Gilbert Vaughn Hemsley Jr. (1936–1983) was a noted United States lighting designer and teacher of lighting design.
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Biography
He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Hemsley studied history at Yale, earned an MFA at Yale Drama School in 1960, and worked as assistant to lighting designer Jean Rosenthal.
He was production manager for the inaugurations of U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, and for massive stage events like Einstein on the Beach,[1] and U.S. tours by the Bolshoi Opera and Bolshoi Ballet.[2] Other large-scale events for which he handled both Production Management and Lighting included American tours of The Performing Arts Company of the People's Republic of China,[3] Stuttgart Ballet,[3] and National Ballet of Cuba[3]
But he is best known for his work as a lighting designer on Broadway,[4][5][6] at numerous regional theatres, dance companies,[7][8] New York City Opera,[9] Miami Opera,[10] Chicago Lyric Opera,[11] Wolf Trap Opera,[12] Opera Company of Boston,[13] and as the lighting director at the New York City Opera. Hemsley taught lighting design at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was celebrated there for his generosity with students, many of whom served as assistants at New York City Opera and elsewhere.
He died[14] in 1983.
Legacy
A 150-seat black box theatre on the UW campus is named for him. A notable attendee of his memorial service in New York City was Beverly Sills, who announced the establishment in Hemsley's name of apprenticeship funds at New York City Opera and at Wisconsin. A not-for-profit was set up to continue his legacy of training and career opportunities for early-career lighting designers. [15]
Many of his students, assistants, and mentorship-beneficiaries have gone on to careers (including directing and management, as well as design) at the major performing arts producing organizations in the United States. These include New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, Chicago Lyric Opera, The George Balanchine Trust, Public Broadcasting System, and various Broadway shows. [16]
References
- ^ Barnes, Clive (23 November 1976). "Einstein on the Beach Transforms Boredom Into Memorable Theater". NY Times. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Bender, William (July 7, 1975). "Music: The Other Bolshoi". Time. New York NY. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c Aronson, Arnold (Spring 1979). "Gil Hemsley with the Chinese". Theater Design and Technology. XV (1): 6–9. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Rich, Frank (8 April 1983). "Stage: New Porgy and Bess Stars Original Score". NY Times. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Angela (3 January 1979). "Stage: Monteith & Rand on Broadway". NY Times. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Kerr, Walter (9 October 1979). "Stage: Sugar Babies, Burlesque Is Back". NY Times. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Clive (26 June 1970). "Dance: Unfinished River". NY Times. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (4 April 1985). "Dance: Martha Graham". NY Times. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Holland, Bernard (28 February 1982). "City Opera: Traviata is Opener". NY Times. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Henahan, Donal (21 January 1981). "Miami Opera: Nabucco". NY Times. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Lyric Opera history". Lyric Opera of Chicago. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
Lighting Designers
- ^ Hume, Paul (14 June 1980). "Sarah Caldwell's Aideal 'Aida'". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Downs, Joan; Bender, William (12 April 1976). "Music: Three for the Opera". Time Magazine. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Kerr, Peter (6 September 1983). "Gilbert V. Hemsley, 47, is dead". NY Times. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Hemsley Lighting Programs". Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Barbour, David (October 2023). "The Hemsley Legacy". Lighting and Sound America. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
External links
- Gilbert V. Hemsley, Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database
- Gilbert Helmsley Papers at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
- The Gilbert V. Hemsley, Jr. Internship in Lighting
- Larry Wild, Northern State University, A Brief Outline of the History of Stage Lighting
- Love of Lighting Design, second list item
- American Ballet Theatre Repertory Archive
- NYCO Archives, Columbia University
- 4Wall Entertainment (21 March 2021). 38 Years of the Hemsley Lighting Programs. YouTube. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- the lives of theatrical designers (16 January 2015). #33 Mark Stanley. In1: the podcast. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- Ericson, Raymond (5 March 1975). "Bolshoi Opera Opens 4-Week Run at Met June 25". NY Times. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- "Talk of The Town-Three Musical Situations". The New Yorker. 7 July 1975. pp. 22–24. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
This page was last edited on 19 February 2024, at 06:43