Willie Williams (set designer)

William Peter Charles Williams (born 1959) is an English show director, stage and lighting designer and video director for concerts, theatre and multimedia projects. He is best known for his work with the rock band U2, and is recognised as one of the leading artists in this field.  William Gibson, writing in Wired magazine, said "Willie Williams combines a passionate delight in technology with an infectious low-tech joy.  His innovations have become industry standards."

He was born in 1959 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and raised on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, the son of Robert Woodman Williams, a singer and medical practitioner; he sang with South Yorkshire Opera. Williams excelled at mathematics and science in school and planned to study physics at University College, London. Punk rock encouraged him to enter the music industry instead: he began doing lights for various bands such as Deaf School and Stiff Little Fingers.

Williams has been responsible for the design of U2's tours from 1983 onward, most famously the Zoo TV Tour (1992–93), and most recently U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere (2023).  This residency, which opened the new building, was met with universal acclaim, with the UK's Daily Telegraph stating that U2 & Williams had "changed live entertainment forever". He has also worked with musical artists such as R.E.M., David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, Darren Hayes, George Michael and Self Esteem.

Williams has designed for the Montreal-based dance company La La La Human Steps. Other collaborations have been with Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithfull and the Kronos Quartet, most notably on Sun Rings, a joint effort with NASA that combines the string quartet's music with video and audio material collected by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Gallery and architectural installations
In 2015, Williams designed the giant kinetic chandelier installed at Omnia nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.   He has exhibited his own kinetic light sculptures in several art galleries. The sculptures, entitled "Lumia Domestica", create kaleidoscopic projections in the tradition of Nicolas Schöffer and Thomas Wilfred by refracting light through household glassware.  Other public works include the creation of lighting installations at London's Southbank Centre and within Canterbury Cathedral; "SkyChurch", a multimedia performance space at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington, and a permanent exhibit at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

Theatre works
Theatre shows Williams has worked on include Prima Facie, starring Jodie Comer, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London and John Golden Theatre on Broadway, for which he won a New York Drama Desk Award; We Will Rock You, Little Britain Live, French and Saunders Still Alive, Steve Coogan is Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters, The Fast Show Live, Barbarella and Pam Ann.

Awards
1987: Lighting Director of the Year, Performance Magazine, United States
1992: Lighting Designer of the Year, Performance Magazine, United States
1992: Lighting Designer of the Year, Lighting Dimensions International, United States
2000: Top 25 Visionaries in Entertainment, Wired Magazine, United States
2001: Eddy Award for Excellence in Design, New York
2002: Lighting Designer of the Year, Live Magazine Awards, London
2003: Lighting Designer of the Year, Total Production Awards, London
2006: Lighting Designer of the Year, Total Production Awards, London
2006; Metropolitan Home, Design 100
2007: Best in Book, Creative Review Annual (George Michael, 25 Live Tour)
2008: Excellence in Design Award (George Michael, 25 Live Tour), Live Design, New York
2009: Redden Award for Excellence in Design, United States
2010: Live Production of the Year (U2 360° Tour), Lighting Designer of the Year and Video Visionary, Total Production Awards, London
2016: Most Creative Stage Production (U2, Innocence + Experience Tour), Pollstar Concert Industry Awards
2019: Honorary Fellowship, Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance
2023: New York Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play (Prima Facie).  Shared with Natasha Chivers.

References

External links
 
 Rolling Stone Interview

1959 births
Living people
Artists from Sheffield
British scenic designers
British theatre designers
Lighting designers
British music video directors
People educated at Silverdale School, Sheffield