North Carolina School of the Arts Chancellor Wade Hobgood has announced the appointment of Joseph P. Tilford of Chicago, Ill., as the new dean of the School of Design & Production.
Tilford has been at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., since 1990, serving as associate professor of theatre. He was chair of the Design Studies Program from 1991-96 and was director of MFA Programs in Theatre from 2000-02.
Tilford will assume his duties on July 1. He replaces John A. Sneden, now dean emeritus, who retired on Sept. 1, 2002, after serving 32 years as dean. Veteran D&P faculty member Mark Pirolo has been serving as interim dean.
"We are pleased to have Joseph Tilford join the School of the Arts as dean of our School of Design & Production," said Chancellor Hobgood. "He brings with him a wealth of experience in the professional arena as well as the academic arena. He also brings leadership skills ranging from the development of curricular programs to student recruitment initiatives. His is the perfect combination of abilities for us."
Before he joined Northwestern, Tilford had been an associate professor of theatre arts at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, since 1979. He served as the head of the Design/Technology Program there from 1980-86. He was also a visiting professor of design at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Tilford has a bachelor's degree in general studies, with a concentration in theatre and English, and a Master of Arts in theatre from the University of Cincinnati.
He spent 10 years as a free-lance and contract set designer, lighting designer, technical director, production manager and technician for organizations such as Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Cleveland PlayHouse, the Cleveland Ballet, 20th Century Fox, WNET/PBS, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway.
In addition to extensive set and lighting design work at Wright State and Northwestern, Tilford has also designed for Ohio Northern University's Freed Center for the Performing Arts. His professional set and lighting design credits include Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in Missouri; The Goodman Theatre in Chicago; The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Missouri Repertory Theatre in Kansas City; Syracuse Stage in Syracuse, N.Y.; Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Fla.; Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis; and The Victoria Theatre in Dayton, Ohio. Among the directors he has worked with are Tazewell Thompson, John Dillon, Ed Stern, Hal Scott, and Worth Gardner.
His honors include the Enquirer Theatre Award ("Jackie Award") for set design for "Blues for an Alabama Sky" at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; a CityBeat Magazine Critical Achievement Award for set design for "Much Ado About Nothing," also at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for lighting design for "As You Like It" at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Tilford has taught dozens of master classes and workshops during his career, and has been an adjudicator for The New York Portfolio Review of Stage Design (since 1992), a board member of the Michael Merritt Award for Achievement in Design and Collaboration in Chicago (since 1996); a participant in the Theatre Communications Group Designer/Director Fellows Program; and representative to "Design and the Performer: A National Design Symposium," at the Tisch School of the Arts. He is in "Who's Who in Entertainment" and "Who's Who in American Education." He has been a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, New York, since 1974.
The School of Design & Production at the North Carolina School of the Arts is one of very few independent schools of theatrical design and production in the country. The school offers the high school diploma, through its Visual Arts Program; the B.F.A.; the College Arts Diploma; and the M.F.A. Concentrations include costume design, costume technology, lighting design, scene design, scene painting, stage properties, sound design, stage automation, stage management, technical direction, and wig and makeup design. Students work on more than 20 shows a year -- plays, musicals, operas, ballets and contemporary dance concerts, as well as student films. The school's facilities are the most extensive and sophisticated of any school or professional company in the country, offering more than 70,000 square feet of space. Almost 100 percent of students find employment in their field after graduation; alumni can be found working on Broadway, in national touring companies and regional theatre, and with dance and opera companies across the country, as well as with well-known organizations such as Disney and Universal Studios. For more information, visit the School's website at www.ncarts.edu.
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