Kenneth Posner is an American

lighting designer In theatre, a lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text while keeping ...

, working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in American regional theatre. His most notable designs include the musicals '' Wicked'' and '' Hairspray'', two highly regarded musicals of the early 21st century. In 2007, he won the

Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play for outstanding Lighting design of a play. The award was first presented in 2005 after the category of Best Lighting Design was divided into Lighting ...

for his work on '' The Coast of Utopia (Part 2 - Shipwreck)''.

Career and education

He has been nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Lighting Design This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for outstanding lighting design of a play or musical. The award was first presented in 1970. Since 2005, the category was divided into Lighting Design in a Play ...

11 times and won once for ''The Coast of Utopia (Part 2 - Shipwreck)'' in 2011. His nominations have included nods for ''

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...

'' (2011), '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2005), '' Wicked'' (2004), '' Hairspray'' (2003), and ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the no ...

'' (2001). He has also been nominated 10 times for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design and received an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the ...

for Sustained Excellence in Lighting in 2003. In 2013, Posner achieved a near-sweep of the nominations for the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical, garnering nods in three of the four eligible slots (for '' Kinky Boots'', ''

Pippin Pippin or Pepin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pippin (comics), ''Pippin'' (comics), a children's comic produced from 1966 to 1986 * Pippin (musical), ''Pippin'' (musical), a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz loosely based on the life ...

'', and '' Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella''), though he lost to '' Matilda The Musical''. Posner was educated at SUNY Purchase, where

Brian MacDevitt Brian MacDevitt is a lighting designer and educator. He has worked extensively on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as touring, Regional theatre, and Industrial productions. He won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for his work on the ...

also attended. He is a 1983 graduate of

Eastchester High School Eastchester High School is located in Westchester County, New York in the town of Eastchester. A part of the Eastchester Union Free School District, it is a former U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon school with approximately 1009 students ...

Eastchester, New York Eastchester is a town in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was over 34,641 at the 2020 United States census over 32,363 at the 2010 census. There are two villages within the town: Bronxville and Tuckahoe. The ...

. He also attended

Boston University College of Fine Arts The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...

Personal life

He is currently a resident of

Verona, New Jersey Verona is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 14,572, an increase of 1,240 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 13,332, which in turn reflected a dec ...

and was born in 1966.KENNETH POSNER
, ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

''. Accessed January 11, 2008. "He resides in Verona, New Jersey, with his wife Michelle and their three children."

Productions

Broadway

* ''

The Rose Tattoo ''The Rose Tattoo'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams in 1949 and 1950; after its Chicago premiere on December 29, 1950, he made further revisions to the play for its Broadway premiere on February 2, 1951, and its publication by ...

'' – 1995 * '' The Father'' – 1996 * '' Getting Away With Murder'' – 1996 * '' The Rehearsal'' – 1996 * ''

The Last Night of Ballyhoo ''The Last Night of Ballyhoo'' is a play by Alfred Uhry that premiered in 1996 in Atlanta. The play is a comedy/drama, which is set in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 1939. Plot The play is set in the upper class German-Jewish community living in ...

'' – 1997 * '' The Little Foxes'' – 1997 * ''

A View From the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...

'' – 1997 * '' Side Man'' – 1998 * '' Little Me'' – 1998 * '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' – 1999 * '' The Lion in Winter'' – 1999 * ''

Swing! ''Swing!'' is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the Swing era of jazz (1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like Duke Ellington, William "Count" Basie, Benny Goodma ...

'' – 1999 * ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the di ...

'' – 2000 * ''

'' – 2001 * ''

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? ''The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?'' is a full-length play written in 2000 by Edward Albee which opened on Broadway in 2002. It won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, and was a finalist for the 2003 ...

'' – 2002 * ''

The Smell of the Kill ''The Smell of the Kill'' is a play by Michele Lowe that premiered at Cleveland Play House in 1999.
Cleveland Play ...

'' – 2002 * ''

The Man Who Had All the Luck ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' is a play by Arthur Miller, his second major play (after '' No Villain''). ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' follows protagonist David Beeves’ existential exploration into the enigmatic question of how fate and t ...

'' – 2002 * '' Hairspray'' – 2002 * ''

Imaginary Friends Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...

'' – 2002 * '' Wicked'' – 2003 * ''

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All ''Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All'' is a 1989 first novel by Allan GurganusReed, Susan and Hutchings, Davi"He's 42, She's 99—Together They Make the South Rise Again"''People Magazine'', September 18, 1989 which was on the New York Times ...

