Shirley Prendergast

Merris Shirley Prendergast (June 15, 1929 – February 26, 2019) was a theater lighting designer notable for being the first African-American woman admitted to the United Scenic Artists’ lighting division in 1969. She was also the first African-American woman lighting designer on Broadway in 1973. Prendergast designed lighting for Broadway shows such as Waltz of the Stork, Amen Corner, and the Paul Robeson one-man show. She designed lighting for fifty years, well into her mid-80s. One of her last productions was Zora Neale Hurston: a Theatrical Biography in 2016.

Early life Prendergast was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dorita and Wilford Prendergast. with Nicola Cernovich, a designer with Alvin Ailey's dance troupe. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design (1997) Winona Lee Fletcher Award from the Black Theatre Network (1998) AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design for The Dance on Widow's Row (2000) AUDELCO Award for Lighting Design for Knock Me a Kiss (2011) United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design (2014)