Tony Honoree Wendall K. Harrington Says Recognizing Projection Designers Is a 'Crucial Advancement'

Scenic projection designer Wendall K. Harrington is a recipient of the 2024 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre, and this recognition has been a long time coming. Harrington has been a projection designer since 1978, with her work showcased in over 40 Broadway productions.

The Tony Honors were established to recognize institutions, individuals, or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theater, but are not eligible in any of the established categories.

"It's been a very long conversation about the Tonys for me, because projection designers have not been recognized as a separate design category," Harrington told Playbill at the Meet the Nominees press event. "So for me, I believe this is a crucial advancement. At the same time, I would say, it's the collaboration that matters....Still, I am grateful to be honored in this way, and also that the craft itself is recognized as a distinct addition to the production design."

Harrington’s career has embraced diverse disciplines, including theatre, publishing, and multi-image/video design and production and academia. As a designer of scenic projections for the stage, her work has been seen on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, Paradise Square, Annie, All the Way, Driving Miss Daisy, Grey Gardens, In My Life, The Good Body, Drowning Crow, They’re Playing Our Song, and The Elephant Man, among others. In 1993, Harrington designed the projections for the award-winning The Who’s Tommy on Broadway, which toured the U.S. in 1994, and has had productions in Toronto, London, and Frankfurt, Germany.

Watch Harrington accept her honor in the video below.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards are set for June 16 at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. The evening will kick off with The Tony Awards: Act One, streaming for free on Pluto TV. The 77th Annual Tony Awards will follow beginning at 8 PM ET, broadcasting live on CBS (check local listings) and streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 17. Stage and screen star Ariana DeBose will be back for the third consecutive year to host.

Visit Playbill.com/Tonys for more.

Photos: Meet The 2024 Tony Award Nominees

Photos: Meet The 2024 Tony Award Nominees

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