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{{Short description|American lighting designer (1956–2020)}}
'''Howell Binkley''' is a professional lighting designer in New York City. He received the 2006 [[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design]] of a musical for ''Jersey Boys''.
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024|cs1-dates=ly}}{{Infobox artist
| image = Howell Binkley 2016 Tony Awards.png
| caption = Binkley at the [[2016 Tony Awards]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1956|07|25}}
| birth_place = [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|08|14|1956|07|25}}
| death_place = [[Jacksonville, North Carolina]]
| education = [[East Carolina University]]
| notable_works = {{unbulleted list|"Caught"|''[[Jersey Boys]]''|''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]''}}
| movement = {{unbulleted list|[[Modern dance]]|[[Musical theatre]]}}
| website = {{official url}}
}}


'''Howell Bagby Binkley''' (July 25, 1956 – August 14, 2020)<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Genzlinger |first1=Neil |date=2 September 2020 |title=Howell Binkley, Who Sculpted Broadway Hits in Light, Dies at 64 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/theater/howell-binkley-dead.html |access-date=2024-12-05 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> was an American [[lighting designer]] in [[modern dance]] and [[musical theatre]]. He received the [[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Musical]] for ''[[Jersey Boys]]'' in 2006, and again in 2016 for ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tony Award-Winning Lighting Designer Howell Binkley Has Passed Away|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Award-Winning-Lighting-Designer-Howell-Binkley-Has-Passed-Away-20200814|access-date=2020-08-14|language=en}}</ref>
Binkley attended [[East Carolina University]] in [[Greenville, North Carolina|Greenville]], North Carolina where he started his career working with dance programs.<ref name=design>Eddy, Kathleen.[http://livedesignonline.com/mag/lighting_simply_howell_binkley/ Simply Howell Binkley] livedesignonline.com, Feb 1, 2004</ref>


== Early life and education ==
He has lit a plethora of major [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] shows, including many for the prolific [[Hal Prince]] and is a frequent collaborator with director [[Des McAnuff]]. He is also a collaborator and co-founder of David Parsons's [[Parsons Dance Company]]. He has worked at regional theaters such as [[La Jolla, San Diego, California]], [[Shakespeare Theatre]] DC, [[Old Globe Theatre]], the [[Guthrie Theater]], The [[Goodman Theatre]], and [[Hartford Stage]].<ref name=design/><ref>[http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/howell_binkley Credits as of November 2006] American Theatre Wing</ref>
[[File:Howell Binkley HS Yearbook Portrait.jpg|thumb|High school yearbook photo, 1973]]
Binkley was born on July 25, 1956 in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]. As a teenager, he became interested in theatre, participating in theatre summer camps for three years at the [[University of North Carolina School of the Arts|North Carolina School of the Arts]]. In addition, Binkley picked up jobs unloading trucks at the [[R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium]] in Winston-Salem, adjacent to [[Richard J. Reynolds High School]] where he attended.<ref name="design" /> He considered studying architecture in college, and applied to architecture programs at multiple state universities in North Carolina, but was not admitted to any of them.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Felder |first=Lynn |date=2016-10-09 |title=Howell Binkley, Winston-Salem native, designing his way into the spotlight |url=https://journalnow.com/relishnow/the_arts/howell-binkley-winston-salem-native-designing-his-way-into-the-spotlight/article_49b177d2-4daf-5d95-9961-b8904d54e890.html |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=Winston-Salem Journal}}</ref>


Binkley instead enrolled in the theatre program at [[East Carolina University]] in [[Greenville, North Carolina|Greenville]], [[North Carolina]] in 1974. Less than two years into his studies, he left college for two years to work at [[Opryland USA|Opryland]] as a stagehand.<ref name="design">{{Cite web |last=Eddy |first=Kathleen |date=February 1, 2004 |title=Simply Howell Binkley |url=https://www.livedesignonline.com/simply-howell-binkley |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=[[Live Design]]}}</ref> Upon his return to ECU, he studied with [[The Acting Company]] during their residency at the university, and left college without graduating to take a full-time job with the company.<ref name=":0" />
Binkley is well known{{opinion}} for his use of saturated color, accompanied by white or slightly cool highlights. He frequently uses smoke or haze to draw attention to his use of angle. His designs are partly based upon Craig Miller and Tom Skelton's use of cross focussing to make diamond effects.{{cn}}


