STAGING ‘CHANGE’: The set of The Arden Theatre Company’s premiere of “Caroline, or Change” designed by Jim Kronzer. Photo by Mark Garvin

A local stage recently transformed into 1963 Louisiana, and Jim Kronzer was the brains behind the operation.

The 44-year-old out scenic designer put his artistic vision to work for the Philadelphia premiere of “Caroline, or Change,” presented through April 8 at The Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. Second St.

Written by gay playwright Tony Kushner — author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Angels in America” — the musical tells the politically charged story of an African-American maid working for a Jewish family amid a turbulent civil-rights movement.

“The show deals with some very large ideas and captures a unique period of time in this country,” Kronzer said.

A Catholic University graduate, Kronzer caught the theater bug early in life.

“I became interested in high school and I never looked back. I always knew that I wanted to have a career in theater, and I started out as an actor — that’s actually what I earned my bachelor’s degree in. But my interest slowly transitioned to the more technical side. I began painting scenery and assisting designers; I sort of fell into scenic design. I’m one of those odd ducks that has no formal training as a designer.”

While working on “Caroline, or Change,” Kronzer collaborated closely with director Terrence Nolen to articulate the look and feel of Kushner’s vision.

“I start by reading through the play and getting a feel for the story being told,” he said. “Then, with the director and some of the other designers, I worked to express the flavor of Louisiana and Jewish culture in that specific time period. We go back and forth with ideas for the ground plan and figure out how the set is going to serve the play and how the action and characters will move from one space to the next in the most compressed way possible. That’s what I really love about my job — I get exposed to so many different cultures and ideas. It’s like a series of research projects.”

He added that Nolen’s directorial style emphasizes teamwork.

“I really love working with Terry. He has a great sense of humor and a passion and generosity that not all directors have,” Kronzer said. “He’s great about pulling out my best work, and really knows what is going to serve the production the best.”

Kronzer said his job requires special attention to detail.

“We’re dealing with a show set in 1963 here, so everything on stage has to have the feel of that period,” he said. “We have to watch for things like barcodes on bottles. We don’t want to give the audience any opportunity to be taken out of the experience of the evening. Those little details help take the audience to a different time and place.”

Kronzer also incorporates specific colors and textures to convey themes.

“There’s not a lot of realism involved in the set,” he said. “So we ended up portraying a lot of abstract ideas like loneliness through certain styles.”

Because the story involves numerous locations, Kronzer had to create innovative ways to depict separate environments.

“One of the most challenging parts was figuring out how to give all of the different locations strength visually on stage and keep all of the moments strong.”

Kronzer said working with the Arden’s staff has been rewarding.

“This theater is very gifted with some incredible people who put the show together,” he said. “Glenn Perlman, the technical director, was responsible for building everything I drew. I brought some complicated ideas to the table, like rain and a moving staircase. All of that is supported by those who can execute the ideas.”

The set designer said the gay community, in particular, will be able to relate to the deeper themes of “Caroline, or Change.”

“The community will connect with this story because of Tony Kushner, for one, and who he is in terms of the literary world and as a gay man in the theater industry,” he said. “But this play also says so much about who we are. Even though it deals with Jewish and African-American communities, that doesn’t make it exclusive to just those audiences. As a gay man, I certainly feel and experience those prejudices depicted on stage. At the heart of this story is the idea that generosity of spirit comes from making one’s own way through adversity. I think there’s a huge connection between the experience of being gay and the themes of this show.”