Philip Witcomb Design

“A man’s work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.”

— Albert Camus

Philip Witcomb is an Award-winning Set and Costume Designer, story-led production designer and creative director with 30 years’ experience across 90+ productions in the UK, Europe and the US. Taking ideas from first concept to opening - leading design, technical and production teams across theatre, opera, theme parks, events and installations.

Leads cross-disciplinary teams of 5 to 25 (scenic fabrication, scenic art, costume, prop making, make-up, hair design and projection design consultation) from emerging talent to senior specialists and artisans.
Delivering on time and on budget. Translating creative vision for C-Suite, producers, directors, engineers and fabricators, protecting design intent through technical and commercial constraints.

Desiging at every scale from site-specific environments to multi-venue touring.

HOLIDAY WORLD

2025/26 - SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA USA

Holiday World is America’s first theme park (est. 1946) with over 1 million park guests annually. Philip was commisioned to update the iconic themed portals that welcome guests into the park’s Christmas, Halloween, and 4th of July areas. Fabricated by 3dxScenic, Philip collaborated with Holiday World on a full design and build to replace the older portals that dated from the park’s rebranding from Santa Claus Land to Holiday World back in 1984, balancing 80 years of heritage with a contemporary guest experience.
The new portal designs represent another step by Holiday World ownership to create a more thematic and immersive experience for their guests delivering new memories for generations to come. Utilizing the rainbow from the park’s logo as an overriding aesthetic, the portals were then each given their own unique look ranging from colors and font choice to dimensional plant-ons and LED lighting. Lit spheres containing iconography from each holiday add another layer of whimsy and charm. The three new portals pop with color and light up the walkways after dark, providing guests with an immersive and magical experience. Thanksgiving Portal will be added November 2026.