Shirley Prendergast
Shirley Prendergast | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 15, 1932 |
| Died | February 26, 2019 |
| Other names | Merris Shirley Prendergast |
| Occupation | lighting designer |
Merris Shirley Prendergast (June 15, 1932 – February 26, 2019) was a theater lighting designer notable for being the first African-American woman admitted to the United Scenic Artists’ lighting division, in 1969, and the first African-American female lighting designer on Broadway in 1973.[1][2] She designed lighting for Broadway shows such as Waltz of the Stork, Amen Corner, and the Paul Robeson one-man show.[3] Prendergast designed lighting for fifty years, well in to her mid-80s. One of her last lighting design productions was Zora Neale Hurston: a Theatrical Biography in 2016.[4]
Early life
Prendergast was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dorita and Wilford Prendergast.[1] She grew up in Boston and New York.[4] She studied microbiology at Brooklyn College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954.[3] She worked as a bacteriologist with the New York City Health Department, and did her art in the evenings.[3] She took a lighting design class at the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association)[5] with Nicola Cernovich, a designer with Alvin Ailey's dance troupe.[3] She then went on to study lighting at Lester Polakov's Studio of Stage Design.[3]
Her first jobs were lighting design for the Negro Ensemble Company; one of their shows The River Niger, went to Broadway and established her in her new career.[3]
Awards and honors
- Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design (1997)
- Winona Lee Fletcher Award from the Black Theatre Network (1998)
- United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design (2014)[3]
References
- ^ a b Perkins, Kathy A. (Summer 2014). "The Remarkable Career of ShIrley Prendergast". Theater Design & Technology. 50 (3): 30–39. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
- ^ Perkins, Kathy A. (2019-04-04). "Trailblazing lighting designer Shirley Prendergast passes". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Shirley Prendergast Honored for Lighting". USITT. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ a b Perkins, Kathy A. (2019-04-09). "In Memoriam: Shirley Prendergast". USITT News. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hickmanbrady/tdt_2014summer/index.php#/p/32