Howell Binkley

Howell Bagby Binkley (July 25, 1956 – August 14, 2020) was an American lighting designer in modern dance and musical theatre. He received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Jersey Boys in 2006, and again in 2016 for Hamilton.

Early life and education

Binkley was born on July 25, 1956, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As a teenager, he became interested in theatre, participating in theatre summer camps for three years at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition, Binkley picked up jobs unloading trucks at the R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium in Winston-Salem. He attended the adjacent to Richard J. Reynolds High School.

Binkley instead enrolled in the theatre program at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina in 1974. Less than two years into his studies, he left college for two years to work at Opryland as a stagehand. Upon his return to ECU, he studied with The Acting Company during their residency at the university, and left college without graduating to take a full-time job with the company.

In 1985, Binkley moved to New York City, and co-founded the Parsons Dance Company. He remained the resident lighting designer of Parsons Dance for decades, creating over sixty designs for works by the company. Over the course of his work in Broadway, he became a frequent collaborator with Hal Prince and director Des McAnuff.

Style University of North Carolina School of the Arts lighting design professor Norman Coates described Binkley's technique in 2016 as "a dynamic use of color, and he cuts through that color with a purity of white light. ... The dynamic of being able to create the motion in light that matches the motion in the music and dance could be what makes his work so successful."

Awards and nominations YearProduction Award Category Outcome 1993Kiss of the Spider Woman Tony Award Best Lighting Design Olivier Award Best Lighting Design 1998 Parade Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design 2000 The Full Monty Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design 2003 Radiant Baby Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lighting Design 2005 Jersey Boys Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2007 LoveMusik Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design 2008 In The Heights Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2009 West Side Story Tony Award Best Lighting Design 2011 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2014 After Midnight Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2015 Hamilton Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lighting Design Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design Hewes Design Award Lighting Design 2016 Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2017 Come From Away Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical 2018 Hamilton Olivier Award Best Lighting Design 2019 Ain't Too Proud Tony Award Best Lighting Design of a Musical