William Lockwood Jr. ’59 was an undergraduate when he started booking concerts at McCarter Theatre in Princeton. In the 50 years since, he has become an indispensable part of the region's arts and music scene, staging modern dance, jazz, rock ’n' roll, classical music, and nearly everything in between at McCarter, Lincoln Center, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. McCarter celebrated Lockwood's half-century in the business this week with performances by Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt Oct. 20 and pianist Lang Lang Oct. 21. PAW would like to add one more line to Lockwood's anniversary marquee: "Tiger of the Week." Lockwood, a Princeton native and son of a Woodrow Wilson School professor, maintains close ties with University students. He serves as the business manager of the Triangle Club, and he has helped to connect McCarter performers with student artists. (In 2006, for instance, he arranged a master class with Lang Lang and a handful of top undergraduate pianists.) And while the 50-year celebration may seem to have a valedictory tone, Lockwood aims to keep filling the seats of his beloved theater well into the future. "I've been here through two-thirds of McCarter's history," he told The Times of Trenton last week. "They'll have to carry me out. I have no plans to retire." (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW's Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.