'' – 2003 * ''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' ( grc-gre, Βάτραχοι, Bátrakhoi, Frogs; la, Ranae, often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus i ...

'' – 2004 * ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the live ...

'' – 2005 * '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' – 2005 * ''

Glengarry Glen Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts ...

'' – 2005 * '' The Odd Couple'' – 2005 * '' Lestat'' – 2005 * '' The Coast of Utopia (Part 2 - Shipwreck)'' – 2006 * '' The Pirate Queen'' – 2007 * ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...

'' – 2007 * '' Grease'' – 2007 * ''

The Homecoming ''The Homecoming'' is a two-act play written in 1964 by Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony A ...

'' – 2007 * ''

9 to 5 Working(laboring) time is the period of time that a person spends at paid labor. Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countries regulate the work week by law, s ...

'' – 2009 * ''

The Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papa ...

'' – 2009 * '' The Miracle Worker'' – 2010 * ''

Lend Me a Tenor ''Lend Me a Tenor'' is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play was produced on both the West End (1986) and Broadway (1989). It received nine Tony Award nominations and won for Best Actor (Philip Bosco) and Best Director (Jerry Zaks). A Broadway re ...

'' – 2010 * ''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam ( brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' – 2010 * ''

A Life in the Theatre ''A Life in the Theatre'' is a 1977 play by David Mamet. It focuses on the relationship between two actors, the play's only characters. One, Robert, is a stage veteran while John is a young, promising actor. As the play goes on they are involv ...

'' – 2010 * ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' – 2010 * '' Elling'' – 2010 * ''

Catch Me if You Can ''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American Biographical film, biographical crime film, crime Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin ...

'' – 2010 * '' Relatively Speaking'' – 2011 * ''

Other Desert Cities ''Other Desert Cities'' is a play by Jon Robin Baitz. The play premiered Off-Broadway in January 2011 and transferred to Broadway in November 2011, marking the Broadway debut of a Baitz play. The play was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize f ...

'' – 2011 * '' Gore Vidal's The Best Man'' – 2012 * ''

The Columnist ''The Columnist'' is a play by American playwright David Auburn. It opened on Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, under the direction of Daniel J. Sullivan. The play opened on April 25, 2012 and closed July 8, 2012 with John Lithgow starring a ...

'' – 2012 * '' Harvey'' – 2012 * '' Rogers + Hammerstein's Cinderella'' – 2013 * '' Kinky Boots'' – 2013 * ''

'' – 2013 * ''

If/Then ''If/Then'' is a musical with a libretto by Brian Yorkey and a theatrical score by Tom Kitt, directed by Michael Greif. It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start. ''If/Then'' ...

'' – 2014 * ''

Disgraced ''Disgraced'' is a 2012 play by novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar. It premiered in Chicago and has had Off-Broadway and Off West End engagements. The play, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, opened on Broadway at the Lyceum The ...

'' – 2014 * '' Finding Neverland'' – 2015 * ''

On Your Feet! ''On Your Feet!'' is a jukebox musical that played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. Based on the lives and music of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan, the musical has a book written by Alexander Dine ...

'' – 2015 * '' Tuck Everlasting'' – 2016 * '' War Paint'' – 2017 * ''John Lithgow: Stories by Heart'' – 2018 * ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler a ...

'' – 2018 * '' Pretty Woman: The Musical'' – 2018 * ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'' – 2019 *'' Take Me Out'' – 2021

Touring

* ''

'' (2000-2001) * '' Hairspray'' (2003-2006) * '' Wicked'' Tours ** Emerald City Tour (2005-2015) ** Chicago Tour (2005-2009) ** Los Angeles Tour (2007-2009) ** San Francisco Tour (2009-2010) ** Munchkinland Tour (2009-present) * ''

'' (2005-2006) * '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2006-2007) * '' Grease'' (2008-2010) * ''Kinky Boots'' (2014-2017) * ''

'' (2014-2016) * '' Rogers + Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (2014-2016) * ''

'' (2015-2016) * ''Finding Neverland'' (2016-2018) * ''

'' (2017-2019) * ''

'' (2019-present) * '' Pretty Woman: The Musical'' (upcoming)

West End

* '' Hairspray'' – 2007 * ''

'' – 2010 * '' Kinky Boots'' – 2015 * ''

'' – 2019 * '' Wicked'' – 2021 * '' Pretty Woman: The Musical'' – 2021

Off-Broadway

*'' Emerald City'' – 1988 *''Come As You Are'' – 1990 *'' Machinal'' – 1990 *''Walking the Dead'' – 1991 *''

Ruthless! ''Ruthless! The Musical'' is an all-female musical with music by Marvin Laird and book and lyrics by Joel Paley that spoofs Broadway musicals, like '' Gypsy'' and ''Mame'', and movies such as '' The Bad Seed'' and ''All About Eve''. The musical ...

