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Richard V. Riddell

Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Distinguished Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Theater Studies
Theater Studies
Box 90680, Durham, NC 27708-0030
Page, Room 109, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Richard Riddell has had a career as a scholar, professional lighting designer, and administrator. He led the Department of Theater Studies (formerly Program in Drama) from 1992 to 2003, then served in the university administration from 2004 to 2020, retiring from administration as senior vice president and secretary to the Board of Trustees. A graduate of Knox College and Stanford University, he has published articles on education and the arts, design, and European theater in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American Theater, The DramaReview, and other publications. He has received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Maharam Awards for excellence in lighting design and has designed productions on Broadway and at resident theater and opera companies in the United States and Great Britain, including the American Repertory Theatre, the English National Opera, the New York City Opera, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Guthrie, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He designed the lighting for the premieres of three operas by Philip Glass: Satyagraha, Akhnaten (also collaborating on the libretto), and The Fall of the House of Usher. Prior to coming to Duke, he was chairman of the Department of Theater at the University of California, San Diego, and Director of the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Distinguished Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Theater Studies · 2023 - Present Theater Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Theater Studies · 2023 - Present Theater Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published June 29, 2020
A Legacy of Quiet Leadership
Published November 7, 2019
How Many Roads to Philip Glass' 'Akhnaten' Lead To Duke
Published March 28, 2016
From Allen Building to the Opera House

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Recent Publications


Shedding Light on the Play

Journal Article Theater Week · February 1996 Cite

Artists and Audiences

Journal Article Duke Magazine, Arts and Ideas · 1996 Cite
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Recent Grants


Herb Gardner's drama: "A Thousand Clowns"

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 2000 - 2001

Theater Previews/ Performances/Workshops

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 1999 - 2000

Helen of Egypt by Euripides

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 1999 - 2000

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Recent Artistic Works


A Philadelphia Story

Lighting Design Theatrical Production January 1, 2001

Eleanor: An American Love Story

Lighting Design Theatrical Production January 1, 1999

Kudzu

Lighting Design Theatrical Production January 1, 1998

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University · 1978 Ph.D.
Knox College · 1972 B.A.