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
“Extra special praise should be given to scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan’s set. Its understated, thoughtful design gave marvelous room for the story to be told. It consists of a series of multiple stepped levels, with two screens above acting as televisions or history lessons when needed, and multiple panels at the side and back with projected images that changed according to the setting.”
– Laura Kennelly for Cool Cleveland about All the Way at Cleveland Play House
“It all plays out on Robert Mark Morgan’s breathtakingly simple set, composed of grandstand-like levels encircled by a curving wall where photos are displayed. With a large circular shape hovering above, the scenic design provides the feel of the halls of government without ever getting too specific.”
– Christine Howey for Clevescene and RaveandPan about All the Way at Cleveland Play House
“Scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan‘s stunning blend of beautifully rendered vintage drawings with the majesty of Oz provide a dream-like quality while the modern videos on the new LED screen add another dimension. The cyclone is a marvel of motion. Dorothy’s bed is perched atop a gigantic cone while dancers whirl — and a cow twirls — to mimic the storm. When Munchkinland is revealed, it is a twinkly, sugar-dusted enclave of 3-D candy-colored cottages.”
– Lynn Venhaus for Belleville News Democrat about Wizard of Oz at the Muny, St. Louis
“Once again, they create a visually arresting show, from the sock-hop dance moves to the jellybean-bright costumes to Morgan’s set, which uses the LED screen at the back of the stage for eye-popping ’60s-style graphics.”
– Judith Newmark, St Louis Post-Dispatch about Hairspray at the MUNY
“Director Matt Lenz keeps a colorful cartoon vibe at the forefront…Robert Mark Morgan, whose blue castle looks like something from a dream, exaggerate the fantastical elements just enough to remind us that this show isn’t supposed to be “real.””
– Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch about Beauty and the Beast at the MUNY
“The moment you enter the Upperstage auditorium, your eyes will immediately be drawn to Robert Mark Morgan’s magnificent set which he describes in the play’s printed program as a “sculpture.” Representing the receptacles holding the community’s memories, it consists of file-drawers, resembling those that hold library card cataloges, stacked on top of each other on the rear of the stage and also painted on the floor. Suspended above the set, looking like strands of Tibetan paper prayer flags, are sheets of paper (representing memories) that emanate from the card catalogue.”
– Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner about The Giver
“The startling scenic design by Robert Mark Morgan is a marvel. Finally someone has found a creative use for the Muny’s antiquated scenery booms. Here, the booms don’t move the scenery; they are the scenery. These steel tenements include a bridge (that morphs into balconies), thus doubling the playing space.”
– Dennis Brown, the Riverfront Times about West Side Story at the MUNY, St. Louis
“This production is breathtaking, enhanced by the lighting design of Rob Denton and the stunning set design by Robert Mark Morgan — a gritty view of tenement windows, fire escapes and neighborhood grids in a jigsaw puzzle deftly moved for each scene’s needs.”
– Lynn Venhaus for the Belleville News-Democrat about West Side Story at the MUNY, St. Louis
“First, kudos must go to the person who sets the stage for an audience’s first impression. The artistry of scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan had me enthralled before the first actor even took the stage. Lovely painting work by the Festival’s scenic staff set the stage for an autumn interlude at an ancient manor.”
– Rachelle Hughes for AliveUtah.com about Loves Labours Lost at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
“Robert Mark Morgan designed the persuasive apartment, a masterpiece of depth-perception tricks.”
– Judith Newmark, St Louis Post-Dispatch about 4000 Miles at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
“The staging of The Whipping Man immediately transports you to 1865 as parts of the southern United States, in this case Richmond, lie in ruins after a war that tore the nation in two. Robert Mark Morgan’s set is incredible, deep and technically perfect.”
– Kory on the Radio about Whipping Man at Cleveland Play House
“There was an industrial fluidity when it came to the set by designer Robert Mark Morgan. This set was quite striking and when they introduced color, it was absolutely mesmerizing.”
