Scenic artist Arnold Abramson will be honored at Live Design's 2013 Scenic Design Master Classes in an interview presented in conjunction with The Broadway Technical Theatre History Project at Purchase College–SUNY. Winner of the second annual “Backstage Legends and Masters” award, Abramson is one of the past century’s most influential scenic artists, having painted more than 600 Broadway production sets, including the original The King and I, My Fair Lady, 42nd Street, Annie, Hello, Dolly, Sunday in the Park with George, Camelot, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, Evita, Cats, and Bells Are Ringing. He has worked with a Who’s Who of designers, including Oliver Smith, Jo Mielziner, Ben Edwards, David Hays, Robin Wagner, Raul Pene Du Bois, David Mitchell, Boris Aronson, Rouben Ter-Arutunian, and Tony Walton. Moderated by Dan Hanessian, associate professor of technical direction and production managemen in the Design/Technology program, Purchase College, Suny.
Abramson began his career in 1950, joining the United Scenic Artists union, Local 829, in 1951. He worked for several years at Triangle Studios, owned by the master scenic artist Joseph Urban before accepting a founding position with the most preeminent scene shop at the time, owned by Willie Nolan. Abramson joined Nolan and Charlie Bender as Nolan Scenery Studios moved from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn in 1961, and later became owner of the studio. After moving to Florida in 1991, Abramson continued his career with Studio South and Coconut Studios, before retiring in 2012.
This special tribute to Abramson takes place at NYU's Tisch School Of The Arts, Thursday, June 6 from 4:30-6pm. Click here for full Scenic Design Master Classes Schedule.
Register for the Scenic Design Master Classes and all of the Live Design Broadway Master Classes by May 1 for early bird rates.