Russell Parkman

Russell Parkman has been teaching scenic design at SMU for the past 21 years.  He has also designed scenery and costumes in New York City, LORT regional theaters and abroad. Most recently his work has been seen internationally at the Teater Ibsen in Norway in productions of A View from the Bridge, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Molly Sweeney. Parkman also designed an original flamenco opera, Don Juan Flamenco, which premiered in Seville, Spain at the Flamenco Biennale. He has also designed for the original musical Blind Lemon Blues, developed in Dallas, for productions in Geneva and Paris, and for Three Sisters, adapted for the Teatro Popular in Bogata, Colombia and performed at theater festivals in South America.

Parkman’s designs for recent U.S. productions include the premiere of Lee Blessing’s adaptation of Heaven’s My Destination for the Cleveland Playhouse, and the premiere of singer-songwriter Storm Large’s rock show Crazy Enough for Portland Center Stage.

On Broadway, Parkman has worked on The Lion King, City of Angels, High Society and Meet Me in St. Louis, and the recent Off-Broadway premiere of Blind Lemon Blues, among other productions. In New York City he has designed for such companies as Perry Street Theatre, Manhattan Class Company, The New Theatre of Brooklyn and York Theatre Company.

While teaching at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Parkman has remained active in regional theatre with productions at Cleveland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Kansas City Repertory Theatre (Missouri), Geva Theatre Center, El Teatro Campesino, Skylight Opera, Memphis Opera, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Santa Fe Stages, Dallas Theater Center, Huntington Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre and the Weston Playhouse.