by Alyssa Cokinis
What does a dyslexic mind look like? In Melody Erfani’s The Words Will Come, you see it come to life onstage.
Movement, lighting, costumes, and scenic design bring audiences up close to Sheila, a young Iranian-American girl struggling to belong in a school system that doesn’t support her. With the help of other characters, including the one and only Albert Einstein, Sheila navigates her mind and discovers that her neurodivergence is her strength, not her detriment.
I got to speak with some of the designers for the show about what drew them to the project, how their designs work in conversation with the script, and what they hope audiences leave with at the end of the show.
Cokinis: What drew each of you to The Words Will Come and this collaboration?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Designer): I have had the opportunity to work with Melody in the past, and they have been some of my favorite collaborations and theatrical projects. After reading the script, I was even more excited to be a part of this project because the story speaks about transformation, creativity, and courage.
Kyra Sanford (Set Designer): I’ve worked with Melody in the past and have really enjoyed our collaborative process. I liked the concept of the piece and the storytelling style.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Designer): When Melody reached out, it felt like a breath of fresh air. We are hearing more and more about neurodiversities, and some people think it’s a new thing that’s been made up or is just now being discovered, when in reality it’s always been around. As a neurodivergent person, I connected with the play deeper than expected.
Cokinis: How would you each describe the world of the play through your artistic lens?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Designer): For me, it is a collage of time, place, and space that acts as waves of energy and exploration.
Kyra Sanford (Set Designer): This piece exists both in a very real present, in the world of memory, and the world of imagination.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Designer): I would describe it as refreshing, important, intriguing, and relatable. When you step into this world you are able to experience firsthand the challenges and occurrences one may encounter with dyslexia but in an artistic way.
Cokinis: Kyra, how did you approach creating a physical world for a play rooted in memory and perception?
Kyra Sanford (Set Designer): I used a lot of images of museums and their architecture, and on a more metaphorical level, I looked at the basic shapes that make up letters and writing. The set is anchored by a unit of grand columns with plain curtains hanging between them. Throughout the scenic shifts, the fabric is pulled into different configurations and the pedestals and furniture are rearranged. This is all accomplished by the actors as part of the storytelling: when memories start to shift us into a new location, the set is physically pulled into a new shape, more so trying to create the feeling of being in a certain space. These shifts are enhanced by projections and lighting, using the fabric as a canvas for another layer of storytelling.
Cokinis: Rachel and Kasee, how does lighting and costume design help communicate emotional or cognitive shifts in the play, as well as support themes and characterization of identity and memory? Mindy, how did you begin developing a movement vocabulary for the piece?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Designer): Lighting is literally energy, and I try to facilitate the energy to sculpt the performers, the space, and the action. The design hopes to embody the conscious and unconscious shifts of character and space.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Designer): The moment a character is on the stage in costume, they are portray how they view the world and function in it. Lala appears in a flowing Boho type outfit that is a lot duller, portraying her contradicting flexibility as an artist with challenges navigating life, stressors, and accepting who she is. Sheila is Lala’s younger self whom comes from the 90s era. Due to her childlike nature, Sheila is dressed in a vibrant, and fun outfit. I wanted Einstein to be somewhere in the middle of Sheila and Lala, since he is something that they share.
Mindy Mawhirter (Assistant Director): The movement for this piece was developed very collaboratively. Not only does it highlight the abilities of the actors, but it’s rooted heavily in the character work each actor brought to the room.
Cokinis: Mindy, what kinds of experiences or emotions are expressed physically rather than verbally in the play?
Mindy Mawhirter (Assistant Director): Movement is utilized most in this play when the characters are experiencing extreme levels of frustration. Because frustration–especially when that frustration is pointed at one’s self–is so internal, movement allows the audience to see a physical expression of that anger. The language of the play gives us such a beautiful description of how the mess of words in Sheila’s head builds over time until it’s indecipherable. Through movement we get to see that internal struggle build.
Cokinis: What details might audiences not consciously notice, but that contribute to the storytelling?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Design): I am always excited about transitions and supporting them. To me, transitions are like motifs within melodies and exciting to explore.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Design): The subtle choices that I’ve made for these characters–color scheme, texture, silhouette, and overall the appearance–were chosen to show why these characters wear what they do and how it helps guide the story. For example, dyslexia affects how the brain processes language. I represented that by using a patterned fabric for Sheila‘s overall dress, which is made up of contorted and deformed letters in this bright and fun pattern being abstractly hidden in plain sight.
Cokinis: What has surprised, challenged, or inspired you most during the creative process?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Designer): I have really enjoyed new collaborations with Alan Cline (Projection Designer) and Kyra (Set Designer). Thinking about limitations as resources, we’ve had to have strong communication and willingness to remain flexible. We are supporting each other in the raising up of this project.
Kyra Sanford (Set Designer): I think the biggest thing would be the creative solutions we have come up with for projection surfaces and how they are able to shift to create different locations.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Designer): As a neurodivergent person, I really connected with the classroom scene. Even though I do not personally experience dyslexia, my personal challenges during my schooling have always felt isolating and challenging in ways that the people around me could not understand. Therefore, when reading that scene, I felt myself getting emotional due to seeing such a familiar experience. I felt seen and understood.
Cokinis: What do you hope audiences feel or experience through your work in the production?
Rachel Kinsman Steck (Lighting Designer): Lighting’s use of color is a great way to shape memory, confusion, and clarity. Our eyes, minds, and bodies respond consciously and unconsciously to color which have deep cultural connections. I hope the lighting design embodies the audience as they take this marvelous journey.
Kyra Sanford (Set Designer): I hope to help to create a world that both gives audiences enough clues to tell the story but stays out of the way enough to let the words and actions be the primary focus.
Kasee Arnett (Costume Designer): If they are a Neurodiverse person, I hope they leave the show knowing that they are accepted and loved regardless of how people have made them feel prior in life, and if they’re a non-neurodiverse person I hope this expands their view on people and brings awareness to the silent challenges someone of any age can face.
Performance Details
THE WORDS WILL COME: Inside the Dyslexic Mind
Created and directed by Melody Erfani
When: June 4–28, 2026
Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 PM
Sundays at 2:00 PM
Where: Shaking the Tree Theatre
823 SE Grant St
Portland, OR 97214
Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes
Tickets: $30 with limited Pay-What-You-Can tickets available
Tickets available at: www.lesshakespeareco.org
Alyssa Cokinis is a writer and theatre artist from Iowa, currently living in the Pacific Northwest. She is also the founder and editor of some scripts, which just published its sixth issue!