Artist. Designer. Storyteller.
For over seven decades, John Warren (Worsham) Travis has explored the intersection of light, color, and form—leaving his mark on theater stages, canvas, and cloth alike. A celebrated costume and set designer turned painter and poet, his life’s work reflects a restless creativity and an enduring passion for beauty in all its expressions.
Born in 1932 in El Paso, Texas, Worsham’s artistic instincts emerged early. Inspired by his grandmother’s sewing, he began designing prom dresses in high school—his first steps into the world of costume design. At the University of Texas at Austin, he studied drama under costume historian Lucy Barton and began to see theater as a fusion of fine art, architecture, and storytelling.
A move to New York in 1955 launched his professional career, assisting legendary designer Patricia Zipprodt and working in off-Broadway circles. His early successes included the acclaimed 1958 production of The Crucible, but it was in California where he would ultimately make his most lasting impact.
Worsham earned an MFA from Stanford in 1967, studying with Douglas Russell, whose teachings on the architecture of drama shaped Worsham’s design philosophy. At UC Berkeley, he became a professor and founding member of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, while designing for leading institutions including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and Mark Taper Forum.
Renowned for his Shakespearean work, Worsham’s career spanned more than 150 productions. Influenced by Russian artist Leon Bakst and designer Dick Hay, his theatrical designs emphasized movement, emotion, and mise en scène—bringing narrative and space into poetic alignment.
In 1994, he retired as Professor Emeritus from UC Berkeley and turned his focus to painting and poetry. His studies took him to the Cluny Museum and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and his artwork has been exhibited in galleries across California and New York.
Today, John Warren Travis lives in Columbia, Missouri, where he continues to create—channeling decades of experience into vibrant paintings and reflective verse. His work remains a testament to a life defined by imagination, rigor, and the courage to evolve.
