profiles Lighting Lifetime Achievement Award from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle, four Drama Critics Circle Awards, a Sarah Siddons Award and 25 Drama-Logue Awards. MARIANN S. VERHEYEN (Costume Designer) has been designing for the Alliance since 1985, most recently for August in Osage County and Avenue X (Suzi Nomination in Costume Design). Other shows at the Alliance include August Wilson Full Circle: Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf, Intimate Apparel (Suzi Bass Award winner for Best Costume Design, 2005-06), Day of the Kings, A Christmas Carol and Light Up the Sky. New York credits include Cathy Rigby’s Peter Pan, Everybody’s Ruby (AudelcoAward Nomination), numerous off-Broadway productions and 10 years of commercial styling. Regionally, her work has been seen at the Ford’s, Huntington and Studio Arena theatres; Missouri Rep; and the Chicago, Alabama, Oregon and Colorado Shakespeare theatres. She has designed costumes for Disney Cruise Lines, Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and Sea World San Antonio. Awards include three I.R.N.E.s in Boston, Villager Downtown Theater Award of NYC, two Best of Atlanta’s, Chicago’s 2002 Jeff Award and 2005 and 2007 Jeff Award nominations. She is a recipient of a Distinguished Achievement Awards from her undergrad and high school alma maters. She is head of the Costume Design program at Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theater. DIANE FERRY WILLIAMS (Lighting Designer) has designed over 20 shows for the Alliance. Favorites include Chess, The Grapes of Wrath, Romeo and Juliet and Once on the Island. She has worked for many theatres around the country,
including Portland Center Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, The Goodspeed, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and has designed many national and international tours. Awards include a Jeff Award for Miss Saigon, a Carbonelle Award in Miami, three Drammy awards in Porland, Ore., an After Dark Award for Sunset Boulevard and seven Jeff nominations for lighting design. Diane has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatrical Design from Northwestern University and is the Resident Lighting Designer at Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre in Chicago. Clay Benning (Sound Designer) has been the resident sound designer at the Alliance Theatre for 12 years. He has designed more than 70 productions, including Pacific Overtures, Class of 3000, Jelly’s Last Jam, August: Osage County, Five Guys Named Moe, Eurydice and Topdog/ Underdog. He is also an associate artist at Georgia Shakespeare with designs for more than 18 productions including King Lear, Metamorphoses, Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Antigone and Pericles. Other work includes the Atlanta Ballet: The Great Gatsby, big (featuring Big Boi). Regional work: Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Theatrical Outfit, Synchronicity Theatre. Awards: 2006, 2007 and 2009 Suzi Bass awards for Best Sound Design (Metamorphoses, False Creeds, and Titus Andronicus). Production sound engineer for the world premieres of The Color Purple, Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL and Bring It On: The Musical. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College (BA), North Carolina School of the Arts (MFA) and a member of IATSE/ USA829. alliancetheatre.org
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