Johnny Dodd
Encyclopedia
John P. "Johnny" Dodd was a lighting designer
for theater, dance and music active in the downtown art scene in Manhattan
during the last half of the 20th century.
for his work on Soren Agenoux's A Christmas Carol
, Lanford Wilson
's The Madness of Lady Bright
and Tom Eyen
's White Whore and the Bit Player. Dodd also worked on productions at Judson Memorial Church
, La Mama
and Theater Genesis. During the 1970s, he served as lighting director on the New York Dolls
tours and worked with theater director Robert Wilson
. He later founded and served as the president of the 14th Street Stage Lighting Inc. Towards the end of his life, Dodd worked at The Living Theater.
's film Haircut No. 3 (1963) and appeared in Warhol's film Kiss (1964).
Lighting designer
The role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
for theater, dance and music active in the downtown art scene in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
during the last half of the 20th century.
Career achievements
During the 1960s, Dodd was resident lighting designer at the Caffe Cino. In 1967, he received an Obie AwardObie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for his work on Soren Agenoux's A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
, Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
's The Madness of Lady Bright
The Madness of Lady Bright
The Madness of Lady Bright is a short play by Lanford Wilson, among the earliest of the gay theatre movement. It was first performed at Joe Cino's Caffe Cino in May 1964 and went on to tour internationally, appearing in revivals to the present day...
and Tom Eyen
Tom Eyen
Tom Eyen was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and theatre director.Eyen is best known for works at opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum...
's White Whore and the Bit Player. Dodd also worked on productions at Judson Memorial Church
Judson Memorial Church
The Judson Memorial Church is located on Washington Square South between Thompson and Sullivan Streets, opposite Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City...
, La Mama
La Mama
La Mama may refer to:* La Mama - a German disco group* La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in East Village, Manhattan, New York City, founded 1961* La Mama Theatre in Carlton, Victoria, Australia, founded 1967...
and Theater Genesis. During the 1970s, he served as lighting director on the New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
tours and worked with theater director Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
. He later founded and served as the president of the 14th Street Stage Lighting Inc. Towards the end of his life, Dodd worked at The Living Theater.
Underground film appearances
Dodd was featured in Andy WarholAndy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's film Haircut No. 3 (1963) and appeared in Warhol's film Kiss (1964).