Musser, Tharon (1925–)

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Musser, Tharon (1925–)

American lighting designer. Born Tharon Myrene Musser, Jan 8, 1925, in Roanoke, Virginia; dau. of George C. Musser (cleric) and Hazel (Riddle) Musser; Berea College, BA, 1945; Yale University, MFA, 1950; never married.

One of a trio of pioneering women lighting designers, lit 1st Broadway show: the premiere of O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (1956); credits mounted quickly, and came to include everything from Shakespeare to musical comedy; worked with American Shakespeare Festival, Dallas and Miami opera companies, Mark Taper Forum, and American Ballet Theater; lit all of Neil Simon's plays since Prisoner of 2nd Avenue (1971) and designed an impressive list of musicals; won 1st Tony Award for Follies (1971) and 2nd for A Chorus Line (1975), for which she used the prototype LS8, the 1st computerized memory lighting board employed on Broadway; won 3rd Tony for Dreamgirls in which she used moving lights, yet another innovation. Received a Lifetime in Light Award from Lighting Dimensions magazine (1990) and Wally Russell Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement (1995).

See also Women in World History.