The Countess dramatizes the fraught marriage of 19th-century British art critic John Ruskin to his wife, Effie, who eventually leaves him for the famed pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. Through a university grant, I toured England with stops at the John Ruskin Library at the University of Lancaster, John Ruskin’s preserved estate, Brantwood, and countless museum galleries devoted to pre-Raphaelite art. I brought back invaluable insights, images, and impressions that heavily informed the work of the director, designers, and actors. I also converted the theatre lobby into a makeshift gallery devoted to the Millais paintings referenced in the play, deepening our audience's engagement with the milieu of the play.