UMaine Alumnus Donald Holder ’80 Wins Tony Award

Contact: Tom Mikotowicz, 299-8550 (cell), 581-1965 (voicemail) or miko@maine.edu

ORONO — Donald Holder, a University of Maine alumnus, won a Tony Award last night for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his work on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.” Holder also received a nomination for Best Lighting Design of a Play for his work on “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” A New York native, Holder graduated from the University of Maine in 1980 with a degree in forestry. However, he was deeply involved in theater while studying in Orono, and though he went on to study drama at Yale after graduation, he still maintains ties to UMaine.

Holder is no stranger to awards. His lighting design for the Broadway production of Disney’s “The Lion King” won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award. He also received Tony nominations for his lighting work on “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Movin’ Out” and “Gem of the Ocean,” among others.

“He paints the stage and shapes the space with color,” says Tom Mikotowicz, a UMaine theater professor who is a longtime associate of Holder. “He’s one of the masters of the craft.”

For information, please contact Tom Mikotowicz at 299-8550 (cell), 581-1965 (voicemail) or miko@maine.edu.