William Chadwick “Chad” McArver, a lighting designer who spent 27 years as an associate professor of design in the Fordham Theatre program and whose stage credits include concerts such as Lyle Lovett and multiple Broadway productions, died of cancer on Aug. 6. He was 63.
“Chad was an integral member of our community,” said Professor of Theatre Fadi Skeiker, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Theatre and Visual Arts. “His teaching and mentorship impacted the lives of hundreds of students, and his presence in our department, which he formerly chaired, shaped a legacy that will endure for years to come.”
Many colleagues saw parallels between McArver’s profession and his personality.
“Chad brought life, laughter, and—most fittingly—light to every space he entered, creating beauty and art in even the most unexpected places,” said May Adrales, director of the Fordham Theatre program.
Elizabeth Margid, Ph.D., associate professor of directing and head of Fordham’s directing program, described him as “so full of light—light, and warmth, and joy.”
The two worked closely on a majority of the plays that Margid directed at Fordham. McArver sometimes designed sets, but always designed the lighting, which galvanizes every moment in a production and helps shape its rhythm and mood.
“Chad’s brilliance was that he thought of himself as a storyteller,” said Margid. Both in the classroom with students and with directors on stage, “he was brilliant at giving feedback about every aspect of what he was seeing because he approached theater making holistically, with lighting as one storytelling element.”
Setting the Stage
McArver was born Sept. 3, 1961 in Charlotte, N.C., to William Edward McArver and Emily Jane McArver. The oldest of two boys, he went to West Mecklenburg High School, where his father was the football team’s head coach. As a high school senior, McArver made his first forays into lighting design by talking the school’s electrician into letting him add lighting to the scoreboard so it would flash “West is Best” every time the football team scored.
He received his bachelor’s in communications and TV production at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He tried his hand at acting, but quickly realized it wasn’t for him.
“So I got offstage—thankfully—and I put all of my energy into lighting,” he said in a 2014 interview for Inside Fordham.
He honed his skills while working as the stage manager of the outdoor historical drama, Unto These Hills, and upon graduation, he did lighting design for visiting performers at UNC including Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Indigo Girls, and Lyle Lovett.
“That credit really helped him get his scholarship to NYU,” said his younger brother Michael, referring to the M.F.A. McArver earned from the Tisch School of the Arts.
Later, he was the lighting designer for multiple Broadway and off-Broadway shows, including The Best Man, Minnelli on Minnelli, Topdog/Underdog, and Elaine Stritch at Liberty. He also worked as a lighting designer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; the LG Arts Center in Seoul; and at Las Vegas’ Wynn Hotel for its premiere show starring Hugh Jackman.
Lighting Up the Holidays
McArver joined Fordham Theatre in 1998.
“He was the sort of colleague that everybody wants—someone who listens, understands, and makes things easier and more pleasant for those around him,” said Richard Kalina, professor of visual arts and also a former department chair.
His department’s holiday party decorations were legendary. “A space typically associated with day-to-day admin was miraculously transformed into a site of warmth and camaraderie,” said Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, professor of photography and visual arts program director.
His brother recalled another one of Chad’s favorite holiday traditions—making Christmas villages.“It was like a Norman Rockwell scene with an ice skating rink in the middle of it and a teeny tiny white LED light in every single window of every single house,” said Michael. “Everything was made from scratch—that’s what made them cool.”
Remembering Chad at Fordham
McArver is survived by his mother, Jane; his father, Eddie; his brother, Michael; and his sister-in-law, Cathy. A service to celebrate his life will be held at Paw Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. The Fordham Theatre community has also organized a memorial on Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in Pope Auditorium (RSVP to [email protected]). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Fordham University Theatre program.
“Chad always held Fordham close to his heart,” said Michael.
