David K. Warfel

What happens when you bring together the Founding Director of the Black Rep, a former Fresh Prince writer-playwright, a Tony Award-winning costume designer, and a scene designer who excels with window screen?  The answer, in our case, was a series of standing ovations, some before the "curtain" was even down on the show.

Samm-Art Williams' new play (this was the world premier) is set in the 1990's apartment of a WWII Marine and in various flashback locations.  Scene Designer Jim Burwinkle created the interior of a Philadephia row house-turned-museum to the Corps, with the main character's memories literally spilling out of the home.  Costumed by the Tony Award-winning Patricia McGourty-Palmer in her return to the American stage (after 20 years in the Middle East), the show was directed by Ron Himes.

Montford Point marked my sixth season at the Black Rep, and I enjoyed this production just as much as any other.  A great cast, a great team, and an engaging script made working on the show a real "treat," and I look forward to season seven!

THE MONTFORD POINT MARINE

by Samm-Art Williams

Ron Himes, director

Jim Burwinkle, scenic design

Robin Weatherwall, sound design

Patricia McGourty Palmer, costume design

David K. Warfel, lighting design

Tracy D. Holliway-Wiggins, stage manager

(Read my technically-focused article in LIVEDESIGN)

I had no idea Shaw could be so hard to light- and so fun to watch! 

Misalliance was brought to life by a wonderful team of professionals, led by the accomplished Kathleen Conlin who pulled strong performances out of every cast member. A play of ideas, Misalliance engaged me from my first reading and kept my attention riveted through the final performance.  I went back night after night to see it- even when I was done with my work- because the team, including the wonderful cast, did such a great job.  

And the lighting?  A sunny Saturday afternoon can be quite a challenge, I discovered.  But I got there eventually, sculpting the stage and providing the illumination.  By the end, I had added instruments, used a dozen custom window gobos, added dimmers, and swapped out the light board.  The show truly "shone" brightly- and would have, even without my work.

MISALLIANCE

Written by George Bernard Shaw

Directed by Kathleen Conlin

Richard Isackes, Scene Design

Alison Heryer, Costume Design

David K. Warfel, Lighting Design

Beth Parthum, Sound Design

 

The Baseball Music Project is a good example of both the fantastic variety that comes my way and of the application of convergence design principles.  Great people to work with, the team has done numerous performances of this evening of singing, music, narration, and images, but this was my first time joining the project.  Hosted by Baseball Hall of Fame member Dave Winfield, the show takes songs from the history of baseball and blends them with a continuous string of images from the archives.  The challenge for me was to take a "standard" concert hall and enhance the environment, with very little time or equipment at my disposal.  I put together a rig of conventional lights, LED lights, moving mirror units, and two digital projectors to give me a continuous string of looks, all easily changed in the quick two-day process.  I even used some ancient "beam projectors" for stadium lights, drawing it all together and "taking us out to the ballgame."

THE BASEBALL MUSIC PROJECT (Krannert Center performance)

Robert Thompson, Music Director, Founder, Producer

Fred Sturm, Artistic Director

Michael Mushalla, Producer

Dave Winfield, Narrator and Host

Boom Design Group, Media

David K. Warfel, Convergence Lighting Design

 

Art is a play about a white painting and, at the same time, has nothing to do with the white painting and everything to do with friendship.  It made my mind spin until I sat back and relaxed, enjoying the actors' wonderful performances under the talented Andrea Frye.  Art needed a little of everything, including practicals, scrim, rope light, and even digital projections.   This was my second collaboration with Dunsi Dai, who provided a striking and simple set that allowed amazing complications through light and shadow.

ART

by Yazmina Reza

Directed by Andrea Frye

Scenic Design by Dunsi Dai

Convergence Design by David K. Warfel including lighting design and video design.

Sound Design by Erin Keller & Doug Schroeder

Read a review that calls Art "Beautifully lit."

 

"The Velvet Rut" is a fantastic piece of theatre written by the gracious and talented James Still.  A break from my usual realism-driven work, "The Velvet Rut" was an emotional and evocative production that had only loose ties to reality.  A church window, stars, and a porch light wove light through the otherwise dark journey.   It is a beautiful piece to read and a gut-wrenching piece to watch, and I couldn't help but examine my own life while I tried to create the world onstage.  A big thanks to Joi, Max, and Gary, and James for making this play extraordinary.

THE VELVET RUT

By James Still

Directed by Joi Hoffsommer

Convergence Design by David K. Warfel, including scenic design, lighting design, and video design.   

