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Items Interview with Ken Billington

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Interview with Ken Billington

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COLLECTION
Theatre on Film and Tape Archive Public Program Videos

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Title
Interview with Ken Billington
Additional title: Interview with Ken Billington at KB Associates, Inc. (Ken Billington's studio)
Names
United Scenic Artists (Funder)
Character Generators/Video (Producer)
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy Rose Theatre Division., Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. (Producer)
Billington, Ken, 1946- (Interviewee)
Bobbie, Walter, 1945- (Interviewer)
Collection

Theatre on Film and Tape Archive Public Program Videos

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1998
Place: New York
Library locations
Theatre on Film and Tape Archive
Shelf locator: NCOW 218
Topics
Billington, Ken, 1946-
Bobbie, Walter, 1945-
Sondheim, Stephen. Sweeney Todd
Snow, Tom. Footloose
Kander, John. Chicago
Clark, Peggy
Musser, Tharon
Stage lighting -- Technological innovations
Stage lighting designers -- United States
Stage lighting designers
Theater -- Economic aspects
Genres
Interviews
Notes
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
Videocassette
Extent: 2 videocassettes (98 min.) :sd., col. NTSC ;3/4 in. (U-matic)
Description
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.
Type of Resource
Moving image
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: NYPG00-F4
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b14539453
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b22786060
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 3562cfc0-6a4b-0139-f382-0242ac110003
Rights Statement
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

Item timeline of events

  • 1998: Created
  • 2021: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

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/8ba620a7-21e0-4ddf-a64b-03d670d74679

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 April 26, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8ba620a7-21e0-4ddf-a64b-03d670d74679

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/8ba620a7-21e0-4ddf-a64b-03d670d74679

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8ba620a7-21e0-4ddf-a64b-03d670d74679 | title= (moving image) Interview with Ken Billington, (1998)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=April 26, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Interview with Ken Billington