Shirley Prendergast

Merris Shirley Prendergast (June 15, 1929 – 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. She was also the first African-American woman lighting designer on Broadway in 1973.[1][2] Prendergast designed lighting for Broadway shows such as Waltz of the Stork, Amen Corner, and the Paul Robeson one-man show.[3] She designed lighting for fifty years, well into her mid-80s. One of her last productions was Zora Neale Hurston: a Theatrical Biography in 2016.[4]

Shirley Prendergast
BornJune 15, 1929
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedFebruary 26, 2019
Other namesMerris Shirley Prendergast
Occupationlighting designer

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 focused on her art when not at work.[3] Prendergast 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]

One of her first jobs was as a lighting designer for the Negro Ensemble Company; one of their shows, The River Niger, went on to Broadway where she became established in her new career.[3]

Awards and honors
  • AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design (1974)
  • AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design for Unfinished Women... (1977) [6]
  • Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design (1997)
  • Winona Lee Fletcher Award from the Black Theatre Network (1998)
  • AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design for The Dance on Widow's Row (2000) [7]
  • AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design for Knock Me a Kiss (2011) [8]
  • United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design (2014)[3]

References
  1. Perkins, Kathy A. (Summer 2014). "The Remarkable Career of ShIrley Prendergast". Theater Design & Technology. 50 (3): 30–39. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  2. Perkins, Kathy A. (2019-04-04). "Trailblazing lighting designer Shirley Prendergast passes". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  3. "Shirley Prendergast Honored for Lighting". USITT. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  4. Perkins, Kathy A. (2019-04-09). "In Memoriam: Shirley Prendergast". USITT News. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  5. "Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2014".
  6. Robinson, Vivian (1983). "The First Ten Years of AUDELCO". Black American Literature Forum. 17 (2): 79–81. doi:10.2307/2904584. ISSN 0148-6179.
  7. Lefkowitz, David; Hernandez, Ernio (November 21, 2000). "Jitney Takes Eight AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre". Playbill.
  8. "Lia Chang: Knock Me a Kiss Sweeps Audelcos with 9 Wins Including Best Dramatic Play, André De Shields, Marie Thomas, Charles Smith and Chuck Smith". Backstage Pass with Lia Chang. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2020-11-20
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