Dan Williams is a designing kind of guy. In fact, it’s hard to find a local stage production that he hasn’t lent a hand with, in one capacity or another, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Photographs celebrating his 20 years in theater will be on display through Friday in the Beverly J. Corcoran Gallery, Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. Many of the theatrical sets in the photos were for shows at the auditorium — most recently an abstract forest fairy land for the Pittsburg State University Theatre production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Williams came to Pittsburg five years ago and is currently assistant professor of technical theater and design at PSU.
He earned a bachelor of fine arts from Tarkio College, Tarkio, Mo., and a master of fine arts from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
“After I graduated from graduate school in 1989 I started my career,” Williams said.
He taught at Southwestern College from 2000 to 2002, and at Kansas Newman College from 1994 to 1995. He was at Wichita State University from 1995 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2005.
“I was a technical director at WSU, and doing nine to 12 shows a year,” Williams said. “I came to Pittsburg because I wanted to slow down and enjoy teaching.”
Doug Curtright, McPherson, one of the guests at a reception honoring Williams Saturday at Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium, said that the teacher has literally gone the extra mile for his students.
“Dan is responsible for recruiting my son, Austin, to PSU,” Curtright said. “When Austin was involved in a car accident at Joplin, I called and asked Dan to check on him. He went over to Joplin, and fortunately Austin wasn’t injured. Then Dan delivered him to Wichita, where I came and picked him up. Dan was our savior in that incident. He’s a great person, and I’m indebted to him and admire him greatly.”
Williams said his interest in theater started in childhood.
“My mother took me to a lot of shows when I was a kid in Wichita,” he said. “I started doing shows in our garage and basement, and painted big backdrops on the basement wall. I performed in school shows at Wichita North High School.”
He has been involved with many directing projects outside his university duties. In 1995 he started designing for the annual William Inge Festival at Independence, and has been at every one since then. He also serves as designer/technical director for the Alithea Mime Theatre Company and the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre, and has toured with them throughout the United States and in Warsaw, Poland, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Shanghai, China.
“Dan and I also do a two-week performing arts camp for children,” said Nick Johnson, WSU director of dance and director of the Alithea Mime Theatre. “This coming summer we’re going to do ‘Frankenstein’. Dan is an incredible designer, and I love his rapport with children.”
Williams said his first step when he takes on an assignment is to become familiar with the play.
“I read the play a lot,” he said. “My wife, Denise, and I may read the play to each other in bed at night. I also research the historical period in which the play is set, and I like to look at what other designers have done with the play. If they did something that works, there’s no reason why I can’t use it. I like to watch film versions of the play, and talk to other people about it. I’m not a solitary artist — I enjoy working with a group of people.”
He said he enjoys surrounding himself with brilliant people, and one of his favorites is his wife.
“I enjoy the way she influences my work,” Williams said.
Williams has received four Meritorious achievement awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and received the 2001 Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award for his set design for “Tru,” which was presented at the Wichita Center for the Arts in 2000.
He loves sharing his 20 years of theater experience with students.
“My teaching philosophy is that I can teach students the tools they need to be a theatrical designer or technician,” Williams said. “However, it is up to them, through their own talent, creativity and ambition, to become that artist.”
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Dan Williams is a designing kind of guy. In fact, it’s hard to find a local stage production that he hasn’t lent a hand with, in one capacity or another, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Photographs celebrating his 20 years in theater will be on display through Friday in the Beverly J. Corcoran Gallery, Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. Many of the theatrical sets in the photos were for shows at the auditorium — most recently an abstract forest fairy land for the Pittsburg State University Theatre production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Williams came to Pittsburg five years ago and is currently assistant professor of technical theater and design at PSU.
He earned a bachelor of fine arts from Tarkio College, Tarkio, Mo., and a master of fine arts from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
“After I graduated from graduate school in 1989 I started my career,” Williams said.
He taught at Southwestern College from 2000 to 2002, and at Kansas Newman College from 1994 to 1995. He was at Wichita State University from 1995 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2005.
“I was a technical director at WSU, and doing nine to 12 shows a year,” Williams said. “I came to Pittsburg because I wanted to slow down and enjoy teaching.”
Doug Curtright, McPherson, one of the guests at a reception honoring Williams Saturday at Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium, said that the teacher has literally gone the extra mile for his students.
“Dan is responsible for recruiting my son, Austin, to PSU,” Curtright said. “When Austin was involved in a car accident at Joplin, I called and asked Dan to check on him. He went over to Joplin, and fortunately Austin wasn’t injured. Then Dan delivered him to Wichita, where I came and picked him up. Dan was our savior in that incident. He’s a great person, and I’m indebted to him and admire him greatly.”
Williams said his interest in theater started in childhood.
“My mother took me to a lot of shows when I was a kid in Wichita,” he said. “I started doing shows in our garage and basement, and painted big backdrops on the basement wall. I performed in school shows at Wichita North High School.”
He has been involved with many directing projects outside his university duties. In 1995 he started designing for the annual William Inge Festival at Independence, and has been at every one since then. He also serves as designer/technical director for the Alithea Mime Theatre Company and the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre, and has toured with them throughout the United States and in Warsaw, Poland, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Shanghai, China.
“Dan and I also do a two-week performing arts camp for children,” said Nick Johnson, WSU director of dance and director of the Alithea Mime Theatre. “This coming summer we’re going to do ‘Frankenstein’. Dan is an incredible designer, and I love his rapport with children.”
Williams said his first step when he takes on an assignment is to become familiar with the play.
“I read the play a lot,” he said. “My wife, Denise, and I may read the play to each other in bed at night. I also research the historical period in which the play is set, and I like to look at what other designers have done with the play. If they did something that works, there’s no reason why I can’t use it. I like to watch film versions of the play, and talk to other people about it. I’m not a solitary artist — I enjoy working with a group of people.”
He said he enjoys surrounding himself with brilliant people, and one of his favorites is his wife.
“I enjoy the way she influences my work,” Williams said.
Williams has received four Meritorious achievement awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and received the 2001 Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award for his set design for “Tru,” which was presented at the Wichita Center for the Arts in 2000.
He loves sharing his 20 years of theater experience with students.
“My teaching philosophy is that I can teach students the tools they need to be a theatrical designer or technician,” Williams said. “However, it is up to them, through their own talent, creativity and ambition, to become that artist.”
