Roger Morgan is a pioneer in the world of theatre design consulting, and the founder of Sachs Morgan Studio: Theatre Design Specialists. A founding member of EST, he signed the original articles of incorporation in 1968. Mr. Morgan is the Tony Award-winning lighting designer of hundreds of plays on and off Broadway and in our country's fine resident theatres. He began his career as an assistant to the legendary scenic designer Jo Mielziner who became a primary influence on his career. In 1976 he founded his Studio to provide comprehensive theatre planning and design services to the performing arts community nationwide. Roger believes that the Studio's job is to plan and design theatres that work for their owners, their patrons, and the theatre professionals that use them; and that Studio projects – no matter their size – must create environments that celebrate life's rituals.
Sachs Morgan Studio projects have won national awards in the worlds of theatre and architecture: the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (AIA Award of Excellence in Interior Design); the Lyric Theatre on 42nd Street (USITT Honor Award); New World Stages in NYC (LUMEN Award for Architectural Lighting), the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood (Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award) and Temple Emmanu-El (IALD Award).
Mr. Morgan's lighting design credits include the Tony Award-winning Dracula with Frank Langella (in which his partner Ann Sachs played the leading lady); Crucifer of Blood for which he won Tony and Drama Desk awards, and lighting in the current repertoire of Ballet Hispanico. Roger is co-author of Space for Dance, commissioned in the 1980s by the National Endowment for the Arts, on the design of dance facilities; it is out of print and considered a classic in the architectural arena. He has been a keynote speaker at USITT, the organization that honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award (when he was in his 40’s), a guest speaker in the Architecture Department at Carnegie Mellon University (his alma mater) and at international theatre conferences in England, Italy, and Poland.
Roger Morgan and Ann Sachs have been personal and professional partners since 1970. As longtime members of the Ensemble Studio Theatre (Roger was a Founder and Ann is currently Vice President of the Board) they were honored by EST as Distinguished Members in May 2010, at the theatre's annual Gala. They live in Manhattan, the proud parents of two grown children and two young grandchildren.