Biography.guide
Home › People › Theatre designer › John Wulp
Portrait of John Wulp

John Wulp

1928 – 2018

American stage designer

Theatre designerTheatre director Theatrical producer
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Wulp

Lived 1928 – 2018 (aged 90). John Wulp was an American theatre designer, theatre director and theatrical producer.

John Wulp (May 31, 1928 – November 27, 2018) was an American scenic designer, producer, director, and artist.

Theatrical career Wulp's first play, The Saintliness of Margery Kempe, won a Rockefeller Grant and was produced at the Poets' Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 19, 1957. Wulp also won an Obie Award for his direction of the 1961 stage play Red Eye of Love by playwright Arnold Weinstein. A musical adaptation of the play, with lyrics and libretto by Wulp and Weinstein, and music by Sam Davis, first premiered on Wulp's hometown island of North Haven, Maine before opening at the O'Neill Center in 2007. On September 4, 2014 Red Eye of Love the Musical opened Off-Broadway at the Amas Musical Theater in New York City.

Wulp won a Tony Award for Best Revival for his production of Dracula in 1978, which starred Frank Langella, with set designs by Edward Gorey, and opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 20, 1977. He received a Tony Award nomination and also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design for the 1979 production of The Crucifer of Blood. Wulp later went on to win an Outer Circle Critics Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award when the play was performed at the Royal Haymarket Theatre in London and at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. His other Broadway credits include Passione, Bosoms and Neglect, and Gorey Stories.

Personal life Born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, Wulp studied scenic design at the Yale School of Drama.

In 1992, Wulp left New York and moved to the island of Vinalhaven, Maine. While there he taught at a community school on the adjacent island of North Haven; for which he later became a theater director. In 1999 he created the musical Islands with singer-songwriter Cidny Bullens. It later went on to play at the New Victory Theater in New York City in 2001. He died at the age of 90 in Rockport, Maine.

Broadway / Off-Broadway Productions Red Eye of Love (1961) - The Living Theatre (director) Dracula (1977) - Martin Beck Theatre (producer) The Crucifer of Blood (1978) - Helen Hayes Theatre (producer/scenic design) Gorey Stories (1978) - Booth Theatre (producer) Bosoms and Neglect (1979) - Longacre Theatre (producer/scenic design) Passione (1980) - Morosco Theatre (producer) Red Eye of Love (Musical) (2014) - Amas Musical Theatre (producer / lyricist)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Theatre designer, theatre director, theatrical producer
Nationality
Education
Yale School of Drama
Awards
Tony Award for Best Revival; Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design; OBIE Award; Outer Circle Critics Award

People in John Wulp's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Wulp's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Wulp?

American stage designer (1928-2018)

When was John Wulp born?

John Wulp was born on 31 May 1928 in New Rochelle.

When did John Wulp die?

John Wulp died on 27 November 2018 in Rockport.

What was John Wulp's occupation?

John Wulp was a theatre designer, theatre director and theatrical producer.

What nationality was John Wulp?

John Wulp was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Wulp

· Wikidata: Q15485392

· DBpedia: John Wulp

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Wulp. https://biography.guide/john-wulp/

MLA: "John Wulp." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-wulp/.

Chicago: "John Wulp." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-wulp/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:57 UTC