Thomas Brown, LTD.

EDUCATION
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA
MFA in SET DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Athens, GA
BFA in DRAWING and PAINTING.
 

TEACHING
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ARTS – Hollywood, CA
In-House Designer and Construction Supervisor for over 25 plays per year.
WINDWARD SCHOOL – Los Angeles, CA
Instructor of Set & Lighting Design – Technical Director
UCLA - Los Angeles, CA
Teaching Associate
SPELMAN COLLEGE - Atlanta, GA
Technical Director/ Instructor/ Inter-Departmental Set and Lighting Designer for Theater, Dance and Music departments.

 

INDUSTRIAL
THE NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION - Albuquerque, NM; San Diego, CA
WALT DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT ART - Anaheim, CA
ROBERT JOHNSON AND ASSOC. - Atlanta, GA
 

MOTION PICTURE
GANG TAPES - Production Designer – Lion’s Gate Films
BODY and SOUL - Production Designer – Body & Soul Productions
I’M LOOKIN’ OUT FOR YOU - Production Designer - Clever Films
VOICES AND CHOICES - Production Designer - Center for Latino Health
PRETTY WOMEN, TOO - Production Designer - Troy Beyer Prod.
LA PIETA - Production Designer - Pieta Prod.
ATTACK OF THE ROCK N’ ROLL ALIENS - Technical Consultant - Interplanetary Prod.

TELEVISION/ CABLE
BELLES – Sitcom – Set Decorator – TV ONE Productions
BOBBY JONES GOSPEL SHOW - Music Review and Award Show/Prod. Designer - B.E.T. Productions
OH DRAMA/ THE WAY WE DO IT/ ON THE BEAT. - Talkshow/Comedy/Game Show - Prod. Designer –
B.E.T. Productions
LIVE FROM L.A. - Talkshow/Prod. Designer - B.E. T. Productions
AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT A WOMAN - Sitcom/Prod. Designer - B.E. T. Productions
AFRICAN HERITAGE MOVIE NETWORK - Art Director - Bullit Productions
GETTIN’ IT RIGHT - Series Art Director - Visualife Productions
COMIC VIEW - Series Production Designer - Black Entertainment Television
TRIBUTE TO BLACK MUSIC LEGENDS - Art Director - Black Entertainment Television
VIDEO SOUL SPRITE NITE - Art Director - Black Entertainment Television
COMIC VIEW AWARDS - Art Director - Black Entertainment Television
CHRIS ROCK LIVE - Art Director - HBO
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT/ LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW - Assis. Art Dir. - Paramount Pictures
NBC ALL-STAR COMEDY SALUTE - Assis. Art Dir. /Bruce Ryan, Art Director - NBC
SOUL TRAIN - Art Director - Don Cornelius Productions
SINBAD AND FRIENDS - Assis. Art Dir. - ABC
MICHAEL JORDAN SALUTE - Assis. Art Dir./Bruce Ryan, Art Director - NBC
MTV AWARDS - Assis. Art Dir. /Bruce Ryan, Art Director - MTV/NBC
TOTALLY HIDDEN VIDEO - Art Director - FOX-TV

SPECIAL LIVE EVENTS
HOT SET – Contestant Winner – SYFY Channel, Mission Control Media – Los Angeles, CA
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION (Gala Parties) – Event Designer – Marriot-Wardman Hotel, Wash. DC.
RETURN TO FREEDOM (Fundraiser), Spirit of the Horse – Site Designer – Santa Barbara Polo Club
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION/ PLAZA – Art Director – DNC – L.A. Convention Hall
THE McDONALD’S GOSPELFEST - Art Director - The Future Agency - Shrine Auditorium
TRIBUTE TO ELLA/ MINORITY AIDS PROJECT - Art Director - CTW Productions/Dionne Warwick
FRIEDA PAYNE LIVE! - Art Director - Co-Real Artists, Inc. - L.A.T.C.
OLETA ADAMS IN CONCERT - Art Director - Artist’s Mgmt - Director’s Guild
THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND TELETHON - Set and Lighting Designer - Atlanta, Ga.