– Michael Mulhern, Denver BroadwayWorld.com about The Giver at Denver Center Theatre Company
“In many ways, the star of this production is the set by Robert Mark Morgan, a wonder of dangling Spanish moss and multileveled rooms and staircases, all backed by swinging strips of muslin through which changing colors—and the occasional vision of a bathing Blanche—can be glimpsed.”
– David Templeton, Bohemian.com about A Streetcar Named Desire at Marin Theatre
“Robert Mark Morgan transformed the theatre in the round into a bare necessities hiding place for eight people. The set alone entices the heart to skip a beat even before the play begins.”
– Holly Bartges, Colorado Backstage about Diary of Anne Frank at the Denver Center
“First of all, there’s the magnificent set: row upon row of liquor bottles, interspersed with small lamps and some other household items, on shelves that rise 20 feet high and cover the entire expanse of the Cleveland Play House stage. This inspired creation by scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan provides the perfect dreamscape and/or nightmare vision for Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the story of the two drunks who started Alcoholics Anonymous.”
– Christine Howey, Cleveland Scene Magazine about Bill W & Dr. Bob at Cleveland Play House
“Set designer Robert Mark Morgan has devised a brilliantly suggested ranch house with a windmill and a big full moon rising above the roof. The kitchen and foyer slide apart to make way for the Sheriff’s office. Through Don Darnutzer’s lighting and Jeff Mockus’ sound the lighting, the rainstorm at the end is awesome.”
– Richard Connema, Talkin’ Broadway about The Rainmaker at A.C.T.
“But most impressive of all – and I say this without taking anything away from the cast – was the set designed by Robert Mark Morgan. Performed in-the-round in the DCPA’s Space Theater, Morgan’s cramped set pulls the audience into Anne’s claustrophobic world.”
– Daniel Brogan, 5280 magazine about Diary of Anne Frank at the Denver Center
“I don’t have enough adjectives to describes the set. The Rep always does its shows proud with first-class scenic designs, but Saint Joan sets a new bar. The fleur de lis is the central image, and it appears everywhere – in a background row of churches, on the throne, on the arch thrust high over the stage and out into the orchestra seats, and even on the floor. I can’t imagine any of the production elements being done better.”
– Andrea Braun, KDHX-FM about Saint Joan
“What’s immediately noticeable about “Dinner” is one of the finest sets in the impressive portfolio of Robert Mark Morgan, well-known to Denver Center audiences for “Lobby Hero,” “Bernice/Butterfly” and others. His elegant and evocative stage is framed by frames, a commentary on the fake faces we all don for one another.”
– John Moore, Denver Post about Dinner with Friends at Theatre Aspen
“Above all, there’s a meticulously beautiful set by Robert Mark Morgan that makes the tiny Jones Theatre seem intimate rather than cramped; it gives the actors real freedom of movement. Every detail of the set coheres, from the glowing light sconces in the lobby to the dead leaves that have drifted to the edge of the sidewalk outside the apartment building.”
– Juliet Wittman, Denver Westword about Lobby Hero at the Denver Center Theatre Co.
“Set Designer Robert Mark Morgan and Lighting Designer Charles R. MacLeod deserve standing ovations of their own for the set they have created and the effect to which it is employed. Every brick in the wall, every sconce, every leaf lying in the gutter screams genuineness. The elevator doors open and close like real elevator doors rather than cheap scenery (heck, Star Trek couldn’t even manage that). Though there is no actual, physical demarcation between the lobby and the adjoining sidewalk and street, MacLeod’s lighting combined with the actors’ awareness makes you believe that there is a wall where there is not. Thus, Director David McClendon can take advantage of truly separate internal and external spaces, while allowing the audience to experience both without distraction. Before the first word of dialogue is spoken, you know you are in New York.”
– Gary Zeidner, Boulder Weekly about Lobby Hero at the Denver Center Theatre Co.