Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2019 - Public - 56

greatest joy in shining lights at actors
and scenery. In addition to being influenced as a designer by Mac and Oren
Parker, Nancarrow also assisted Jean
Rosenthal during his semesters at Yale
and "learned a few tricks" from her. In
the summer of 1963, at the suggestion
of McCandless, Nancarrow applied for
the position of lighting designer at the
University of Texas. UT drama department chairman Loren Winship was in-

terested in starting a Lighting Design
program there, and Nancarrow would
round out the design triumvirate of
scene designer Dr. John Rothgeb and
costume designer Dr. Paul Reinhardt.
Over the next 20 years, these three
created a formidable design program,
which was considered one of the best
in the country. At UT, Nancarrow met
and worked with theatre luminary Dr.
B. Iden Payne. It was Payne who sug-

Nancarrow's final
production with Austin
Opera was the 25th
anniversary of The Magic
Flute, November 5-13,
2011. Photo courtesy of
Austin Opera.

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THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

SPRING 2019

gested that Nancarrow pursue his
Ph.D. studies at the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham,
and in 1975 he graduated with his doctorate in a program created specifically
for his interest in the technical aspects
of historical Shakespeare productions.
During his time at the University of
Texas, Nancarrow served as head of the
design area, graduate advisor, acting
department chair, and associate dean
of the College of Fine Arts. He created
many lighting and scenic designs for
the department of theatre and dance
and the opera department productions,
as well as acting in a few. He worked
closely with the UT Alumni Association for more than 35 years, serving as
the designer and production manager
for the annual Distinguished Alumni
Awards program. In lieu of a design fee
for this service, the Texas Exes provided a scholarship in Nancarrow's name,
which was awarded to one student annually. Nancarrow considered winning
the UT Outstanding Teaching Award
twice as one of his greatest honors at
the university, because it was voted on
by the students.
Nancarrow had a very active professional design career in the Austin
area that continued after his retirement from UT. He designed for Ballet Austin, The State Theatre, Mary
Moody Northen Theatre, and Austin
Opera. Asked by Walter DeCloux to
serve as the resident lighting designer, Nancarrow was a founding artistic
member of Austin Opera (Austin Lyric
Opera), for whom he designed lighting
for more than 60 productions. Many
opera audience members knew Nancarrow as the handsome designer taking his bow dressed in his frock coat or
kilt. Nancarrow's first production with
Austin Opera at the Bass Concert Hall
was one of his favorite operas, The
Magic Flute, with scenery designed by
Maurice Sendak. In 2008, Nancarrow
helped usher the opera company into
Austin's new performing arts center,
The Long Center.
It was during several dress rehearsals of my own for Austin Opera
when I had the privilege of Nancarrow sitting behind me as a colleague.
Nancarrow had retired from designing
for the company, but still came to tech
rehearsals to see what the company

Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2019 - Public

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