Ken Billington


Ken Billington is an American lighting designer. He began his career in New York City working as an assistant to Tharon Musser.

Early life

Billington was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Kenneth Arthur and Ruth Billington.

Radio City Music Hall, Las Vegas Productions and Other Works

Billington was the principal lighting designer for Radio City Music Hall from 1979 to 2004, where he created the lighting for the world-famous Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes and the Easter Radio City Spring Spectacular. While there, he also created the lighting for the stage adaptation of the 1937 animated musical film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Billington has worked extensively in Las Vegas lighting nightclub acts for headliners Ann-Margret, Shirley MacLaine, Liberace, Juliet Prowse, Chita Rivera, The McGuire Sisters and more. He has designed for the long-running Las Vegas Spectaculars Jubilee! at Bally's Las Vegas, Siegfried & Roy in Beyond Belief at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino as well as Splash at the Riviera.
Billington's lighting is featured in the extravaganza Fantasmic! at Disneyland, Shamu Night shows at the Seaworld Parks and multiple shows at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. His architectural designs can be seen in restaurants and clubs from Manhattan to Asia including Tavern on the Green and 54 Below Ken also designed the lighting plot and original design on multiple shows for Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.
Other projects include lighting the 1975/76 season for the American Shakespeare Festival at Stratford, Connecticut as well as projects such as Turandot at the Vienna State Opera.

Acheivements

Billington has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design nine times and in 1997 won for the revival of Chicago, which also garnered him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design. He won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lighting Design in 2008 for the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Additionally, he has been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and Boston Drama Critics Award: acknowledged for notable contributions to theatre lighting.
Ken has received many other awards for his work including the Ace Award for Television Lighting and the Lumen Award for Architectural Lighting.
In November 2015, Billington was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Awards and nominations

YearTitleAwardCategoryResult
1974The VisitTony AwardBest Lighting Design
1978WorkingTony AwardBest Lighting Design
1979Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetTony AwardBest Lighting Design
1979Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
1983FoxfireTony AwardBest Lighting Design
1983FoxfireDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
1984End of the WorldTony AwardBest Lighting Design
1985GrindDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
1997ChicagoTony AwardBest Lighting DesignWon
1997ChicagoDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting DesignWon
1997ChicagoOuter Critics Circle AwardBest Lighting Design
2006The Drowsy ChaperoneTony AwardBest Lighting Design in a Musical
2008Sunday in the Park with GeorgeTony AwardBest Lighting Design in a Musical
2008Sunday in the Park with GeorgeDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
2008Sunday in the Park with GeorgeOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Lighting DesignWon
2010Sondheim on SondheimOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
2011The Scottsboro BoysTony AwardBest Lighting Design in a Musical
2013ChaplinDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
2013ChaplinOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Lighting Design
2022New York, New York Tony AwardBest Lighting Design in a Musical
2022New York, New York Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Lighting Design