Until Richard Pilbrow came along, the job of the lighting designer in British theatre was to light the actors and flatter the decor. Richard, who has died aged 90, recognised that stage design had the potential to be architecture in motion, and that the technology of photographic projection could allow stories to be told in a different way.
Inspired by the Czech “scenographer” Joseph Svoboda, and creative American lighting designers such as Tharon Musser, Richard brought vision, technical expertise and talent to the craft, making stage lighting an expressive and essential part of theatre design. He played a key role in the construction and design of the National Theatre on the South Bank, London, in the 1960s and 70s, and his legacy can be seen in almost every contemporary stage production in the world.