==Career==
==Works (selected)==
Binkley joined the [[Paul Taylor Dance Company]] as an associate under lighting designer [[Jennifer Tipton]], who encouraged him to branch out and seek independent work. Binkley and [[Parsons Dance|David Parsons]] collaborated in 1982 to produce "Caught," a six-minute modern dance solo set to music by [[Robert Fripp]]. "Caught" depicts a soloist who is only illuminated while in midair, using [[Strobe light|strobe lights]] to create the illusion that the soloist is floating.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Upchurch |first=Michael |date=2007-10-28 |title=PNB’s “Caught” in the act of flying — kind of |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/pnbs-caught-in-the-act-of-flying-8212-kind-of/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendoza |first=Michael |date=2018-06-29 |title=David Parsons creates joy by making his dancers fly; see them Saturday in Dallas |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2018/06/29/david-parsons-creates-joy-by-making-his-dancers-fly-see-them-saturday-in-dallas/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=Dallas News}}</ref>
*''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' (Broadway, 1993) - Tony Award nomination

*''[[Liza Minnelli|Minnelli on Minnelli]]'' (Concert, 1999)
In 1985, Binkley moved to [[New York City]], and co-founded the [[Parsons Dance Company]]. Binkley remained the resident lighting designer of Parsons Dance for decades, creating over 60 designs for works by the company.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
*''[[Parade (musical)|Parade]]'' (Broadway, 1998) - Drama Desk Award nomination

*''[[The Full Monty (musical)|The Full Monty]]'' (Broadway, 2000)- Drama Desk Award nomination
Binkley then went on to make his Broadway debut as designer for ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' in 1993, which earned him his first ever Tony nomination. From this success he went on to design and light a plethora of major [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] shows. In total, he designed 52 shows for Broadway and was nominated for a [[Tony Award]] nine times.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-15|title=Remembering Howell Binkley|url=https://www.ald.org.uk/news/243983/remembering-howell-binkley|access-date=2020-08-16|website=The Association of Lighting Designers|language=en}}</ref> Over the course of his work in Broadway, he became a frequent collaborator with [[Hal Prince]] and director [[Des McAnuff]].<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Road Show (musical)|Bounce]]'' (Broadway, 2003)

*''[[Golda's Balcony]]'' (Off Broadway, 2008 / Broadway, 2003)
In addition to his work in New York City, Binkley worked across America, including national tours of ''[[Applause (musical)|Applause]]'' in 1996; ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!|tick, tick…BOOM!]]'' in 2003; and ''[[Flashdance (musical)|Flashdance]]'' in 2012. Alongside this, he worked at regional theatres such as [[La Jolla Playhouse]], [[Shakespeare Theatre Company|Shakespeare Theatre]] DC, [[Old Globe Theatre]], the [[Guthrie Theatre]], The [[Goodman Theatre]], and Hartford Stage.<ref name="design" /><ref>[http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/howell_binkley Credits as of November 2006] American Theatre Wing</ref>
*''[[Avenue Q]]'' (Broadway, 2003 / London, 2006)

*''[[Radiant Baby_(musical)|Radiant Baby]]'' (Off-Broadway, 2003) - [[Lucille Lortel Award]] nomination
== Style ==
*''[[Jersey Boys]]'' (Broadway, 2005 / London, 2008)
[[University of North Carolina School of the Arts]] lighting design professor Norman Coates described Binkley's technique in 2016 as "a dynamic use of color, and he cuts through that color with a purity of white light. ... The dynamic of being able to create the motion in light that matches the motion in the music and dance could be what makes his work so successful."<ref name=":1" />
*''[[LoveMusik]]'' (Broadway, 2007) - Drama Desk Award win

*''[[In the Heights]]'' (Broadway, 2008) - Tony Award nomination
== Death and legacy ==
*''[[Bridge and Tunnel (play)|Bridge and Tunnel]]'' (Broadway, 2006)
Binkley died on August 14, 2020 of [[lung cancer]].<ref name=":0" />
*''[[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]'' (Broadway revival, 2009) - Tony Award nomination