 

Moonchildren marked the inaugural use of the Armory Theatre's new low-energy lighting system with an incandescent-free design.  I authored the grant that provided the Department of Theatre with LED, HID, and Plasma lighting equipment to reduce energy consumption by ninety percent.  Designing Moonchildren, set in the 1960s, with a high-tech lighting system proved an exciting challenge, which is detailed in the article below.  A huge thanks to Lino for his detailed scenery on a budget and to Ed Menta for being the most gracious director while I pulled out my hair!  The future is here, and it is multi-colored.

Click to read the LIGHTING & SOUND AMERICA article.

MOONCHILDREN

By Michael Weller

Directed by Ed Menta

Scene Design by Lino Toyos

Lighting/Convergence Design by David K. Warfel

Sound Design by Ben Jacobson

Stage Manager, Becky Brown

Production Manager, Kristin CooperKline

It was a real pleasure to return to the Black Rep for A Song for Coretta.  Dunsi's beautiful set and Ashley's rich soundscape made the world very real when desired but also took us away from it when the story went elsewhere.  Our production received a nomination for the Kevin Kline Awards Best Production.   This production also introduced me to the incomparable Andrea Frye, with whom I would later collaborate on Art.  Check out the "my process" pages, which highlight the various design stages of A Song for Coretta.

A SONG FOR CORETTA

Written by Pearl Cleague

Directed by Erik Kilpatrick

Scenic Design by Dunsi Dai

Costume Design by Daryl Harris

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Sound Design by Ashley Turner

 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer 
Champaign-Urbana Ballet, Deanna Doty, Artistic Director   
Sinfonia da Camera, Ian Hobson, Conductor 
Andy Warfel, Production Design

David Warfel, Lighting & Projection Designer

Story: It was a pleasure to join my talented brother Andy Warfel on his epic production of The Nutcracker for the 2007-2009 seasons.  Better each time, The Nutcracker helped me develop my "convergence skills" in a frying pan, with hundreds of lighting and projection cues executed in four days each December.   Our collaborative efforts became the subject of a well-received Pecha Kucha presentation on sibling rivalry.  A former student of mine, Kevin Gawley, is set to take the helm for 2010 and I eagerly await a chance to sit in the audience and enjoy the show!

 Luxor Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

Click here to read the LIGHTING & SOUND AMERICA article.

Story:  It doesn't get any more "convergent" than Las Vegas, and CatHouse is a prime example.  Mixing together an ultra-lounge, celebrity-chef Kerry Simon's restaurant, crystal chandeliers, color-changing LEDs, and a little lingerie, this place has it all.   Suspended over the gaming floor of the giant pyramidal Luxor Casino, this is a great blend of high technology and sensual design.

Nathan Gunn and Julie Gunn at Carnegie Hall/Zankel Hall

Click here to read the LIGHTING & SOUND AMERICA article.

Click here to read the New York Times review by Anthony Tommasini.

Produced by Carnegie Hall

Projection Design & Choreography by Laura Chiaramonte

Choreography and Dance by Sonia Warfel

Production Design by Andy Warfel

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Story:  It is not every day that a lighting designer gets to share billing with an award-winning opera star and accomplished pianist, but then again not everyone has the extreme pleasure of working with Nathan and Julie Gunn.   Two of the planet's nicest people, these superstars pushed the envelope for their Carnegie Hall recital and included dance, projection, and lighting.  A big kudos to the programmers and techs at the Hall, this show sold out and was a wonderful success.  Crammed into the booth around a 12k projector, Laura and I called the show live and had the time of our lives.

 

RECIPIENT OF THE 2009 KEVIN KLINE AWARD FOR "BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL! 

By Mbogeni Ngema

Directed by Ron Himes

Musical Direction by Charles Creath

Scenic Design by Regina Garcia

Costume Design by Felia Davenport

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Sound Design by Drew Matney

Stage Managed by Richard Agnew

Story: Winner of the Kevin Kline Award for Best Production, the vocal power of this show knocked my socks off every night.  Another masterpiece by Ron Himes and my second collaboration with the talented Regina Garcia, this show was one powerful emotion after another, song by song.  The voters couldn't help but put this up as St. Louis' very best.

 Written by Mark Roberts

Directed by Kay Bohannon Holley

Scenic Design by David Harwell

Costume Coordinator, Bianca Green

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Sound Design by David Butler

Stage Manager, Mindy Manolakes

Story: Parasite Drag was my second premier with Mark Roberts, the head writer/producer of Two and a Half Men.  My favorite of his plays, and since published by Dramatists, this work is powerful and well-crafted.  David Harwell's strong set put us in an amplified world, and the show remains one of my favorite designs of all.

