Skip Mercier
Mercier was born in Methuen, Massachusetts on July 20, 1954, and was raised in nearby Haverhill. In 1980, Mercier graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Dramatic Art and in 1983 received his MFA at the Yale School of Drama where he was named the Oenslager Scholar.
Starting in 1983, he became a Resident Designer for the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference until 2004 and has been the O'Neill National Theater Institute's design instructor for over 20 years. He is also a Resident Designer for the Vineyard Theater in New York City and Geva Theatre Center in Rochester. He currently works at the University of Washington School of Drama in Seattle as a senior design lecturer. At the Vineyard Theater, he has received three Drama Desk Nominations for "Bed and Sofa" (1996) by Polly Pen and Laurence Klavan, "Dream True" (1999) by Tina Landau and Ricky Ian Gordon, and "Head of Passes" (2016) by Tarell McCraney. He also received the AUDELCO award for Outstanding Set Design and was regionally honored with the "Bay Area Critics Award" at Berkeley Repertory Theater for "Head of Passes" (2016). His first Broadway production was "Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass" (1997) by Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthalat at the Vivian Beaumont where he received a Tony Award Nomination for Scenery and two additional Drama Desk Nominations for Scenic Design and Costume Design. He has also designed sets for "Old Hats" (2013) by Bill Irwin and David Shiner, directed by Tina Landau, where he was nominated for the 2013 Henry Hewes Design Award. He has been nominated for the Henry Awards for Outstanding Scenic Award of Denver Theater Center's "Measure for Measure" directed by Kent Thompson in 2006, awarded the "Bay Area Critics Award" for Best Set Design of William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life" (2004) directed by Tina Landau, and has also received a 2001 Jefferson Award Nomination for Best Set Design of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's "Ballad of Little Jo" (2000) directed by Tina Landau
He was the production designer for feature films "Southie" (1998) directed by John Shea and "Fool's Fire" (1992) directed by Julie Taymor, art director of the Amazon children's short "Didi Lightful" (2012), and assistant art director for the film "Big Blonde" (1980) directed by Kirk Browning. He lived in both Seattle, Washington and Rowayton, Connecticut, with his family while continuing to create, collaborate, and educate others about his work as a theatrical designer. He was married to Robert Frazier, and had two children. Mercier died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Rowayton on March 11, 2021, at age 66.
Life
G. W. "Skip" Mercier (July 20, 1954 – March 11, 2021) was an American costume, puppet, and set designer. He is best known for his set and costume designs for "Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass" in which he received a Tony Award Nomination for Scenery and two Drama Desk Nominations for Scenic Design and Costume Design in 1997. He was a member of the faculty at the University of Washington School of Drama, where he taught scenic design and costume design to both graduate students and undergraduates.