Richard L. Hay (born 1929) is the principal theatre and scenic director at the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

Career

Hay has since 1950 been actor, lighting assistant, technical director, art director, designer and technical director, resident scenic designer, and principal theatre and scenic director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, interrupted by occasional stints at other theatres. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has dedicated its 2009 season, the fiftieth anniversary of the Elizabethan Stage which he designed, to Richard Hay. Over more than half a century, Hay has designed four theaters and 245 productions, 112 of them by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, for the festival. He has designed sets for every single one of Shakespeare’s plays two times, and he has designed sets for

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 ...

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, Henry V and

Much Ado about Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

five times. He designed nine other theaters including the Festival Stage and New Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, the Source Theatre and Space Theatre in Denver, the

Intiman Playhouse Intiman Theatre Festival in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 1972 as a resident theatre by Margaret "Megs" Booker, who named it for August Strindberg's Stockholm theater.

in Seattle, the

Milwaukee Repertory Theater Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("Milwaukee Rep") is a theater company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the group is housed in the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex, which includes the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, ...

, and

Artists Repertory Theatre Artists Repertory Theatre (Artists Rep) is a professional non-profit theatre located in Portland, Oregon, United States. The longest-running professional theatre company in Portland, since 1982 the company has focused on presenting the works of ...

in Portland, Oregon. Outside of the Oregon Shakespearean Festival he has done the scenic design for 85 additional productions at theatres such as the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighboring ...

in Los Angeles,

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C., and the

Gramercy Arts Theatre Gramercy means 'many thanks'. It is derived from the French term , meaning 'big thanks'. The term may refer to: Places in the United States * Gramercy, Louisiana * Gramercy Park, a private park and neighborhood in New York City * Gramercy Park, ...

and

Nederlander Theatre The Nederlander Theatre (formerly the National Theatre, the Billy Rose Theatre, and the Trafalgar Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, it was desi ...

(formerly Billy Rose Theatre) in New York. He is known for producing sets that vary from the highly realistic through the whimsical to the stark and abstract, and for his ability to work with directors and technical staff.

Biography

Richard Hay as a child made a cardboard box theatre with colored construction paper scenery, and as a teenager designed his first set for his high school class production of Pride and Prejudice in Wichita, Kansas. He earned his BA in civil engineering and architecture in 1952, and his MA in theater arts from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. He was a

Fulbright Fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in England and is the recipient of the Oregon Governor’s Arts Award. the Hollywood Drama-Logue Critics Award, the Portland, Oregon, Critics Circle Drammy Award, and was selected as the first recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award of the

United States Institute for Theatre Technology The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) is a membership organization which aims to advance the skills and knowledge of theatre, entertainment and performing arts professionals involved in the areas of theatrical design, design, ...

. He has been listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who in Entertainment, and Theatrical Designers: An International Biographical Dictionary. He has appeared in small roles in

Henry IV, Part One ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...

, and

The Knight of the Burning Pestle ''The Knight of the Burning Pestle'' is a play in five acts by Francis Beaumont, first performed at Blackfriars Theatre in 1607 and published in a quarto in 1613. It is the earliest whole parody (or pastiche) play in English. The play is a sat ...

. His early work is summarized with illustrations in A Space for Magic: Stage Settings by Richard Hay.

Dick Hay Pie

Dick Hay Pie, a signature dessert at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland, is named after Richard L. Hay. It is made of ice cream, peanut butter, and chocolate. The secret origin of the Dick Hay Pie was revealed in the sho
''Crossing The Streams''
at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre on September 27 and 29, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Richard L. American scenic designers 1929 births Living people