Cue the Lights: Celebrating Jules Fisher

Jules Fisher to be honored with 2026 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Fisher Marantz Stone (FMS) is thrilled to celebrate the announcement that our founder, Jules Fisher, is receiving the 2026 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Lighting Designer Jules Fisher is long considered the “gold standard” of the art form, conceiving and designing concurrently for Broadway, film, the music industry, and digital animation. His Broadway career spans more than 60 years, during which he has designed more than a hundred plays and musicals. He has also been nominated 25 times and honored with nine Tony Awards (three solo honors and an additional six in collaboration with his long-time lighting design partner, Peggy Eisenhauer). Among his celebrated Broadway designs are the original versions of Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Ragtime, Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk, and Angels in America. Beyond Broadway, his innovations have illuminated rock-and-roll tours for legends like the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Parliament Funkadelic, and Whitney Houston—and helped bring over half a dozen movie musicals to life.

In addition to entertainment lighting, Jules Fisher together with Paul Marantz, in 1971, founded the award-winning architectural lighting design firm, Jules Fisher & Paul Marantz (now FMS), designing lighting for notable projects that include Studio 54, the Washington Monument, The Park Avenue Armory, The National Gallery of London, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, and most recently, the Obama Presidential Center. Perhaps more notably, Jules and his Fisher Marantz Stone partners helped realize the iconic annual “Tribute in Light” at the National September 11th Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. 

“We are deeply honored to celebrate Jules and this remarkable recognition of his life’s work. His vision helped shape the way we understand light — as something that gives depth to architecture, emotion to space, and a sense of magic to the built environment. His enduring curiosity and lifelong commitment to invention and experimentation established a culture of craft, care, and innovation that continues to guide our work today.” – Fisher Marantz Stone

Please join all of FMS in congratulating Jules on this momentous honor and achievement. We are so proud to celebrate this extraordinary moment with him and grateful to be part of the enduring legacy he has created.