David M. Barber is an award winning designer of scenery and costumes for theater, television, film and special events, with over two decades of professional experience to his credit. In New York, he has designed for Red Bull Theater Company, The Women’s Project, Classic Stage Company, Signature Theatre Company and regionally, Denver Center Theater Company, Baltimore’s Center Stage, South Coast Repertory, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Hartford Stage, The Contemporary American Theater Festival, Barrington Stage, Two River Theater Company, George Street Playhouse, among many others. World premieres include Redeemed, Whitelisted and The Wedding Gift by Chisa Hutchinson, Your Name Means Dream by José Rivera, Everything is Wonderful by Chelsea Marcantel, and 20th Century Blues by Susan Miller (Contemporary American Theater Festival), Appoggiatura by James Still (Denver Center Theater Company), The Most Deserving by Catherine Trieschmann (Denver Center Theater Company and The Women’s Project, NYC) and the opera The Bonfire of the Vanities by composer Stefania Dekennesey (presented by El Museo del Barrio). He served as E! Entertainment's New York art director for twelve years, designing or art directing all of E!’s live broadcasts, press junkets and celebrity interviews in NYC. Other television work includes art direction for Football Night in America and The TODAY Show for NBC Universal and production design for the MTV pilot Fashion Mega Warriors, produced by Tyra Banks. Film work includes both production and costume design for several short films, and one feature - the romantic comedy All Relative. Other design work includes set design for fashion designer Chocheng at New York’s Fashion Week and event design for the American Diabetes Association gala, the release party for Nas’ album “Hip Hop is Dead” and Samsung’s activation at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX. Awards include the Drama Desk, American Theater Wing Henry Hewes Award, Connecticut Critics Circle Award, Denver Drama Critics Circle Award, Denver Ovation Award, Westword's "Best of Denver", and two New York Innovative Theater Awards. Since 2019, David has been a full time faculty member in the Kean University Theatre Conservatory in Union, NJ. He has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and a guest lecturer / designer at several schools, including Hope College, Whitman College, Mount Holyoke College, Washington College, and George Mason University. He has served as a panelist for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and an adjudicator for U.S.I.T.T.'s College Design Competition for two years. David is a co-founder and board member of Equity Through Design Mentorship, a non profit organization which pairs a diverse array of student designers with professional mentors, in an effort to diversify the entertainment design profession. He is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and currently resides in Cranford, NJ.
