Dennis Parichy is an American lighting designer. He won the 1980

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for ''

Talley's Folly ''Talley's Folly'' is a 1980 play by American playwright Lanford Wilson. The play is the second in ''The Talley Trilogy'', between his plays '' Talley & Son'' and ''Fifth of July''. Set in a boathouse near rural Lebanon, Missouri in 1944, it is ...

'' and the

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

in 1981.

Career

Parichy has designed lighting for 25

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

productions since 1976, including: '' The Price'', '' The Tenth Man'', '' Coastal Disturbances'', ''

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since 1975. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo has bee ...

'', ''

Burn This ''Burn This'' (stylized as ''Burn/This'' for the 2019 revival) is a play by Lanford Wilson. Like much of Wilson's work, the play includes themes of gay identity and relationships. Plot summary The play begins shortly after the funeral of Robb ...

'', '' The Nerd'', ''

As Is "As is" is a phrase used to indicate the existing condition of something without any modifications or improvements. The term is employed in legal, business, and consumer settings to establish that an item or property is being sold or provided in i ...

'', '' Angels Fall'', ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'', ''

Duet for One ''Duet for One'' is a 1986 British drama film adapted from the play, a two-hander by Tom Kempinski, about a world-famous concert violinist named Stephanie Anderson who is suddenly struck with multiple sclerosis. It is set in London, and directe ...

'', ''

Crimes of the Heart ''Crimes of the Heart'' is a play by American playwright Beth Henley. It is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, th ...

'', '' The Water Engine'', and '' Knock Knock''."Dennis Parichy Credits and Awards"
playbillvault.com, accessed September 4, 2015 He has designed for

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and regional theatres as well. His first Off-Broadway show was ''Little Eyolf'' at the Actors Playhouse in 1964; he was the lighting designer for the

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed". Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwrigh ...

plays '' Ludlow Fair'' at

Caffe Cino Caffe Cino was an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1958 by Joe Cino. The West Village coffeehouse, located at 31 Cornelia Street, was initially conceived as a venue for poetry, folk music, and visual art exhibitions. The plays produced at th ...

in 1965 and ''Book of Days'' in a Signature Theatre Company production in November 2002."Dennis Parichy Off-Broadway Credits"
lortel.org, accessed September 4, 2015 Parichy has been nominated three times for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

, for his work on '' Redwood Curtain'' (1993), ''

Fifth of July Fifth of July may refer to: Dates * July 5 * Independence Day (Venezuela) * Fifth of July (New York) Other uses * ''Fifth of July'' (play) by Lanford Wilson * '' The Fifth of July'', album by Watershed {{disambiguation, date ...

'' (1981), and ''

'' (1980), for which he won a 1980

. He was the resident lighting designer for

Circle Repertory Company The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by di ...

where he worked with director

Marshall W. Mason Marshall W. Mason (born February 24, 1940) is an American theater director, educator, and writer. Mason founded the Circle Repertory Company in New York City and was artistic director of the company for 18 years (1969–1987). He received an Obie ...

on the first productions of plays by many American playwrights. He lit many productions for the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

, such as '' The Miss Firecracker Contest'' (1984), ''Bloody Poetry'' (1987) and ''Aristocrats'' (1989). He has had a long working relationship with

Athol Fugard Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard (; 11 June 19328 March 2025) was a South African playwright, novelist, actor and director. Widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright and acclaimed as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaki ...

. He designed the lighting for Fugard's ''Scenes from Soweto'' (Manhattan Theatre Club, 1978), ''Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act'' (Manhattan Theatre Club, 1978), '' Boesman and Lena'' (Off-Broadway, 1992), ''Playland'' (1993) (Manhattan Theatre Club), and ''My Children! My Africa!'' (Off-Broadway, 1989). At the

McCarter Theatre McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1963. A two-time Tony Award winner, the McCarter’s legacy traces back to ...

, Princeton, New Jersey, he was the lighting designer for ''The Captain's Tiger'' (1998); at

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Rep (Seattle Repertory Theatre) is a major regional theater located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann.People's Light and Theatre Company People's Light and Theatre Company is a professional non-profit theatre company in Malvern, Pennsylvania. History People's Light, a professional non-profit theatre company, was founded in 1973 by Dick Keeler, Ken Marini, and Megan and Danny Fr ...

, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and has provided lighting for many shows there since 2004. He was the lighting designer for People's Light production of ''Nathan the Wise'' starring David Straithairn in September 2009. Among his many works in regional theatre he designed the lighting for the Repertory of St. Louis Repertory Theatre and Hartford Stage production of Lanford Wilson's ''Book of Days'' in 1999, starring

Dee Hoty Dee Hoty (born August 16, 1952) is an American actress known for her work in musical theatre. Over the course of her career, she has appeared in numerous Broadway productions and earned three Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musica ...

. He was the lighting designer for the

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is a regional theatre in the United States. It was founded in 1959 by college student Gerald Covell and was one of the first regional theatres in the United States. Located in Eden Park, the first play tha ...

production of ''Tally's Folly'' in 2001. He was the lighting designer for the

Pittsburgh Public Theater Pittsburgh Public Theater, or The Public for short, is a professional theater company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Public celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024/2025, and is led by Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski and Managing Dir ...

production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' in 1999, starring

Bonnie Franklin Bonnie Gail Franklin (January 6, 1944 – March 1, 2013) was an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Ann Romano in the television series ''One Day at a Time (1975 TV series), One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984). She was nom ...

. He received the 1981

for sustained excellence in lighting design. Parichy teaches Theatre Design/Technology at Purchase College. He is a graduate of

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

.Faculty Design/Technology"
purchase.edu, accessed September 4, 2015

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parichy, Dennis American lighting designers Drama Desk Award winners Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

Career

Further reading

References