*''[[Lombardi (play)|Lombardi]]'' (Broadway, 2010)
Following his death, lighting equipment manufacturer Rosco Laboratories created a compilation of shows designed by Binkley, highlighting his use of [[Gobo (lighting)|gobos]] that create patterns in beams of light. Binkley's signature looks often utilized the abstract geometric patterns created by one specific Rosco gobo, catalog number R77760 "Internal Reflections." Rosco renamed the gobo "Binkley Reflections" in his honor in September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tiller |first=Chad |date=2020-09-24 |title=BINKLEY REFLECTIONS: A Tribute To Howell |url=https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2020/09/binkley-reflections-a-tribute-to-howell |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=Rosco Spectrum}}</ref>
*''[[Baby It's You!]]'' (Broadway, 2011)

*''[[How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' (Broadway revival, 2011) - Tony Award nomination
==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;"
! style="width:5%;" | Year
! style="width:20%;"|Production
! style="width:20%;"| Award
! style="width:45%;"| Category
! style="width:10%;"| Outcome
|-
|rowspan = "2" | 1993
|rowspan = "2" |''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]''
|Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|Olivier Award || Best Lighting Design || {{win}}
|-
|1998 ||''[[Parade (musical)|Parade]]'' ||Drama Desk Award ||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|2000 ||''[[The Full Monty (musical)|The Full Monty]]'' ||Drama Desk Award ||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|2003 ||''[[Radiant Baby (musical)|Radiant Baby]]'' ||[[Lucille Lortel Award]] ||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|2005 ||''[[Jersey Boys]]'' ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical|| {{win}}
|-
|2007 ||''[[LoveMusik]]'' ||Drama Desk Award ||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{win}}
|-
||2008 ||''[[In the Heights |In The Heights]]'' ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{nom}}
|-
|2009 ||''[[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]'' ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|2011 ||''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{nom}}
|-
|2014 ||''[[After Midnight (musical)|After Midnight]]'' ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="3" | 2015
|rowspan="4" | ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]''
|[[Lucille Lortel Award]]||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{win}}
|-
|Drama Desk Award||Outstanding Lighting Design || {{nom}}
|-
|Hewes Design Award ||Lighting Design || {{win}}
|-
|2016
|| Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{win}}
|-
|2017 ||[[Come From Away]] ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{nom}}
|-
|2018 || [[Hamilton (musical) |Hamilton]] ||Olivier Award ||Best Lighting Design || {{win}}
|-
|2019 ||[[Ain't Too Proud]] ||Tony Award ||Best Lighting Design of a Musical || {{nom}}
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=25554 Internet Broadway Database profile]
*{{IBDB name|25554}}
*[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Howell&middle=&last=Binkley Internet Off-Broadway Database prfile]
*[http://www.ltdb.co.uk/node/18322 London Theatre Database profile]
*[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Howell&middle=&last=Binkley Internet Off-Broadway Database profile]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080205144708/http://www.ltdb.co.uk/node/18322 London Theatre Database profile]
{{Stagecraft-stub}}
*[https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/1156 Howell Binkley Papers, 1993–2007 at East Carolina University Libraries]
{{theat-bio-stub}}
**[https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37585 Lighting design for touring production of ''Grease'']
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqMYsjHU5rU American Theatre Wing's ''Working in the Theatre'' Episode on Lighting Design]

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Howell Binkley
| list =
{{OlivierAward LightingDesign 1991–2000}}
{{OlivierAward LightingDesign 2001–2025}}
{{TonyAward LightingDesign Musical 2005–2025}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Binkley, Howell}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Binkley, Howell}}
[[Category:East Carolina University alumni]]
[[Category:East Carolina University alumni]]
[[Category:Lighting designers]]
[[Category:American lighting designers]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
{{authority control|state=collapsed}}

Latest revision as of 07:44, 27 December 2024

Howell Binkley
Binkley at the 2016 Tony Awards
Born(1956-07-25)July 25, 1956
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
DiedAugust 14, 2020(2020-08-14) (aged 64)
Jacksonville, North Carolina
EducationEast Carolina University
Notable work
Movement
Websitehowellbinkley.com Edit this at Wikidata

Howell Bagby Binkley (July 25, 1956 – August 14, 2020)[1] was an American lighting designer in modern dance and musical theatre. He received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Jersey Boys in 2006, and again in 2016 for Hamilton.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]
High school yearbook photo, 1973

