Donald Holder to receive Paky Award at LDI 2022
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The Paky Award was created in 2014 and named for Pasquale ‘Paky’ Quadri, founder and former president of Claypaky, who passed away that year. Previous winners include ETC Lighting’s Fred Foster, High End Systems’ Richard Belliveau, Barbizon’s Jonathan Resnick (in memoriam), LDI founder Pat MacKay and projection designer Wendall K. Harrington.
“We are proud to sponsor this award in honor of Paky, who always believed in innovation and who made many contributions to the industry,” says Alberico D’Amato, Claypaky’s sales director. “We’re certain that Paky would be pleased to see fellow innovator Donald Holder take home the award this year in celebration of his inspiring career.”
Donald Holder has worked extensively in theatre, opera, dance, architectural and television lighting worldwide for more than 30 years. He has designed 59 Broadway productions and has been nominated for fourteen Tony awards, winning for The Lion King in 1998 – now in its 25th year on Broadway. He has also designed more than 100 Off-Broadway productions, projects for The Metropolitan Opera and numerous television series and films, including Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and this year’s new musical version of A Christmas Carol, produced by Apple Studios.
Holder currently leads the lighting program at Rutgers University-Mason Gross School of the Arts. He is a graduate of the University of Maine and the Yale School of Drama.
“We are excited to honor Don Holder with the Paky award as he is not only an exceptional lighting designer but an educator as well. He is an innovator who has made the stage production of Lion King one of the most spectacular shows these past 25 years. To teach students to innovate, the educator must be experienced in innovation; trying new technologies, pushing the limits, and producing inventive work firsthand. Don is a prime example of an innovator both in the theatre and in the classroom,” concludes Julie Smith, managing director, Group 1440 (Claypaky U.S.).
