Building a scalable digital stage for diverse voices.
Overview
To modernize a decade-old digital presence and eliminate technical fragility, I led the transformation of Voyage Theater Company’s “messy patchwork” WordPress site into a professional digital stage.
Impact
Replaced a decade-old WordPress build with a templated CMS and trained the staff to run it, so a small non-technical team can update the site without breaking it.
- Duration
- Oct 2025 – Feb 2026
- My Role
- Product Designer Contract
- Team
- Wayne Maugans, Founding Artistic Director Kathleen Salazar, Associate Artistic Director Charles C. Bales, Founding Executive Director
A Fragile Patchwork
“Every time we make updates, something crashes or goes awry.”
After meeting with stakeholders, I found that non-artistic directors struggle to manage content, feeling constrained by the design system and often breaking things when they try to update it. The old site was not optimized for VTC’s mission. How might we create a site that empowers the current staff?
A Comprehensive Redesign Spanning From Branding To Technical Migration.
Instead of patching a messy web of broken links, I rebuilt Voyage Theater Company’s site architecture into a clear, scalable system. With improved structure, branding guidelines, and CMS training, the team can now confidently update content and grow their digital presence without breaking the site.
Empowering Non-Technical Content Ownership
In nonprofit theater, operational independence is everything. I redesigned the site to empower a small, non-technical team to manage their own content without breaking the design system, giving VTC a digital presence built to last beyond launch. To reinforce long-term success, I introduced a templated CMS architecture paired with hands-on training, transforming a once fragile, developer-dependent website into a maintainable, brand-consistent platform.
Reflection
Managing Up
Made sure that all stakeholders are aligned with meeting dates, expectations, and tasks.
Operational Autonomy
Unified page architecture ensures brand consistency and reduces future maintenance friction.
Contracting 101
Understanding setting rates, scope management, and professional offboarding.