Anna Louizos
Anna Louizos | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1957 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | scenic designer |
Anna Louizos (born June 24, 1957)[1] is an American scenic designer and art director. She is known for her Tony Award-nominated sets for the musicals In the Heights and High Fidelity, as well as the London, Broadway, Las Vegas, and touring productions of Avenue Q. Louizos was represented on Broadway with Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre in 2013-15.
Early life and training
Louizos was born and grew up in Yuba City, California. She saw her first Broadway musical, Applause with Lauren Bacall, at age fifteen. Interested in performing as an actress, Louizos studied at Mills College, Oakland, before transferring to New York University to complete a degree in acting.[2] "Instructors recognized her talent as a visual artist, and progressively her post-graduate focus shifted to design," wrote Andy Smith of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.[3] She used to live in the East Village, Manhattan, New York City.[4] She received an MFA in Scenic design from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Career
Louizos served as art director at the 47th Tony Awards in 1993, and was associate scenic designer for the Broadway musical The Red Shoes[5] in December of that year. She continued as an associate designer with the Broadway production of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1997) at the Minskoff and Neil Simon Theatres.[6] From April to June 2000, she was associate scenic designer for the comedic play Taller Than a Dwarf and Uncle Vanya on Broadway.
Her first major production credit as scenic designer came in 2003, with the critically acclaimed musical Avenue Q. Written by Jeff Whitty, Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the musical premiered off-Broadway before opening on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre.[7][8][9] Wrote one reviewer of Louizos' sets: "[She] provides an adaptable row of ramshackle houses that convey a down-at-heel atmosphere and somehow change character to fit the mood, rather like glorified dolls' houses."[10]
Following the opening of Avenue Q, Louizos became art director for eight episodes of the 2003 television series Sex and the City. Her second Broadway scenic design was for the play Golda's Balcony at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2003.[11] Subsequent credits include the Broadway shows Steel Magnolias (2005), High Fidelity (2006), Curtains (2007),In the Heights (2007), All About Me (2010), and Baby It's You (2011).[12][13][14]
She designed sets for the Manhattan Theatre Club 2008 production of To Be or Not to Be on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.[15][16][17]
Other scenic design work includes the regional premieres of Minsky's, and Vanities, the Musical, as well as the off-Broadway productions of Altar Boyz and Tick, Tick... Boom!. Other off Broadway productions include "Sons of the Prophet",[18][19] "Olive and the Bitter Herbs",[20] "Crimes of the Heart",[21] "The Foreigner".
In November 2008, Louizos designed sets for the musical White Christmas on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre and multiple productions in the US since 2004, as well as the UK production.[22][23][24] A year later, in November 2009, the musical returned to Broadway in a revival production at the Marquis Theatre.[25][26][27] She most recently served as the scenic designer for the Broadway musical Cinderella, which opened in March 2013 at the Broadway Theatre.[28] In December 2014, it was announced that her next project would be Broadway bound School of Rock.[29]
Awards and nominations
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2013, Best Scenic Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- In the Heights (2008, Best Scenic Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- High Fidelity (2007, Best Scenic Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- Irving Berlin's White Christmas (2009, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- In the Heights (2007, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- Curtains (2007, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- High Fidelity (2007, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical) (nominee)
- In Transit (2011, Best Set Design) (nominee)
- In the Heights (2007, Best Set Design) (nominee)
- Avenue Q (2003, Best Set Design) (nominee)
- The 46th Annual Tony Awards (1993, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program) (nominee)
References
- ^ Anna Louizos Credits" broadwayworld.com, accessed July 30, 2015
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/05/09/PKUL1D6NVF.DTL
- ^ http://www.broadwaycares.org/Page.aspx?pid=704
- ^ Scenic Designer Anna Louizos Captured the Heights by Wandering Its Streets
- ^ Singer, Barry. "If the Shoes Fit", New York Magazine, December 13, 1993
- ^ McKinley, Jesse."On Stage and Off:'Jekyll and Hyde' Among Closings",The New York Times, November 10, 2000
- ^ Brantley, Ben (August 1, 2003): "A Feeling You're Not On Sesame Street." nytimes.com Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ Als, Hilton (August 11, 2003): "Mayhem and Madness." New Yorker Archive Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ Johns, Ian (May 29, 2006): "These Toys are Really Us." Times of London Archive Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/avenueqnovello-rev.htm
- ^ Goldas Balcony ibdb.com, accessed July 30, 2015
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Producers of Baby It's You! Eyeing Broadhurst Theatre and Beth Leavel". Playbill. January 14, 2011.
- ^ Reidel, Michael. "Musical's a Shirelles thing". The New York Post. January 13, 2011.
- ^ "Mutrux's Baby, It's You Musical to Play Broadhurst in Spring with Leavel in Talks to Star?". Broadway.com, January 14, 2011.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth."Broadway's 'To Be or Not to Be' Will Now Begin Sept. 13", playbill.com article, September 2, 2008
- ^ To Be or Not to Be ibdb
- ^ Gans, Andrew and Jones, Kenneth."To Be or Not To Be to Close Nov. 16", playbill.com, October 20, 2008
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 20, 2011): "Blighted Existences Eased With Hope and Humor." [1]
- ^ Lahr, John (October31, 2011): "Bluebird of Unhappiness."
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (August 16, 2011): "Co-Op's Old Crank Finds a Fresh Spirit." [2]
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (February 15, 2008): "Sisterhood is Complicated."
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Broadway's White Christmas Will Star Bogardus, O'Malley, Denman and Patterson", playbill.com, September 3, 2008
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio. Photo Call: White Christmas Comes to Times Square", playbill.com, October 7, 2008
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio. Photo Call: Snow Falls on Broadway in White Christmas", playbill.com, November 21, 2008
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Williamson, Ogden Stiers, Errico, Yazbeck Will Be Merry and Bright in Broadway's White Christmas", playbill.com, September 29, 2009
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Irving Berlin's White Christmas Returns to Broadway, Previews Begin at The Marquis Theatre", broadwayworld.com, accessed September 30, 2009
- ^ Official site, whitechristmasthemusical.com, accessed September 30, 2009
- ^ "Full Broadway Cast Announced for Cinderella, Starring Laura Osnes". broadway.com. Broadway.Com. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock Will Shake Up Broadway Next Fall". playbill.com. Playbill. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.