Cruz Hernandez, a 2025 Montezuma-Cortez High School graduate and first-year student at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been nominated for a 2025 BroadwayWorld New Mexico-Albuquerque Award for Best Scenic Design.
He earned the nomination for the Four Corners Musical Theatre Company’s production of “The Little Mermaid” in Farmington. He is among 22 scenic designers from theaters statewide and ranks second in public voting, trailing Doug Montoya of “Matilda: The Musical” by one percentage point.
Hernandez said the Four Corners Musical Theatre Company received 10 nominations across multiple categories: choreography, directing, ensemble, lighting design, musical, best performer in a musical, scenic design, sound design, best supporting performer and favorite local theater.
He began working with the company about a year ago and has designed sets for at least six productions, including “Young Frankenstein,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Legally Blonde,” “Hairspray” and “The Addams Family.” He is currently designing the set for the company’s upcoming production of “Sister Act,” scheduled to open in March.
Hernandez creates physical mini models for his set designs before they are built full size for the stage.
Hernandez said his process starts with reading the script once for enjoyment, then a second time to note key locations, such as a church or a pub in “Sister Act.” A third reading helps him break it down further. “Once I settle with that, I’ll do some basic drawings, and I meet with the director … Then from there, I’ll do a final drawing and then make the model.”
Once the drawing is done, he uses foam core and other materials, depending on the set, to create the models. Each model takes about 40 to 50 hours to complete.
“It’s kind of a bunch of random stuff you wouldn’t expect, like toothpicks can be carved down into stair spindles, just a plethora of things,” Hernandez said. “I use 3D printed things, sometimes for furniture or that sort of thing. Then I paint, or use various types of craft papers for wallpaper.”
In “The Little Mermaid,” Hernandez used plaster to make the rock texture.
Hernandez credited drama teachers Angela Gabardi, Nicholaus Sandner and Marla Sitton with sparking his interest in scenic design. He had enjoyed art and crafts, but a compliment from Sandner about his model-making helped sharpen his focus.
“That inspired me to go on from there in the scenic area,” he said.
Even while pursuing his theater degree in Boulder, Hernandez remains active with the company in Farmington, continuing to build scale models in his dorm room and transporting them home to Cortez on breaks.
Public voting for the BroadwayWorld New Mexico–Albuquerque awards is open through Wednesday, Dec. 31, at bit.ly/BroadwayAwardsVoting. Voters must provide an email address and create a simple password to cast ballots in any category.
