KEN YUNKER, Lighting Designer
member United Scenic Artists #829


Mr. Yunker is currently the resident lighting designer for the Sarasota Opera Association (fourteenth season) and has served as a principal designer for the Tony Award winning Alliance Theatre Company since 2004 (including world premiers of Hospice, Pointing At The Moon, Troubadore, Tiger Style!, Native Guard, The Geller Girls, What I Learned in Paris, Bluish, Day of Kings and Leap).  


Mr. Yunker has designed more than 600 productions in his 35+ year career, including over 76 productions for the Sarasota Opera, which just became the only American opera company to perform every note ever written by Verdi. Previous to Sarasota, Mr. Yunker served as resident designer for The Atlanta Opera for 25 years and 53 productions (Der Fliegende Hollander, the Basil Twist Hansel and Gretel, Turandot, Aida, Eugene Onegin, Der Rosenkavalier, Porgy & Bess and Fidelio). 


National opera credits include Florida Grand Opera, Bermuda Arts Festival, Utah Symphony and Opera, Tulsa Opera, Fort Worth Opera, San Antonio Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Arizona Opera, Nevada Opera Theatre, Mobile Opera, and North Carolina Opera to name a few. Credits in Atlanta include Georgia Shakespeare, Theatre in the Square, True Colors, Theatrical Outfit, Georgia Ensemble, Atlanta Lyric, Ballethnic Dance Company, Rotaru Ballet, Brenau University, Georgia State University, Clayton State University, Emory University and Florida State University.  


Regional awards include the Suzie Bass award for The Geller Girls, Avenue X and Pancakes, Pancakes! with nominations for August: Osage County, Into The Woods, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Troubadour, Rejoice and The Persians. At Theatre in the Square Mr. Yunker earned seven Jenny Awards, all for Best Lighting.  In 2002 he was nominated for Artist of the Year at The Atlanta Abbey Awards and was featured in Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta;


5/2019