OPERA
CANDIDE - Set Designer - UCLA
JEZEBEL - Set Designer - G.A.R. Productions - Scottish Rites Cathedral
 

THEATRE (Selected Scenography)
A variety of plays, including EQUUS, THE PRODUCERS, BEAUTY and the BEAST, CHICAGO, FENCES, THE SECRET GARDEN, CABARET, AVENUE Q, - In-House Set Designer and Technical Director - THE MORGAN-WIXSON THEATRE
MARY and JOSEPH (Original Musical Tour) - Set Designer - Ed Weinberger Entertainment – Tour
A variety of plays, including RUMORS, INTO THE WOODS, PICASSO at the LAPIN AGILE, SUBURBIA, PTERODACTYLS - In-House Set Designer - THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ARTS
…HELL is TOO HOT! - Set Designer - H2H PRODUCTIONS (Touring) – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
HAROLD & MAUDE - Set Designer - WILL GEER THEATRICUM BOTANICUM
BEE LUTHER HATCHEE - Set Designer – THE ROBEY THEATER COMPANY
UP THE MOUNTAIN - Set Designer - THEATER GEO
ETTA JENKS - Set Designer - The COURT Theater
SOUL’S ON FIRE - Set Designer - The MET Theater
PRIVATE BATTLE - Set Designer - TAPER II, Los Angeles Music Center
THE FIVE HEARTBEATS - Set Designer - West Angeles Church/ Robert Townsend, Producer
THANKSGIVING CRIES - Set Designer - The Odyssey Theater
MISS DESSA - Set and Lighting Designer - Crossroads Arts Academy and Theater
CRIMINAL MINDS - Set Designer - The American New Theater
STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Set Designer - Los Angeles Art Theater
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE - Set and Lighting Designer - Inglewood Civic Theater

227 - Set Designer - The Just Us Theater Co. - The Peachtree PlayhouseTOBACCO ROAD - Set Designer - Theater in the SquareMEMBER OF THE WEDDING - Set Designer - The Academy TheaterEDEN - Set Designer - The Alliance TheaterTHE RIVER NIGER - Set Designer - A.T.L.A.N.T.A. ProductionsTHE ISLAND - Set Designer - A.T.L.A.N.T.A. Productions

Technical Director and In-House Designer for JOMANDI PRODUCTIONS in Atlanta, GA. Designed scenery and lights for over 30 productions, including:
BOESMAN AND LENA
ZOOMAN AND THE SIGN
JOSEPHINE LIVE

Selected scenography from teaching  tenure at SPELMAN COLLEGE as Set, Lights and Costume Designer:
HELLO DOLLY
THREE-PENNY OPERA
THE HOBBIT
THE GLASS MENAGERIE
THE WIZ
DON’T BOTHER ME I CAN’T COPE
FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE ...
ANTIGONE
MACBETH
THE CHILDREN’S HOUR
PURLIE VICTORIOUS
HEDDA GABLER

AWARDS RECEIVED
1991 DRAMA-LOGUE AWARD and NAACP Theater Award for set design for  A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1992 NAACP Theater Award for set design for MISS DESSA
1993 NAACP Theater Award for set design for STEAL AWAY
Nominated for “BEST SET DESIGN” 1993 LA WEEKLY Theater Award for WASHINGTON SQUARE MOVES.
1995 NAACP Theater Award for set design for THE FIVE HEARTBEATS
1996 DRAMA-LOGUE Award for set design for ETTA JENKS
2014 OVATION Award for set design for THE OLD SETTLER
 

For over 40 years I have designed, built and installed sets for a variety of entertainment formats and programs - including Live Theater, Corporate Events, Musical Concerts, Dramatic & Science-Fiction Film, TV - Sitcom, Musical Variety and Award, Talk Show and Live Comedy Variety. On these productions I served variously as Production Designer, Art Director, or Assistant Art Director. In most cases I was also the Production Lead, Lead Carpenter, and Scenic Artist – or all three!

 

While my specific responsibilities have varied from production to production, my usual work process has been to confer with the producer(s)/director (s) in developing the concepts for the overall visual look and physical layout of the show and space in the venue. Then develop the presentation drawings, including color sketches in alignment with our collective goals for the show. Then create the models, floor plans, construction drawings, installation schedules and/or strategies for mounting the actual production. For many of my projects I also developed the preliminary, final, and working budgets for the scenic, working schedules, and/or technical logistics of the production. Sometimes these budgets would be as small as $2,000.00 or as much as $2,000,000.00.

 

Additionally, I oftentimes secured and supervised the crews involved in the building, installing and the striking of the sets for the shows.

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