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,High Fidelityand The Mystery of Edwin Drood as well as the London, Broadway, Las Vegas, and touring productions of Avenue Q. Louizos was represented on Broadway with School of Rockat The Wintergarden Theatre,Holiday Inn (2016),Honeymoon in Vegas,Dames at Sea (2015),Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre in 2013–15.Other Broadway designs include Curtains (2007),,It Shoulda Been You,White Christmas on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre,The Performers,Steel Magnoliasand Golda's Balcony
Anna Louizos | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 24, 1957 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | scenic designer |
Early life and training
editLouizos 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
editLouizos 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] and 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
edit- 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)
- Scotland PA (2020, Outstanding Set 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
edit- ^ "Anna Louizos". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ D'Arcy, David (9 May 2010). "'In the Heights' set designer plays with magic". SFGATE.
- ^ http://www.broadwaycares.org/Page.aspx?pid=704
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (May 27, 2008). "Scenic Designer Anna Louizos Captured the Heights by Wandering Its Streets". Playbill. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Singer, Barry. "If the Shoes Fit", New York Magazine, December 13, 1993
- ^ McKinley, Jesse (November 10, 2000). "On Stage and Off; 'Jekyll and Hyde' Among Closings". The New York Times.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (August 1, 2010). "Theater Review; A Feeling You're Not On Sesame Street". The New York Times.
- ^ Als, Hilton (August 11, 2003). "Mayhem and Madness". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Johns, Ian (May 29, 2006): "These Toys are Really Us." Times of London Archive[dead link] Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ Fisher, Philip. "Theatre review: Avenue Q at Noël Coward Theatre". British Theatre Guide.
- ^ "Golda's Balcony". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (January 14, 2011). "Producers of Baby It's You! Eyeing Broadhurst Theatre and Beth Leavel". Playbill.
- ^ Riedel, Michael (January 14, 2011). "Musical's a Shirelles thing". New York Post.
- ^ Diamond, Robert (January 14, 2011). "Mutrux's BABY, IT'S YOU Musical to Play Broadhurst in Spring with Leavel in Talks to Star?". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 2, 2008). "Broadway's To Be or Not to Be Will Now Begin Sept. 13". Playbill.
- ^ "To Be Or Not To Be". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Andrew; Jones, Kenneth (October 20, 2008). "To Be or Not To Be to Close Nov. 16". Playbill.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 20, 2011). "Blighted Existences, Eased With Hope and Humor". The New York Times.
- ^ Lahr, John (October 24, 2011). "Bluebird of Unhappiness". The New Yorker.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (August 16, 2011). "Co-Op's Old Crank Finds a Fresh Spirit". The New York Times.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (February 15, 2008). "Sisterhood Is Complicated". The New York Times.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 3, 2008). "Broadway's White Christmas Will Star Bogardus, O'Malley, Denman and Patterson". Playbill.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio (October 7, 2008). "PHOTO CALL: White Christmas Comes to Times Square". Playbill.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio (November 21, 2008). "PHOTO CALL: Snow Falls on Broadway in White Christmas". Playbill.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 29, 2009). "Williamson, Ogden Stiers, Errico, Yazbeck Will Be Merry and Bright in Broadway's White Christmas". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009.
- ^ Varley, Eddie (August 24, 2009). "IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS Returns To Broadway, Previews Begin At The Marquis Theatre 11/13". BroadwayWorld.
- ^ Official site Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, whitechristmasthemusical.com, accessed September 30, 2009
- ^ Geselowitz, Gabriela (21 November 2012). "Full Broadway Cast Announced for Cinderella, Starring Laura Osnes". Broadway.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Gioia, Michael (18 December 2014). "Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock Will Shake Up Broadway Next Fall". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved 8 April 2022.