Beowulf Boritt
Boritt at the 76th Tony Awards in 2023
EducationVassar College (BA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationScenic designer
SpouseMimi Bilinski
Awards
Websitebeowulfborittdesign.com

Beowulf Boritt is a New York City-based scenic designer for theater. He is known for his scenic design for the play Act One, which earned him the 2014 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Play.[1]

Early life

Boritt was born to American Civil War scholar Gabor Boritt and his Man, Elizabeth Boritt, an aspiring opera singer. Gabor Boritt fled Hungary for South Dakota after the failure of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.[2] They reside in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.[2] Boritt has two brothers, Jake Boritt who is a film producer and Daniel Boritt who is a biologist specializing in birds.

Boritt cites his grandmother Anita Marie Wilson Norseen Hooker as a major inspiration for designing sets, as she was an artist and scenic designer at Wellesley College but was told that it was not appropriate for a woman to do in the 1930s. "She encouraged me artistically to express myself and bought me my first set of oil paints. My parents encouraged me, yes, but my grandmother was the big influence."[3]

Boritt went on to receive his B.A. from Vassar College where he pursued a degree in literature, not believing he could make it in scenic design:

I honestly don't think I meant to become a professional designer. I'm a little disingenuous for saying that, but I don't think I thought it was possible. I don't know if there was ever a moment where I said I'm going to pursue this. I thought I might become a college professor and teach set design somewhere. To do that I needed a master's degree. I started designing around the city a little bit while I was in graduate school and one thing led to another and I had several lucky breaks and started building a career.[4]

Then, he received his M.F.A. from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts program for design for stage and film.[5]

He is married to actress Mimi Bilinski.[6]

Career

After meeting Boritt at NYU, Hal Prince asked him to design Daisy Prince's production of The Last Five Years and later Prince's production Paradise Found. Soon after, designing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee launched his career on Broadway.[7]

Since then, he has designed over 20 Broadway shows, including his Tony Award-winning Act One and -nominated The Scottsboro Boys.

In 2007, he was awarded the Obie Award for sustained excellence in scenic design.[8] He has also won the AUDELCO Award for set design in 2002 and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.[9]

In 2015, Boritt designed the set for the Broadway debut of Helen Edmundson's play Thérèse Raquin.[10]

In 2016, Boritt was featured in a Microsoft Windows 10 commercial that aired nationwide.[11]

In 2016, he designed Chinese and American cooperated Broadway shows 'Jay Chou's The Secret'.

In 2017, he was featured in a New York Times article about his renovation of his home using his scenic design expertise.[6]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Show Result Ref.
2002 AUDELCO Set Design Saint Lucy's Eyes Won [9]
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design The Last Five Years Nominated
2004 Barrymore Award Talley's Folly Nominated
2006 Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design The Other Side Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Scenic Design Nominated
2007 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Set Design Won [8]
Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design LoveMusik Nominated
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design Nominated
2008 Spain Nominated
Barrymore Award Art Won
2009 Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design The Toxic Avenger Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Scenic Design Animals Out of Paper Nominated
2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Set Design Sondheim on Sondheim Nominated
Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design Nominated
2011 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design The Scottsboro Boys Nominated
2012 Tina Award for Best Scenic Design The Blue Flower Won
2013 Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design All in the Timing Nominated
If There Is I Haven't Found it Yet Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Scenic Design Nominated
2014 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of Play Act One Won [1]
Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Set Design Nominated
2016 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of Play Thérèse Raquin Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Set Design Nominated
2022 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Scenic Design Flying Over Sunset Nominated [12]
Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Musical Nominated [13][14]
Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Play POTUS Nominated
2023 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical New York, New York Won [15]
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Scenic Design in a Musical Won
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) Won
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical) (with Christopher Ash) Nominated

Other

In 2022 Boritt founded The 1/52 Project, a financial grant program to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nominations / 2014 / Scenic Design - Play". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Gabor S. Boritt". neh.gov. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Filichia, Peter (July 4, 2014). "How Did You Get to Be You, Mr. Boritt?". Filichia on Friday. Kritzerland.com.
  4. ↑ Rothstein, Mervyn (November 2, 2012). "Living for Design: Beowulf Boritt Conjures Arresting Scenic Worlds for Chaplin, Grace and More". Playbill.
  5. ↑ Hughes, Allen Lee (April 1, 2017). "Beowulf Boritt '96". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Kaufman, Joanne (May 26, 2017). "Beowulf Boritt, Set Designer, Renovates His Home". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Butler, Isaac (January 2010). "Practical Magic: Beowulf Boritt insists on a Single Strong Concept for his Set Designs. The Rest is Negotiable". American Theatre Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2022 – via TheFreeLibrary.com.
  8. 1 2 "07 Winners". ObieAwards.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Beowulf Boritt". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ Rickwald, Bethany (June 10, 2015). "Judith Light to Join Keira Knightley in Thérèse Raquin on Broadway". TheaterMania.
  11. ↑ Robbins, Caryn (October 6, 2016). "VIDEO: Tony-Winning Set Designer Beowulf Boritt Featured in New Microsoft Windows TV Spot". BroadwayWorld.
  12. ↑ Gans, Andrew (April 26, 2022). "Nominees for 71st Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards Announced". Playbill. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  13. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 9, 2022). "2022 Tony Award Nominations: A Strange Loop, MJ, Paradise Square Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  14. ↑ Lang, Brent; Woerner, Meredith (June 12, 2022). "Tony Awards 2022 Complete List of Winners: 'A Strange Loop,' 'The Lehman Trilogy' Earn Top Prizes". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ Nordyke, Kimberly (June 11, 2023). "Tony Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ Chloe Rabinowitz (7 September 2022). "The 1/52 Project Founded by Beowulf Boritt Announces First 7 Early-Career Designer Recipients". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
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