Exploring the History of Scenic Designer Robin Wagner

Robin Wagner was one of the most inventive and prolific scenic designers on Broadway in the last decades of the 20th century. From the deceptively simple set of A Chorus Line that allowed for the use of Tharon Musser’s first-of-a-kind computerized lighting design, to the boundary pushing automated scenery in Dreamgirls, Wagner helped to bring scenic design into the digital age. In 2023, months before his death, Wagner gave his papers and designs to the Library for the Performing Arts, and they are now processed and available for researchers to use. Several of Wagner’s closest colleagues gather for a panel discussion of Wagner’s influence on the artform to celebrate his gift and his remarkable career.

Photo Credit: Martha Swope

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