DOYLESTOWN, PA. (October 3, 2022) – Pine Run Retirement Community and its Villagers Association are pleased to present an exhibit of scenic and costume designs by Pine Run resident and scenic designer Henry Heymann. The exhibit will be on view between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the lower level of the Pine Run Community Center, 777 Ferry Road in Doylestown, through October 22, 2022.
Mr. Heymann’s long and distinguished career in design includes a resume of over 400 shows in theaters, operas, and ballets throughout the US including New York City, Santa Fe Opera, and the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught (and designed) from 1967 to 1992. The Pine Run exhibit, a colorful feast for the eyes, showcases 70 sketches from 20 of these works, as well as original sketches from his 1960 application to join the United Scenic Artists Union in New York City.
The United Scenic Artists exam, a prerequisite for designers who wish to work in New York City is a grueling, often feared, project consisting of sketches of costumes, scenery, and lighting from a play. In Mr. Heymann’s project the topic was Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus” and it consisted of 18 items representing 14 scene and 75 characters and costumes. Applicants have one month to complete their projects before sitting for a nine hour exam. Most applicants use every minute of that month to complete their work. Mr. Heymann completed his project in just one short week and was one of only a few applicants to pass, out of 44 entrants that year.
Mr. Heymann’s love of theater, arts, and design began in his early teens on a trip from his childhood home in New Orleans to New York City with his parents. In seven days they saw eight shows including the original “South Pacific” and “Kiss Me Kate.” He was hooked and began designing, building, and painting sets long before he knew that this could be a profession. His passion continued as he enrolled in Washington and Lee University in VA where he was charged with creating décor for school dances. His talents were recognized and he progressed to designing sets and costumes for university productions. Accepted into Yale School of Drama for graduate studies, he continued his energetic pace in New York City on Broadway and the Metropolitan and NYC Operas from 1959-1967 on shows such as Lerner and Lowe’s “Camelot,” Noel Coward’s “High Spirits,” “Die Fledermaus,” and worked with Broadway and opera legends Beverly Sills, Igor Stravinsky, Shirley Verrett, Placido Domingo, and many many more.
Mr. Heymann bought a farm in Tinicum in Bucks County in 1960 and for many years visited the farm while teaching and designing at the University of Pittsburgh and other stages. Upon his retirement from teaching, he fell into a second career designing residential interiors. After his second retirement, and a move to Pine Run Retirement Community, the pull of the theater proved to be irresistible. The Bucks County Gilbert and Sullivan Society has utilized Mr. Heymann’s talents for designs and costumes in their recent productions of “The Sorcerer” and “South Pacific.”
Most of Mr. Heymann’s designs are held in archives and collections of the theaters or universities where the shows were produced. “Bucks County has long been home to so many talented artists through the years. Many have chosen to live at Pine Run. We take great pride in supporting the arts and our gallery space allows all residents and visitors to our campus to enjoy the art – and the artists – who live with us. Mr. Heymann’s exhibit is as colorful and energetic as he is and we are proud to showcase his talent and his contributions to the theater through the years,” said Maria Santangelo, Pine Run Executive Director.
The gallery in the Pine Run Community Center is home to solo and group shows of resident art centered on a theme. Organized by the Pine Run Villagers Association, recent shows have included hooked rugs by noted artists Mary Jo and Karl Gimber; paintings, photography, wood working, quilts and other fine arts and crafts by Oz Freedgood, William Britton, Nancy Ashman, Jean Miller, Izzy Barth, Lois Wilson Thompson, and more.
About Pine Run: Pine Run Retirement Community in Doylestown, Pennsylvania is one of Bucks County’s leading senior living and senior care providers, with 272 independent living cottages and 24 apartments situated on a beautiful 43-acre private campus. The campus is home to Pine Run Health Center, which offers rehabilitation services and skilled nursing; The Garden, a secure dementia neighborhood on the top floor of the Health Center; and The Willows, an intimate setting for palliative, services. Pine Run Lakeview is personal care residence owned and operated by Pine Run Retirement Community and located on Lower State Road in Doylestown. Generations of families have turned to Pine Run for the certainty of comforts and services in the bonus years. Call 800.992.8992 to learn more about independent living, personal care, or skilled nursing and rehabilitation programs, or visit www.pinerun.org.