Red Rock Interpretive Association

Environment Design by Andy Warfel

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Construction & Fabrication by Copper Creek Studios 

Story: My talented enviro-designer-brother Andy Warfel brought me in on Red Rock Canyon and introduced me to the wide world of Las Vegas, where I have since designed multiple projects.  The beautiful canyons of Red Rock served as backgrounds for these engaging and theatrical exhibits.

 Written by Stephen MacDonald

Directed by Sandeep Shekhar Das

Produced by Larry Lenza

Lighting & Scenic Design by David Warfel

Associate Technical Director, Austin Shapley

Costume Design by Amy Senffner

Sound Design by Sorin Brouwers

Production Stage Manager, Steven Besic

Story: Larry and the folks at The Feltre School's Library Theatre are the kind of people you can work with again and again and again.  It might have something to do with Larry's excellent cooking, but it also comes from their love of a good story.  Not About Heroes was one of my forays into scenic design, and I drew on my architectural training to create the highly textural world for the piece.  Strong direction and acting rounded out a truly enjoyable collaboration that yielded beautiful results.

 Written by Cassandra Medley

Directed by Ron Himes

Scenic Design by Regina Garcia

Costume Design by Myrna Colley-Lee

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Stage Manager, Richard Agnew

Story: Relativity was my first show with the great people at the Black Rep and is still one of my favorite shows.   It was also my first show with Ron Himes and Regina Garcia, and the final pictures onstage where wonderful.  With Relativity as an initial experience, I was hooked and have returned to the Black Rep for five seasons and counting.   Here is to the next one!

My Three Angels, Last of the Red-Hot Lovers, and Broadway

James Berton Harris, Producing Director

Story: My second SSTC Season, this one had more of the magical mixing of comedy, great playwriting, and murders that James Berton Harris so smoothly blended together to the delight of audiences all summer long.  Answering the challenge of repertory theatre, the design team led by Martin Marchitto created three very different worlds with the same footprint, able to change over every evening.  My Three Angels was my second collaboration with Bill Martin, a great pleasure every time.  I would love to design again with Sue Lawless, who made Broadway delightful to watch.   Bill Jenkins pulled laughs and tears out of Last of the Red Hot Lovers all night long, and the season goes in my book as a summer well-spent.

My Three Angels

By Sam and Bella Spewack

Directed by William G. Martin

Scenic Design by Martin Scott Marchitto

Costume Design by Kathryn Wagner

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Sound Design by Chuck Hatcher

Last of the Red Hot Lovers

By Neil Simon

Directed by William R. Jenkins

Costume Design by Tesia Dugan

Broadway

By Phillip Dunning and George Abbott

Directed by Sue Lawless

Choreographed by Zeva Barzell

Costume Design by Rene Chadwick

 By Samm-Art Williams

Directed by Ron Himes

Scenic Design by Mark Putnam

Costume Design by Karen Perry

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Stage Manager, Richard Agnew

Story: The comical Widow's Row takes place in the living room of a wealthy widow over the course of an eventful evening and strings together verbal and visual comedy with a dash of softness.  I had a wonderful time working with the incredible folks at the Black Rep, including Erin Keller, Ethan Shavers, and Doug Schroeder.  Drawing deeply on my architectural lighting experience, the final environment included a host of practical lights and other environmental techniques to partner with Mark's realistic set.

Story: The double-bill collaboration between theatre, opera, and dance was one of my earliest adventures in convergence design.  I shaped the world with an abstract and industrial scenic design and created lighting and projection concepts as a holistic vision.   Cory and Matt came in to save the day, adding their own talent to the mix and helping me get over the hump.  A big thanks also goes to Beth Martell, the technical director who could have been listed as assistant scenic designer!  

The Soldier's Tale

Music by Igor Stravinsky, Text by C. F. Ramuz

Directed by Michael Scholar

Conducted by Maestro Eduardo Diazmunoz

Production Design by David K. Warfel

Lighting Design by Matthew Reifsteck

Projection Design by Cory Rodeheaver

The Mahagonny Songspiel

Music by Kurt Weill

Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht

Production & Projection Design by David K. Warfel

Lighting Design by Matthew Reifsteck

 By Edward Albee

Directed by Ina Marlowe

Scenic Design by Brenda Sabatka

Costume Design by Alex Wren Meadows

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Stage Manager, Katie Klemme

Story: My first collaboration with Ina Marlowe and the Organic Theatre Company, The Lady from Dubuque would not be my last.  Brenda's creative and impressive scenic design made it nearly impossible to use traditional theatrical techniques for much of the stage, so we collaborated on an architectural installation using many of my tools from the convergent life.  Downlights, wall sconces, floor lamps, and track lighting helped me get where I need to go and make the piece even more realistic.  I later returned to Chicago for a series of staged readings with Ina and the Organic.

