BILL ANDERSON

Jun 30

Written by

Anne Mundell

Joe Forbes

A Tribute to Bill Anderson

written by Anne Mundell

 I was part of a search committee for a new lighting design faculty member when I was in grad school at Brandeis in the 80’s.  I don’t remember being part of the discussion; my job was to drive the candidates back and forth from Logan airport.  I DO remember remarking to my classmates after driving one particularly irascible and arrogant candidate back to Logan that I wished I could have strapped him to the roof, so I didn’t have to ride in the car with him.  “We” chose not to hire him.  Instead, we hired someone who had the opposite personality, the wonderful Bill Anderson.  

 Bill, you were humble, kind, and joyful about the work.  You were quiet but laughed a lot and I always knew when you were in the building because the laugh preceded you.  The program at Brandeis was “scenography" so along with scenery, I designed lights and costumes.  I’d gotten into theater through lighting, but the reality was that photons were too ephemeral a medium for me.  I could see and paint light but had zero talent as a lighting designer. During my third year, I was assigned a huge main-stage lighting design for  The Way of the World.  There were 4 full-stage sets and the logistics were a little crazy, not to mention the fact that I pretty much hated the play.  I did a plot and focused the show, but I did it incredibly badly. I was floundering and had no idea how to move forward.  You flew up to Boston right after the focus and when you walked into the theater, you immediately sensed my frustration. You suggested that we take a look at the focus and then took the time to go through every channel with me. When we finished, you gently said, “let’s refocus” and you stayed with me while we refocused most of the plot.  None of my set design mentors had ever invested that much time in me.  During my second year in school, I was in another mainstage tech, this one for the set for  Comedy of Errors.   My set design teacher didn’t make it to tech, but you were there.   I will never forget you dropping into the seat next to me to ask what I was doing that summer.   You told me about a summer stock theater  in the Black Hills of South Dakota  that was close to your heart.  I’d never really been west of Ohio and had only a vague idea of where South Dakota was.  But you recommended it, so I went.  The BHP turned out to be a place where I found a family and started to come into myself as a theater artist.  

The first person I met at the BHP was John Wylie.  It turned out that John was in grad school at UMKC, and we had just hired you away from that program.  John was studying to be a technical director and you only overlapped John’s time there by one year.  He had a single lighting class the entire time he was in school and that was one you taught.   John talks about how your passion and inspirational teaching lit a spark for him and led to the thing he likes to do most in the theater, design lighting.   Yes, John trained as a TD, but everyone hires him to do lighting.   John and I agree that there are no friends like BHP friends and for us and many others, those friendships  track back to you, Bill Anderson.

I owe you a lot and wish I could have told you in person how you've enriched my life.  Your work as a lighting design mentor was brilliant but was the least of it.   The WAY you mentored was the blueprint for me when I became a teacher.  I will be forever grateful that you had enough faith in me to introduce me to the BHP, a place that continued to shape me and one that will remain in my heart forever.   Bill, thank you. You are still with me, especially in my classroom.  You made a huge difference for me and for so many others.

written by Anne Mundell, BHP 1985, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 93, 95, 96, 98, 2004

Professor of Scenic Design

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama

A Tribute to Bill Anderson

From the desk of Joseph Forbes

In 1979, I was a young set designer living in New York city and studying my craft at Lester Polakov’s Studio and Forum of Stage Design. One of my scene design professors, James Singelis offered me a position painting scenery for his productions that summer at the Black Hills Playhouse. I was very young and the opportunity to work with a United Scenic Artists member designer of James’ caliber sounded like a great opportunity. I had never been anywhere other than the east coast and had no idea how that summer would change my life. At the Rapid City Airport, we were met by Bill Anderson who I learned was also a United Scenic Artist Certified Lighting designer. As we wound our way into the hills, I wondered what was it about at the BHP that would lure two USA designers out to the wilds of South Dakota. It was after dark when we arrived at the BHP, and after parking the car, we decided to walk to the Managing Director’s cottage to check in. We didn’t get 50 feet before we were stampeded by a herd of Buffalo who had decided to spend the night on the lawn at the Playhouse! Jim and I, being New Yorkers, were completely terrified and not for the last time I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Bill thought it was absolutely hysterical. He calmed our nerves and within a few minutes we were all laughing at the dudes from the east coast. Bill’s friendly and easygoing manner allayed my fears and did much to make me feel welcome. I think he knew how nervous I was and during the next few days he went out of his way to show me the ropes and introduce me to the rest of the company. I will always be grateful for his friendship.

I had never had the opportunity to work with a professional lighting designer, and to be honest my experiences with lighting designers had been less than ideal. I was firmly of the opinion that more often than not lighting designers were a hindrance to my set designs and not to be relied upon. So, it was with great interest that I waited for tech rehearsals for the first production I had worked on that summer, which was The Diary of Anne Frank. Jim’s set design was brilliant, and I was very proud of the work we had done together. What I was totally unprepared for was the remarkable transformation wrought by Bill Anderson with his lighting design! For the first time in my career, I was witnessing what the work of a talented lighting designer could do to enhance and enrich a stage production. With incredible artistry, Bill explored all the moods and moments in the play, telling the story of Anne Frank using only the language of light. Bill had single handedly opened my eyes to the greater possibilities of stage lighting and it was a lesson I have never forgotten. Forty years on, I have had the honor to collaborate with the finest lighting designers in the industry, multiple Tony award winners who epitomize the passion and skill first shown me by Bill Anderson at the Black Hills Playhouse. Thank you, Bill, for showing me the light, you were one of the best.

Back in the day at the BHP, Sunday was the camp cooks day off and various groups of students and staff would make a Sunday brunch for the rest of the camp. Cafeteria food tends to be all the same after a few weeks, so the Sunday brunches were a much-needed break from the usual fare. The paint shop crew for example, was known for their green eggs and red French toast! Bill’s claim to culinary greatness was his legendary Mexican Breakfast Casserole. Now maybe it was the atmosphere or the welcome change, but to this day I have never tasted better! I pride myself on being a good cook and I have tried several times to recreate his recipe but so far, my efforts have failed to live up to Bill’s creation. If only I had been smart enough to get the recipe from Bill!

As I have been writing this story of my time with Bill and the rest of the company at the BHP, I have been reflecting on how no one knows how much time they have in this life, and the reality is that every day is truly a gift. We should all strive to spend more time in the present enjoying the company of our friends and family, as the future is an illusion. Peace to you my brother, you were taken from us far too soon.

written by Joe Forbes

BHP 1979,1980, 1981, 1982

View Tony Award winner Joe Forbes