Statement Of Responsibility: [video prod. company] Character Generators Inc. ; [video producer] Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, Betty L. Corwin, director.
Content: 25 minutes into the second cassette an 8-second blackout is followed by a resumption of the interview with no loss of material.
Venue: Videotaped by The New York Public Library's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at KB Associates, Inc. (Ken Billington's studio), New York, N.Y., Dec. 22, 1998.
Funding: Recorded with the financial assistance of United Scenic Artists.

Physical Description

Extent: 2 videocassettes (98 min.) :sd., col. NTSC ;3/4 in. (U-matic)

Abstract

Lighting designer Ken Billington discusses his career with a frequent collaborator, the director Walter Bobbie, from grade school plays to more recent projects, including the Broadway musicals Sweeney Todd, Footloose, and the revival of Chicago. Using Footloose as an example, Mr. Billington demonstrates how he begins with a floor plan given to him by the scenic designer and then creates the entire light plan on his drawing table, before any work is done in the theater itself. Mr. Billington cites lighting designers Peggy Clark and Tharon Musser as his mentors. Other topics covered include the changes wrought by theater technology, the nature of collaboration in theater, and the business side of the profession.

Languages

English

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: NYPG00-F4
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b14539453
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b22786060
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003

Rights

The New York Public Library holds or manages the copyright(s) in this item. If you need information about reusing this item, please go to: http://nypl.org/permissions

Type Of Resource

Moving Image

Cite this item

MLA format

Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Ken Billington" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1998. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003

APA format

Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, The New York Public Library. (1998). Interview with Ken Billington Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003

Chicago/Turabian Format

Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Ken Billington" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003 | title= (moving image) Interview with Ken Billington (1998) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=November 17, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>