[SML] Bill Warfel

[Bill Conner]

I suspect some of you have already heard this news but thought that
I'd share this official announcement from the Yale School of Drama
with this wider theatre community.

William B. Warfel, Professor Emeritus of Theater Design.

Born February 12, 1933, Bill received his BA from Yale College in
1955, and because he had already taken several courses at the School
of Drama, earned his MFA here in 1957. He then spent five years as
Technical Director of the Dartmouth Players at Dartmouth College,
where he also taught. In 1962 he went to work for Century Lighting,
beginning a career in architectural lighting, fixture design, and
theater consulting, that lasted for more than 40 years with several
companies, comprising hundreds of projects, including work for the
Carnegie Science Center, Chapel of St. Thomas More at Yale University,
Paul Mellon Arts Center at Choate-Rosemary Hall, Hood Museum of Art,
Machu Picchu Museum, and Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, among many
others.

In 1967, Bill joined the YSD faculty in the Design department and
became Lighting Director at Yale Repertory Theatre—he was co-chair of
Design from 1972-1993, and he lit many productions at Yale Rep,
including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, revived on multiple occasions at
Yale and later at American Repertory Theatre, and the 25th Anniversary
production of Athol Fugard's The Blood Knot, which also played on
Broadway. Bill was also the author of Handbook of Stage Lighting
Graphics and of Color Science for Lighting the Stage (with Walter
Klappert), as well as articles for Architectural Lighting and
Educational Theatre Journal and other magazines; notably, he wrote the
influential software GelFile, which pioneered an approach allowing
users to predict how gel colors would interact with each other when
lights overlapped.

Bill was profoundly dedicated to teaching and to the well-being of his
students. The significance of his achievements as a designer of stage
and architectural lighting and theater consultant are especially
complemented by the accomplishments of so many field leaders who
studied with him, and he will long be remembered for his excellent
work and kindness. Throughout his career, his generosity of spirit and
vitality were beautifully matched by those of his wife of 62 years,
Phyllis Warfel ’55, who survives him, along with their daughters,
Arden Lowe of South Hadley, MA and Katherine Trudeau of East Hartford,
CT, four grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

-- 
Bill Conner Fellow of the FASTC