Anna Louizos, Prolific Set Designer of Avenue Q, In the Heights, Dies at 69

Tony-nominated scenic designer Anna Louizos died suddenly on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 69.

News of Louizos’s passing was reported on social media by friends and colleagues, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and David Zinn, and was confirmed by the Broadway Design Exchange, an online marketplace she founded 15 years ago.

Louizos’s early career saw her serve as an associate on the Broadway productions of The Red Shoes and The Scarlet Pimpernel, as well as Taller Than a Dwarf and Uncle Vanya, among others. She came to prominence in 2003 with her shape-shifting set for Avenue Q, which was followed by Golda’s Balcony.

She quickly became prolific, earning Tony nominations for In the Heights, High Fidelity, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, as well as designing School of Rock, Holiday Inn, Dames at Sea, It Shoulda Been You, Honeymoon in Vegas, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Performers, and White Christmas, among many others. Much of Louizos’s work was seen internationally; her set for Avenue Q is currently onstage in the new West End production.

For two seasons, she served as scenic designer for Encores!, creating the sets for Lady Be Good, Paint Your Wagon, Zorba, 1776, Cabin in the Sky, and Do I Hear a Waltz? Off-Broadway, her work included various Roundabout productions, including Sons of the Prophet and Speech and Debate, as well as the world premieres of Altar Boyz, Tick, Tick… Boom!, and Joy the Musical. Regionally, she designed Ever After and Regency Girls, as well as numerous productions at Goodspeed, the Old Globe, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Bucks County Playhouse.

Louizos is survived by her life-partner, longtime collaborator Robyn Goodman, and her brother, Nikolas Louizos.