'' – 1992 *''Spike Heels'' – 1992 *''Flaubert's Latest'' – 1992 *''The Madame MacAdam Traveling Theatre'' – 1992 *''On the Bum'' – 1992 *'' On the Open Road'' – 1993 *''Sophistry'' – 1993 *''Time on Fire'' – 1993 *''

Marisol (play) ''Marisol'' is a play in two acts written by the Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera. The work earned Rivera a 1993 Obie Award for playwriting. Synopsis Marisol Perez, a young Puerto Rican woman, is a copy editor for a Manhattan publisher. Al ...

'' – 1993 *'' Johnny Pye and the Fool-Killer'' – 1993 *''The Swan'' – 1994 *''

Suburbia A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include Commercial area, commercial and mixed-use development, mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a ...

'' – 1994 *''A Cheever Evening'' – 1994 *''The Scarlett Letter'' – 1994 *''

'' – 1995 *''The Radical Mystique'' – 1995 *'' Endgame'' – 1995 *'' Wake Up, I'm Fat''– 1995 *"Cowgirls'' – 1996 *''The Blues Are Running'' – 1996 *''Nine Armenians'' – 1996 *''

Dealer's Choice Dealer's choice is a style of poker where each player may deal a different variant. As the deal passes clockwise around the table, each player occupying the dealer position chooses a variant which is either played just for the current hand or fo ...

'' – 1997 *'' Collected Stories'' – 1997 *'' As Bees In Honey Drown'' – 1997 *'' Misalliance'' – 1997 *''

Pride's Crossing ''Pride's Crossing'' is a play by Tina Howe. It received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play and was a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play focuses on 90-year-old Mabel Tidings Bigelow, who as a you ...

'' – 1997 *'' Side Man'' – 1998 *''Labor Day'' – 1998 *''2.5 Minute Ride'' – 1999 *''

That Championship Season ''That Championship Season'' is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play. Plot synopsis The setting is 1972 at the Coach's home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. O ...

'' – 1999 *''The Author's Voice & Imagining Brad'' – 1999 *'' Give Me Your Answer, Do!'' – 1999 *'' The Play About the Baby'' – 2000 *'' The Wild Party'' – 2000 *''The Altruists'' – 2000 *''

The Waverly Gallery ''The Waverly Gallery'' is a play by Kenneth Lonergan. It is considered a "memory play". The show, first produced Off-Broadway in 2000, follows a grandson watching his grandmother slowly die from Alzheimer's disease. The play was a finalist for th ...

'' – 2000 *''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some cri ...

'' – 2000 *'' The Credeaux Canvas'' – 2001 *'' Tick, Tick... Boom!'' – 2001 *''Music from a Sparkling Planet'' – 2001 *''

Hobson's Choice A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available. The most well known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leav ...

'' – 2002 *''Monster'' – 2002 *''F-ing A'' – 2003 *''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' – 2003 *''Valhalla'' – 2004 *'' Can-Can'' – 2004 * '' Entertaining Mr. Sloane'' – 2006 *''Satellites'' – 2006 *''Parlour Song'' – 2008 *''The New Century'' – 2008 *''Good Boys and True'' – 2008 *''The Savannah Disputation'' – 2008 *'' The Toxic Avenger'' – 2009 *''Our House'' – 2009 *''The Understudy'' – 2009 *''Mr. and Mrs. Fitch'' – 2010 *'' Me, Myself & I'' – 2010 *''

'' – 2011 *''Death Takes a Holiday'' – 2011 *''If I Forget'' – 2017 *''A Parallelogram'' – 2017 *''

Amy and the Orphans ''Amy and the Orphans'' is a 2018 play by Lindsey Ferrentino. The play officially opened Off-Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre on March 1, 2018. The play is about three adult siblings, one with Down syndrome, re-unitin ...

'' – 2018 *''Long Lost'' – 2019 *''The Perplexed'' – 2020

Awards and nominations

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

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Posner, Kenneth Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Tony Award winners Obie Award recipients Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Eastchester High School alumni People from Verona, New Jersey