Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010 - 61

lighting deSign

by Richard Devin and Richard E. Dunham
lighting design has been a major interest of usitt members from the early days of the institute
as exemplified by an article in the first issue of TD&T: Planning for Lighting Control Systems by
david thayer (May 1965). for the first couple of decades, the usitt technical information commission and the engineering commission included research and projects in lighting technology
within their mission, but by 1980, the expanding and increasingly vocal interests of production and facility designers in
lighting and sound demanded more in-depth attention. randy earle, who was then the vice President for commissions
and Projects, contacted charlie richmond and dick devin with the idea that they form a subcommittee to the scenography commission for lighting and sound and explore the need and desirability within the membership to embrace an
expanded focus on lighting and sound design issues, research, and communication. Members were asked to send us
their ideas and questions and to register their interest in formally expanding the institute's activities and organization in
these areas of focus. the response was impressive, though in the pre-e-mail era, it took a while for the notes and letters
to dribble in. in 1981, a new lighting and sound commission was formed with charlie richmond and dick devin as cocommissioners. (Jim sales later served as co-commissioner of the combined lighting and sound commission.)
in august of 1984, President randy earle announced the formation of two separate commissions, the sound design commission
and the lighting design commission. charlie richmond of richmond
sound design served as sound design commissioner and William
Warfel was the first commissioner of the new lighting design commis-

sion. (for more information about the sound commission, see page
70.) succeeding William Warfel were John Williams (1988), cindy limauro (1990), craig Wolf (1993), ellen Jones (1997), rich dunham
(1998), buddy combs (2003), anthony Phelps (2007), and vickie
scott (2010). the lighting commission often had co-commissioners

lighting dSign

1990

President George H. W. Bush sends
USITT letter extending best wishes on its
thirtieth anniversary.

1990

Iraq invades Kuwait, August 2.

1990
1990

Nelson Mandela freed
after twenty-seven years
in prison in South Africa,
February 11.

1990

Exhibit of the works of
Russian designer, Kazimir
Malevich, opens at the National
Gallery of Art, Washington,
DC. Lucy Kraus wrote about
the exhibit in the Fall issue of
TD&T.

Top ticekt price for Miss Saigon is $100.

1990

USITT's fourth office
space, 10 West 19th St.,
Ste. 5A, New York, NY
10011-4206

1990

Publication of first
edition of "Practical Projects
for Teaching Lighting Design,
a Compendium." Second
edition was published in 1992
and updated with corrections
in 1999.

1990-1992

Donald C. Shulman USITT President

1990

30th Annual USITT Conference & Stage
Expo, Milwaukee, MN. Introduction of "falling
star" motif in conference graphics.

W I N T E R

2010

theatre

design

teChnology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010