THREE SHOWS IN REPERTORY:

Producing Director, James Berton Harris

Scenic Design by Michael Franklin-White

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Sound Design by Chuck Hatcher

Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Willams

Mathew Reeder, Director
Kathryn Wagner, Costume Design
Jon Schoenoff, Composer

Guilty Conscience by Richard Levinson and William Link

William Martin, Director

Dennis Parker, Costume Design

Parfumerie

Peter Reynolds, Director

James Berton Harris, Costume Design

Story: This summer has proved hard to beat.  My introduction to Tennessee Williams, Glass Menagerie might be one of the best collaborative and dramaturgically-grounded designs I have yet to execute.  The line between Michael Franklin-White's scenic design and my lighting design blurred as we pushed and pulled the boundaries of reality and remembering under the watchful eye of Matthew Reeder.  Guilty Conscious was my first collaboration with William Martin and was a spectacle of film-noir style and sensibilities that sent cold shivers up the spine.  The gem of the season, Parfumerie was a wonderful oasis of old-world charm and a delightful show.  The three shows shared a footprint but little else in this highly successful repertory season masterminded by James Berton Harris.

By Mark Roberts

Directed by Gary Ambler

Scenic Design by David Harwell

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Costume Design by Bianca Green

Audio Design by David Butler

Story: Mark Roberts created this darkly humorous piece for premier at the Station Theatre, my first of two premiers with him.  It is the kind of funny that makes you laugh even harder when you realize you are laughing at something so deeply disturbing....  Which makes tech a real circus!  David Harwell created the world, and I underscored it with a web of light that was as detailed as the chain-link fence.  You have to see this one to believe it.... 

Based on the Book by Louisa May Alcott

Adapted by Janice Pletcher

Directed by Tracy Manning

Scenic Design by Cory Rodeheaver

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Story: Cory Rodeheaver, a ridiculously talented scenic designer, created both the original concept for this adaptation and the attic environment which served for the retelling of the beloved stories.  And it was Cory who pushed the set right up against the proscenium and under pitched roofs that all but obliterated traditional lighting positions.  So is Cory I should thank for this incredible experience!  Little Women provided some stunning visuals by the time it was done, and was another great time collaborating with the folks at Taylor University.   

By Oscar Wilde

Scenic Design by Cory Rodeheaver

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Story: All the shows at Taylor University are characterized by insane tech weekends, chaos of unbelievable proportions, and the nicest group of people that pull off good works of theatre time and time again.  The Importance of Being Earnest turned out to be no different, and I thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration with Cory Rodeheaver and the chance to enjoy a good script.

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

Book by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Suzanne Aldridge

Music Direction by Michael O. Cornell

Choreography by Jennifer Reiter

Production Design by Andy Warfel

Lighting Design by David Warfel

Sound Design by Douglas Pugh

Story: When my big brother returned to the midwest following ten years in the bright lights of New York City, there was a tiny parting of the "busy clouds" that allowed us to collaborate, for the very first time, on Crazy for You at the old vaudeville Virginia Theatre.  My love for theatre (and my brother) grew leaps and bounds, and it wasn't long before I was truly devoting my life to the stage.  Crazy for You is silly and fun, and reminded me of the hours and hours of old movies I grew up watching.  Andy painted everything black, and I painted everything in color with light, and magic was in the air!

By Tennessee Williams

Directed by Tom Mitchell

Scenic Design by Tiffany M. Scribner

Costume Design by Tesia Z. Dugan

Lighting Design by David K. Warfel

Sound Design by David Alter

Story: Tom Mitchell's love of Tennessee Williams led to the first production of Candles to the Sun since Williams directed its premier in the 1930's.  The show was beautiful and emotional, and much of the action hinged around "working" oil lamps.  Hours and hours and hundreds of dollars went into perfecting the lamps, perhaps my most complicated practicals to date.  But the effect was well worth it- most audience members didn't realize there wasn't a drop of oil onstage!  All to keep the story moving....

 Read the LIVE DESIGN article feature the Time Exhibit here.

 

We designed & built the custom 4\' diameter rings with printed graphics for this bar/restaurant in Champaign, Illinois. The metalwork was done by Ken Egan and printed by Dean\'s Graphics. Photoshop mastery by my associate Cory Rodeheaver.