Brian Sidney Bembridge
Encyclopedia
Brian Sidney Bembridge is an American
scenic
and lighting
designer
for theater
and film
. His work has been seen on stages throughout the country and internationally on screen. Mr. Bembridge has also taught and lectured at several universities
. He holds a BFA
from University of North Carolina School of the Arts
.
productions
and regional theaters
. He has also taught and/or lectured at the Art Institute of Chicago
, Northwestern University
, the Theater School at DePaul University
, Loyola University Chicago
and Lake Forest College
.
, The Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre, Kids With Guns Theater Company, and Theatre at St Clements. His regional work has been seen at Steppenwolf Theatre
, the Goodman Theatre
, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
, Guthrie Theater
, Children's Theatre Company
, Court Theatre
, Lookingglass Theatre Company
(production affiliate), Virginia Opera
, Opera Omaha
, Arden Theatre Company
, The Second City
Chicago/Toronto, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
, Madison Repertory, California Shakespeare Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville
, Pittsburgh Public Theater
, The Chicago Theater, Writers' Theatre (Artistic Council), Ravinia Music Festival
, Circle X Theatre
, Theatre Alliance, Timeline Theatre Company (Artistic Associate), UMA Productions (Artistic Associate), Teatro Vista (Artistic Associate), About Face Theatre Company, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Chicago Civic Ballet, Drury Lane Water Tower Place, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, Next Theater, Victory Gardens
, Famous Door Theater Company, The Gift Theatre, Naked Eye Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, Noble Fool Theatricals, Live Bait Theater, among others.
work includes the production designs for Holding Out, Stray Dogs, Manfast, Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, and Late for Church, and designed scenery
for Muppets from Space
.
, 5 After Dark Awards including Outstanding Season, 2 LA Drama Critic Circle Awards, 2 Back Stage West Garland Awards
, an Ovation Award and a LA Weekly Award. Brian was named one of the top nine emerging designers in North America, Entertainment Design Magazine and has been featured in Live Design, Lighting Dimensions, Stage Dimensions, Stage Directions, Chicago Tribune
, Chicago Sun-Times
, Timeout Chicago, Chicago Social and on Chicago Public Radio
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
scenic
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
and lighting
Lighting designer
The role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
for theater
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. His work has been seen on stages throughout the country and internationally on screen. Mr. Bembridge has also taught and lectured at several universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. He holds a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
.
Career
Mr Bembridge has designed sets and/or lights for many Off-BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
and regional theaters
L
Ł or ł, described in English as L with stroke, is a letter of the Polish, Kashubian, Sorbian, Łacinka , Łatynka , Wilamowicean, Navajo, Dene Suline, Inupiaq, Zuni, Hupa, and Dogrib alphabets, several proposed alphabets for the Venetian language, and the ISO 11940 romanization of the Thai alphabet...
. He has also taught and/or lectured at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, the Theater School at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
and Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....
.
Theaters
Mr. Bembridge's work has been seen Off Broadway at The Public Theater, Second Stage TheatreSecond Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
, The Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre, Kids With Guns Theater Company, and Theatre at St Clements. His regional work has been seen at Steppenwolf Theatre
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. It has since relocated to Chicago's Halsted Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Its name comes from...
, the Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a non-profit, professional theater company located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. Its more than six hundred annual performances performed 48 weeks of the year include its critically acclaimed Shakespeare series, its World's Stage touring productions, and youth...
, Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
, Children's Theatre Company
Children's Theatre Company
The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theatre established in 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in plays for families and young audiences and the recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre...
, Court Theatre
Court Theatre (Chicago)
The Court Theatre is a professional theatre located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The Court Theatre is affiliated with the University of Chicago, receiving in-kind support from the University and operating within the larger University umbrella...
, Lookingglass Theatre Company
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit, ensemble-based theater company located in Chicago, Illinois. Their pieces tend to focus on the spectacular and the physical.As of June 2011, Lookingglass has won 42 Joseph Jefferson Awards.-Background:...
(production affiliate), Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers, Virginia Opera presented its first productions in 1975 and in the intervening four decades has become known and respected nationwide for the...
, Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha is an opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. It is well known for premiering Wakonda's Dream, a contemporary opera about Native Americans set in the Niobrara....
, Arden Theatre Company
Arden Theatre Company
The Arden Theatre Company is a leading regional theatre company located in Stockton-on-Tees, England. Founded in 2002 by Robert Icke and Daniel Hill, the theatre has grown quickly to become one of the premier theatre companies in the region...
, The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
Chicago/Toronto, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, founded by Mary Widrig John in 1954, as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, is now located on the east bank of the Milwaukee River in the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex at 108 E Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is home to an eleven member Resident Acting Company...
, Madison Repertory, California Shakespeare Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville is a performing arts theater located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1964 by Louisville native Ewel Cornett, local producer Richard Block and actor Ken Jenkins of Scrubs fame, and was designated the "State Theater of Kentucky" in 1974. It is run as a...
, Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
, The Chicago Theater, Writers' Theatre (Artistic Council), Ravinia Music Festival
Ravinia Park
Ravinia Festival is the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States, with a series of outdoor concerts and performances held every summer from June to September. It has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936...
, Circle X Theatre
Circle X Theatre
Circle X is an award winning not-for-profit ensemble theatre company located in Hollywood, California. Circle X's productions have been described by critics as "refreshingly original and imaginative" and "consistently stellar".-Overview:...
, Theatre Alliance, Timeline Theatre Company (Artistic Associate), UMA Productions (Artistic Associate), Teatro Vista (Artistic Associate), About Face Theatre Company, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Chicago Civic Ballet, Drury Lane Water Tower Place, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, Next Theater, Victory Gardens
Victory Gardens Theater
Victory Gardens Theater is a theater in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. The theater was founded in 1974 when seven Chicago artists, Warren Casey, Cordis Heard, Roberta Maguire, Mac McGuinnes, Cecil O'Neal, June Pyskaček, and David Rasche...
, Famous Door Theater Company, The Gift Theatre, Naked Eye Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, Noble Fool Theatricals, Live Bait Theater, among others.
Films
Brian's filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
work includes the production designs for Holding Out, Stray Dogs, Manfast, Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, and Late for Church, and designed scenery
Theatrical scenery
Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a theatrical production. Scenery may be just about anything, from a single chair to an elaborately re-created street, no matter how large or how small, whether or not the item was custom-made or is, in fact, the genuine item, appropriated...
for Muppets from Space
Muppets from Space
Muppets from Space is a 1999 science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to theaters...
.
Awards
Mr. Bembridge has received 5 Joseph Jefferson AwardsJoseph Jefferson Awards
The Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually by a volunteer non-profit committee to acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are given in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson...
, 5 After Dark Awards including Outstanding Season, 2 LA Drama Critic Circle Awards, 2 Back Stage West Garland Awards
Back Stage West Garland Awards
The Back Stage Garland Awards — also referred to simply as the Garland Awards, and known as the Back Stage West Garland Awards from 1998 to 2008 — are bestowed by the entertainment-industry newspaper Back Stage, honoring excellence in Southern California theatre...
, an Ovation Award and a LA Weekly Award. Brian was named one of the top nine emerging designers in North America, Entertainment Design Magazine and has been featured in Live Design, Lighting Dimensions, Stage Dimensions, Stage Directions, Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, Timeout Chicago, Chicago Social and on Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
.