Lighting designer Ben Pilat has been chosen to receive the sixth annual Rising Star Award, sponsored by LDI2010 and Live Design magazine. The award will be presented at a special event featuring lighting designer Jennifer Tipton on Friday, April 2 at the 50th annual USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Rising Star Award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in the areas of scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, or the convergence of these design disciplines. The award is given to a young designer in the first four years of professional (non-academic) work, following the completion of his or her highest degree.

Mr. Pilat is a freelance lighting designer living in New York City. He holds an MFA in lighting design from Boston University and is the lighting supervisor for the Los Angeles Ballet. Recent projects include designs for Commonwealth Opera, the Attic Theatre Company, The Barnstormers Theatre, and Actors' Shakespeare Project. As an assistant designer, credits include Master Class at the Kennedy Center and the world premiere Steven Schwartz opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon as well as shows at The Juilliard School, The Muny, and New York Theatre Workshop.

Roger Meeker, professor at Boston University, noted, "Ben is an exceptional young lighting designer, and I was proud to have him as a student. As a designer, Ben has proven to be both creative and flexible. His work is well-planned and well-executed while remaining open to changes as they occur. Ben is an excellent collaborator; his ideas often spur creativity among other designers and move the process forward in interesting directions."

David Johnson, associate publisher and editorial director of Live Design, said, "We are extremely pleased that Ben Pilat is this year's winner of the USITT Rising Star Award. He is a talented young designer who already has a wide variety of experience to recommend him. It will be very exciting to present this year's award at an event paying tribute to the celebrated lighting designer Jennifer Tipton."

LDI and Live Design have endowed USITT's Rising Star Award in perpetuity, with the winner receiving a $1,000 prize. For additional information about the Rising Star Award, contact USITT at www.usitt.org or Live Design at www.livedesignonline.com. Previous winners are: 2009 Sean Savoie, lighting designer; 2008 Elisheba Ittoop sound designer; 2007 John Horan, lighting designer; 2006 Justin Townsend, scenic and lighting designer; and 2005 Kelly Hanson, scenic designer.

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Ben Pilat