In Memoriam: Joel E. Rubin Dr. Joel E. Rubin, a major international figure in lighting design, theatre consulting, and education, died on March 27. He was 95. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a young recruit at the Cain Park Theatre, Rubin studied at Case Western Reserve University, then attended Yale School of Drama where (alongside his future co-author the lighting designer and education Lee Watson) he studied under Stanley McCandless, the father of modern stage lighting. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University. His doctoral dissertation, The Technical Development of Electric Stage Lighting Apparatus in the American Theatre, is considered a standard reference. Over the years, he authored several score articles appearing in a wide range of publications in the US and over 20 countries. A move to New York began Rubin's two decades as executive vice president of Kliegl Bros. Lighting and another as principal consultant and managing director of Artec Consultants. His role at Kliegl brought him the opportunity to work with a worldwide array of lighting designers and consultants, supplying equipment and producing innovative designs. The list included Jean Rosenthal, Abe Feder, Peggy Clark, Charles Elson, Gil Weschler, Gilbert V. Helmsley, Tharon Musser, John Gleason, Jo Mielziner, Ed Kook, Rudi Kuntner, Ron Bates, Pat MacKay, Cash Crouch, Martin Aronstein, Thomas Skelton, Richard Pilbrow, Claude Engel, Leslie Wheel, Hans Sondheimer, Ken Palius, lmero Fiorentino, Bill Klages, and Sal Bonsignore. Kliegl provided most of the theatrical and architectural lighting systems for Lincoln Center and Los Angeles Music Center; Rubin directed a large share of the company's work on those projects, developing more than 100 different fixture types. Among these was the first large-scale use of the then-new tungsten-halogen lamps in the public areas and audience chamber of the Metropolitan Opera House. Rubin's work at Kliegl also included his management role in the development of SCR dimmers, a complete line of tungsten-halogen fixtures for theatre and another complete line for television, high-density dimmer racks, and lighting control memory systems. At Artec Consultants, Rubin's role included both project management and responsibility for the design of production lighting systems at Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest; Accolade Project Theatres at York University; Skirball Center at New York University; Frederick P. Rose Hall and Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center; Sibelius Concert Hall in Finland; the Fox Cities, Four Rivers Performing Arts Centers and Segerstrom Concert Hall in the United States; Sala Sao Paulo in Brazil; and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. He subsequently founded Joel E. Rubin and Associates, bringing his extensive specialist knowledge to this work including architectural and theatrical lighting and lighting control as well as the design of production lighting systems for new theatres and concert hall facilities in Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Singapore, Canada, Israel, Hong Kong, and the US. With Lee Watson, Rubin co-authored Theatrical Lighting Practice, which interrelates training for lighting design, the profession of theatrical lighting, and chapters on current practices in lighting for various performance types. Rubin was a co-founder and past president of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and founding chair and chair emeritus of its international committee. He was one of the seven founding members of the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Theatre Technicians (OISTAT), the UNESCO-related international organization with national centers in 35 countries, and served for eight years as president of that organization. Awards and honors include the Annual USITT Founders Award given in his name and the Wally Russell Award for lifetime achievement in theatre lighting in 2010. Rubin was a member of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre; a fellow of the American Educational Theatre Association; a fellow and lifetime honorary member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology; an OISTAT Gold Pin recipient; and a member of the international jury of the Prague Quadrennial of Scenic and Costume Design and Theatre Architecture. He was co-producer of the United States exhibitions for the Prague Quadrennial in 1987 and again in 1991, leading the United States to the grand prize, the Zlatou Triga, on the first occasion and the Gold Medal in 1991. His biographical profile is in Who's Who in America. The publisher and consultant Patricia Mackay, who served as Rubin's co-producer on the 1987 Prague exhibit, comments, "There's no way to truly capture Dr. Joel's impact on our theatrical Industry, his passion for all things international, his mentorship of generations of professionals and students. The USITT and OISTAT would not be who and what it is today without Joel. Lighting equipment manufacturing and theatre consulting are what they are because of Joel." Rubin is survived by his wife of 70 years Lucille; children Brian, Jennifer, and Rebecca, and grandchildren Cadence, Rachel, Julia, and Brian Jr. The family suggests that contributions in celebration of his life be sent to either the Fellows Fund (https://secure.usitt.org/donatenow?pid=a1B0b00000e3UNwEAM) of USITT, which seeds new initiatives, or to the Sam Scripps International Fund (https://secure.usitt.org/donatenow?pid=a1B0b00000e3UO6EAM), which provides help for the USITT work abroad including the Prague Quadrennial and World Stage Design. In honor of Rubin's 95th birthday last year, a Facebook group where people have shared tributes and greetings; although labeled private, it is visible to all. Just request to be admitted. Celebrating Dr Joel: www.facebook.com/groups/901096554375555. The Rubin Family and the Fellows of the USITT plan a celebration of Rubin's life in conjunction with the annual USITT conference in Columbus, Ohio March 5-8, 2025. 
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