Theatre Shortlist Announced for the 2020 Design Achievement Awards

Live Design's 2020 Design Achievement Awards is a new awards program that honors design excellence in the fields of lighting design, projection/video design, and production design in the areas of Theatre (including dance and opera), Live For Broadcast, and Concerts and Events.

Work created from August 1, 2019 through July 31, 2020 was nominated over the summer, and the judging panels for each category have narrowed the nominees to three projects per award. Live Design readers will vote for their favorite projects to determine the winners.

"It’s been a common retort in certain circles throughout this extraordinary year: The arts and entertainment industry was the first to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic and it will be the last to return. As musicians, dancers and actors have pivoted to put their events online and stream concerts into living rooms, theatrical designers and stage technicians are still forced to wait. And as inevitably, someday, the industry crawls back toward something that looks recognizable—as stage managers switch off the ghost lights illuminating empty theaters for six months, and counting—audiences will relish that which was lost in nearly all of those digital experiences: you," states Lauren Warnecke, dance critic for Chicago Tribune and the Chair of the Theatre panel of judges.

"It is with great joy that the theater judges and I toast theatrical lighting and projection designers in 2020," she adds. "And it is with the deepest regard and humblest admiration that we proudly announce the shortlisted finalists in lighting design for dance, musical theatre, plays and opera, and projection design for stage."

Vote here!

The judges of the Theatre panel have revealed the Theatre shortlist:  

Dance

Musical

Opera

Play

Video & Projection Design

Check out the Live for Broadcast shortlist and Concert Touring & Events shortlist, and vote for the most outstanding projects now

Vote here!