Where are they now: Justin Townsend

By Courtney Riggar, Production Manager

Hopefully this will be the first in a series of blog entries to keep you up to date on what some of our visiting artists are up to when they are not working here at the Arden.  We work with many talented designers, find who quickly become part of our family, so it is nice to keep up with them when they’re out and about.

You may have first seen Justin Townsend’s work on Caroline, Or Change where he was the lighting designer.  Caroline provided me with many goose bump moments, but my favorite moment by far was when the Radio started to sing Salty Teardrops and the stage was bathed in a beautiful blue with the moon glowing overhead and slowly rain started to fall upstage.  This counts among my top ten best theatre moments of all time, and I still get goose bumps just thinking of that song.  That was my first season at the Arden, and it was at that very moment that I knew I had finally found a home.

Justin has gone on to design the lights for several more shows here for us.  He created a wonderfully simple beauty in Our Town, his Auto Da Fe was electric in Candide, and he brought order to chaos in Sunday in the Park with George.  He has also collaborated with Terry in New York for the Primary Stages production of Opus.

So what is Justin up to these days?  He is the lighting designer of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson currently running on Broadway in the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.  Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson is a wild and crazy take on the life of; you guessed it, Andrew Jackson.  It is a little bit history and a little bit rock ‘n roll.  Check out the New York Times review of the show. It includes photos that showcase Justin’s work.

This is Justin’s first Broadway design, and here at the Arden we couldn’t be more thrilled that our friend is finding great success.  We are also looking forward to his return to us here at the Arden.  We don’t know when that will be just yet, but rest assured you haven’t heard the last of Justin Townsend.