Smash is baaaaaaack! Last night was the premiere of season two, and it did not disappoint. There are plenty of new characters (goodbye, scheming Ellis; hello, Jennifer Hudson!), new musical numbers, and, of course, lots and lots of drama. Another new addition is set designer Kalina Ivanov. She joined the behind-the-scenes cast to create a slew of new sets including a restaurant hangout, two apartments, and one very glamorous dressing room. The spaces are a perfect foil for the escalating tension between Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) as well as producer Eileen's (Anjelica Huston) continued fight to get their nascent show to Broadway. From the looks of it, they are going to be joined by tons of amazing guest stars this season (Sean Hayes, Jessie L. Martin, and . . . Liza Minnelli?!) and enough intrigue and fighting to keep everyone busy for a while.
We sat down with set designer Kalina to get the backstory and inspiration for a few of her sets this season. Read on to find out more about Kalina's process and how she gets the look!
— Additional reporting by Emily Bibb
The vignettes are open today, and events will run tomorrow and Saturday, including an exciting lineup of festivities including book signings, special exhibitions, and special keynote discussions with A-list panelists — 