Now Reading
Theater Professor Justin Townsend Earns Two Tony Nominations

Theater Professor Justin Townsend Earns Two Tony Nominations

Theater Professor Justin Townsend Earns Two Tony Nominations
+2
View Gallery

Moulin Rouge! The Musical (2019), one of two Broadway musicals for which Justin Townsend has received a TONY award nomination for lighting design. Photo by Matthew Murphy

His lighting designs for two smash Broadway musicals make theater world’s most prestigious shortlist.

Tony-nominated theater professor Justin Townsend. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Tony-nominated theater professor Justin Townsend. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The Tony Awards released its nominations in mid-October, and Justin Townsend, international lighting designer and associate professor for performance in the Theater Department, was nominated twice for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his incredible work on Jagged Little Pill and Moulin Rouge! The Musical—both also nominated for Best Musical. Townsend is nominated along with Bruno Poet for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. A ceremony date has not been announced.

Townsend, who has been teaching classes including Lighting Design, Stagecraft, Stage Design Concepts, and Research Problems in Theater since 2017, is no stranger to Broadway. His lighting designs include American Psycho (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Henry Hewes Award), The Humans (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award), The Nap, Little Foxes, Present Laughter, Casa Valentina, A Night with Janis Joplin (NAACP Theatre Award), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Other Place, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Hewes Nomination, Outer Critics Circle Nomination).

His off-Broadway work includes Joan of Arc: Into the Fire; Here Lies Love (Drama Desk Award); Vietgone; Pretty Filthy; Mr. Burns, a Post Electric Play; Odyssey; Venus; and Unnatural Acts (Lucille Lortel Award nomination).

Townsend also won the Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design in 2014.

Scroll To Top