"“The story of the real events of the Galapagos Affair came to me first through our set designer Ryan McGettigan,” explains choreographer Annie Arnoult. “It was immediately intriguing and full of so much rich potential for theatrical expansion, but I knew that I needed some kind of framework that helped us highlight the most important social/political/human themes in the story. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is grand and mythic and larger than life. It uses archetypes and forces of nature that supplied, for our purposes, a sense of something greater than the individual.”

Ryan McGettigan created an immersive set design out of mostly reusable and/or recycled materials, such as overhanging foliage made out of water bottles, rising water walls created from blue plastic and vinyl flooring. Many of the elements of the set design also are repurposed as canvases that display projections designed by David Deveau, the production designer for the piece. As McGettigan states, “The design is melded out of historical and conceptual elements that can be built upon and altered by the performers and audience, creating a sense of discovery and adventure in exploring the eutopian island and morphing the story as the tensions rise towards that inevitable tipping point.” - The Dance Dish

"The look of this devilish world is rich and layered as the movement and narratives thanks to the design team. Set designer Ryan McGettigan, lighting and projection designer David Deveau and costume designer Ashley Horn have created an environment that merges magic, myth and dream with touches of 1930s true crime/ island noir." - Arts and Culture Texas