Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1999 - 26

7Jawn

Chian

Richard Pilbrow describes his associate designer Dawn Chiang as
"remorselessly efficient." Atalented and well-known designer in
her own right, Chiang's work crosses the spectrum of genres and
styles. Broadway credits include designing ZOOt Suit and co-designing Tango Passion. As resident lighting designer at lew York Uty
Opera she designed or supervised the design of seasons with fourteen
to twentyshows in rotating repertoIy. Regional theatre credits include
work at the Guthrie Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, the Denver Center, Seattle
Rep, the Alley Theatre, and Berkeley Rep. She has worked for Disney, creating a touring special elIects e>.1ravaganza, and she has lit
major concert performers in Vegas and on tour. One of her more exciting pieces was a lighting performance art piece she created for installation at the Whitney Museum.
Critics and colleagues have acknowledged her work. The 1978 Drama-Logue Award in Los Angles
was given to Chiang for her design of Otherwise Engaged at South Coast Repel10ry Theatre. Her design
for MucbAdoAboutNothing at SCR received the same award in 1980. Light Comedies, produced at the
Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, received a 1980 Los Angles Drama Critics' Award nomination in
1984. In 1987 her design for AManfOrAlI Seasons at the Roundabout Theatre in lew York was nominated for an American Theatre Wing Award.
She is frequently involved with equipment manufacturers as they develop prototypes and make improvements in e.xisting equipment. In fact, Chiang authored the operation manual for the Ught Palette I.
She has even done some time in academic theatre as a guest faculty member at the Diversity of
Michigan, the Diversity of VIrginia, and Princeton Diversity.
Chiang tells a charming story of meeting Pilbrow for the first time.

Ricbardand Ifirst met in 1989wbile I was resident lighting designer at tbe 'ew York City
Opera. I went to see Ricbardgive one ofbisfamous slide sbow talks at an Opera America
conference in ew York. AftenuarrJs RicbardandI cbatted on the way to a luncheon, he invitedme to sit with him at luncb, and we continued our conversation tbroughout tbe entire
meal Afew da)'s latm; one ofbis colleagues at Theatre Projects Consultants calledto ask 111e
to do a researcb projectfor the company under Ricbard's direction.
After doing afew different projectsfOr Ricbard and TPC Oller ayear 01' two on an ad
boe basis, Ricbardinvited111e to work with bim Oil various sbows tbat be was lighting. Tbat
began our ongoing collaboration on a numher ofproductions over the ensuingyears.
That association has produced many exciting and complex productions. For each major Broadway
show Chiang has been responsible for supervising and facilitating the custom engineeling involved in the
lighting. She is also responsible for all technical and logistical aspects ofthe productions. Quang works closely
with the production electrician to ensure that the show remains on schedule and is ready for tech.
Afew of her Broadway credits as associate and assistant lighting designer include Busker Alley,
Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and Sbowboat with Richard Pilbrow; La Cage Aux Folies and Rock
andRoll-The First5,000 Yem:s with Rick Fisher; and Sopbisticated Ladies with Jennifer Tipton.
Chiang has also worked outside the confines of the stage: she was on the film editing staff for four
feature films including The Manbaffan Project and Running on Empty; she has served as consultant
on numerous arcllitectural projects for Theatre Projects Consultants Roger Morgan Studios, and the
PetersonNrne Agency; and she has designed for dance, opera, television, and industrials.
Chiang's design and organizational skills make her one of the busiest women in professional
lighting design. 0 doubt her name will appear in many more Stagebills in the future.
Sbowboat was one of the first shows where Clliang and Pilbrow used WYSIWYG to program the intelligent lighting fixtures. Because the scenery cre\vs were behind schedule, Pilbrow decided it was
more important to leave the stage clear for the crew than to take his scheduled tinle for programming
intelligent fixtures. Chiang said, "We were able to do the programming [using WYSIWYG] in one and a
half hours instead of the normal eight it would have taken us."
She tells an interesting story about changes made to the lighting rig when Sbowboat moved to
Broadway after its first production in Toronto. The producer, Garth Drabinsky, liked the changes
made in ew York so much that Clliang and Pilbrow were sent back to Toronto to add tile same
equipment into tile Canadian design. Clliang said, "Tllis was the only time in history when a producer told the lighting designers to go out and spend more money!"
24

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TZl&T

eyes. 1kept thinking, I've forgotten how to do
tllis. Then, of course, you fiddle around with
this and that. The actors come in and you get
the proper funuture and it looks quite good."
Pilbrow concludes, "It is stressful, but
perhaps you shouldn't be designing if it is just
routine." He laughs and adds, "Besides, it
used to be much worse. I used to go throw up
before I lit a show. 1would finish focus and go
to the 100 for half an hour to lose lunch."

The Entrepreneur
Pilbrow has been a theatre producer, bringing
more than thirty shows to London's West End
including A FlIllny Tbing Happelled 011 tbe
lVay to the Forum (before Whoopie Goldberg) ,

Fiddler 011 tbe Roof, Cabaret, Company,
lVest Side StOIJ', and I'm Not Rappaport.
The producing ventures involved the entire Pilbrow family. Molly Pilbrow tells the
story of one musical's preview. "Richard and I
were standing at the back of tl1e stalls watching tl1e show. I realized 1did not know where
Daisy (the Pilbrows' daughter) was. Then we
hear tllis thin voice coming out of the pit. She
had found her way to the front of the house
and was singing with tile cast."
Pilbrow was a very successful producer.
He says, "1 loved it. 1 found the whole process
absolutely fascinating, marketing the shows,
putting the casts together, and dealing with every aspect of the shows."
When asked why he left the business end
of production, Pilbrow replies, "I was lighting, consulting, prodUcing mo,~es, running
the firm, doing all sorts of stuff. 1decided to
simplify my life and producing was getting
harder and harder. It was too much worry.
Raising money was not my thing and it became a bigger and bigger nightmare to raise
that kind of money. Consulting seemed more
important than producing."
Aslow smile played across his lips as he
added, "Besides, the show closes on Saturday
and no one remembers it. Witl1 consulting the
people are stuck with your work forever."

Outside the Theatre
Pilbrow has directed and produced for film
and television. He also directed Stanley
Eveling's Mister at the Duchess theatre in
London's West End.
He has also authored two books. The
original Stage LiglJtillg was first published in
1970. For many that was an introduction to
Pilbrow's philosophy of lighting design. It also
outlined some of the history of the develop-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1999