Denis Hutchinson

Denis Hutchinson (19**-) is a theatre consultant and a scenic and lighting designer.

His name sometimes wrongly written Dennis Hutchinson. Known as “Hutch” by his friends.

Biography

Born in Johannesburg, the son of well-known South African golfer Denis Hutchinson, he had his first experience of lighting a school show at the age of ten, and got hooked, participating in plays and reading up on lighting throughout his school career. He also hung around all the various theatres in Johannesburg, such the Alexander Theatre and His Majesty’s Theatre, helping out for free on weekend set-ups and so on. Offered his first paid job after finishing school, taking over the Stage Electrics for The Great Waltz at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre while the regular incumbent was on leave.

Having been conscripted to the army, he did his basic training at Heidelburg and was then posted in Cape Town. His first engagement after the army was as assistant stage manager for the Afrikaans version of PACT's Boeing Boeing, and when the stage manager fell ill, he became the stage manager. He then worked for the Circus Osler for a time, putting on 14 shows a week at the old Arena Theatre in Johannesburg, before he was employed as designer by Joan Brickhill and Louis Burke for Grease at the His Majesty’s Theatre.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Based in Johannesburg, he has been a freelance designer since July 1976 and has worked on shows ranging from experimental theatre via contemporary dance and musicals to ballet and opera. Career highlights include both scenic and lighting designs for Romance, Macbeth, Umoja (in London’s West End), Big Band Blast, Life x3,Amadeus, Three Viewings, Tell Me On a Sunday, Mojo, The King and I, A Handful Of Keys, The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband, Milestones, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweet Phoebe and The Four Seasons as well as lighting for Soweto Story (Deon Opperman, 2007), African Footprint, Rosalinda, The Rocky Horror Show, Summer Holiday, Closer and a season of seven South African plays as part of Woza Africa! at the Lincoln Festival in New York.

His work with Free Flight Dance Company and the Vusa Dance Company have also taken him to Germany, Switzerland and Australia while work as a theatre consultant has included the Monument Theatre in Grahamstown, the Arts Centre for the University of Johannesburg, the auditorium for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy at Henley-on-Klip and both the Globe Theatre and the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City.

Denis directed Jimmy Righteous in 1981.