Binkley was born on July 25, 1956 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As a teenager, he became interested in theatre, participating in theatre summer camps for three years at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition, Binkley picked up jobs unloading trucks at the R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium in Winston-Salem, adjacent to Richard J. Reynolds High School where he attended.[3] He considered studying architecture in college, and applied to architecture programs at multiple state universities in North Carolina, but was not admitted to any of them.[4]

Binkley instead enrolled in the theatre program at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina in 1974. Less than two years into his studies, he left college for two years to work at Opryland as a stagehand.[3] Upon his return to ECU, he studied with The Acting Company during their residency at the university, and left college without graduating to take a full-time job with the company.[1]

Career

[edit]

Binkley joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company as an associate under lighting designer Jennifer Tipton, who encouraged him to branch out and seek independent work. Binkley and David Parsons collaborated in 1982 to produce "Caught," a six-minute modern dance solo set to music by Robert Fripp. "Caught" depicts a soloist who is only illuminated while in midair, using strobe lights to create the illusion that the soloist is floating.[5][6]

In 1985, Binkley moved to New York City, and co-founded the Parsons Dance Company. Binkley remained the resident lighting designer of Parsons Dance for decades, creating over 60 designs for works by the company.[1][4]

Binkley then went on to make his Broadway debut as designer for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993, which earned him his first ever Tony nomination. From this success he went on to design and light a plethora of major Broadway shows. In total, he designed 52 shows for Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award nine times.[7] Over the course of his work in Broadway, he became a frequent collaborator with Hal Prince and director Des McAnuff.[1]

In addition to his work in New York City, Binkley worked across America, including national tours of Applause in 1996; tick, tick…BOOM! in 2003; and Flashdance in 2012. Alongside this, he worked at regional theatres such as La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Old Globe Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and Hartford Stage.[3][8]

Style

[edit]

University of North Carolina School of the Arts lighting design professor Norman Coates described Binkley's technique in 2016 as "a dynamic use of color, and he cuts through that color with a purity of white light. ... The dynamic of being able to create the motion in light that matches the motion in the music and dance could be what makes his work so successful."[4]

Death and legacy

[edit]

Binkley died on August 14, 2020 of lung cancer.[1]

Following his death, lighting equipment manufacturer Rosco Laboratories created a compilation of shows designed by Binkley, highlighting his use of gobos that create patterns in beams of light. Binkley's signature looks often utilized the abstract geometric patterns created by one specific Rosco gobo, catalog number R77760 "Internal Reflections." Rosco renamed the gobo "Binkley Reflections" in his honor in September 2020.[9]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Production Award Category Outcome
1993 Kiss of the Spider Woman Tony Award Best Lighting Design Nominated
Olivier Award Best Lighting Design Won
1998 Parade Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design Nominated
2000 The Full Monty Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design Nominated
2003 Radiant Baby Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lighting Design Nominated
2005 Jersey Boys Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Won
2007 LoveMusik Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design Won
2008 In The Heights Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Nominated
2009 West Side Story Tony Award Best Lighting Design Nominated
2011 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Nominated
2014 After Midnight Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Nominated
2015 Hamilton Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lighting Design Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design Nominated
Hewes Design Award Lighting Design Won
2016 Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Won
2017 Come From Away Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Nominated
2018 Hamilton Olivier Award Best Lighting Design Won
2019 Ain't Too Proud Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Genzlinger, Neil (September 2, 2020). "Howell Binkley, Who Sculpted Broadway Hits in Light, Dies at 64". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  2. ^ "Tony Award-Winning Lighting Designer Howell Binkley Has Passed Away". Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  3. ^ a b c Eddy, Kathleen (February 1, 2004). "Simply Howell Binkley". Live Design. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  4. ^ a b c Felder, Lynn (October 9, 2016). "Howell Binkley, Winston-Salem native, designing his way into the spotlight". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  5. ^ Upchurch, Michael (October 28, 2007). "PNB's "Caught" in the act of flying — kind of". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  6. ^ Mendoza, Michael (June 29, 2018). "David Parsons creates joy by making his dancers fly; see them Saturday in Dallas". Dallas News. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  7. ^ "Remembering Howell Binkley". The Association of Lighting Designers. August 15, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  8. ^ Credits as of November 2006 American Theatre Wing
  9. ^ Tiller, Chad (September 24, 2020). "BINKLEY REFLECTIONS: A Tribute To Howell". Rosco Spectrum. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
[edit]
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