This book provides an insight into the life of a professional lighting designer, through interviews with lighting designers at different stages of their careers plus a group interview with the designer and lighting team of the hit musical Billy Elliot.
The designers featured are: Neil Austin, Natasha Chivers, Jon Clark, Paule Constable, Rick Fisher, Richard Howell, Howard Hudson, Jessica Hung Han Yun, Mark Jonathan, Amy Mae, Ben Ormerod, Bruno Poet, Jackie Shemesh and Johanna Town. Between them, they have worked all over the world on shows of every genre – collecting many awards for their work along the way.
They share inspiration and practical advice, useful to anyone embarking on a career in lighting, fascinating to anyone who enjoys going to the theatre, offering insights into:
> approaching a new design;
> dealing with the challenges each new show brings, from working with a new director to being part of a creative team in realising a piece;
> the use of light and dark, colour and texture;
> managing collaborations, with directors, designers and their own team of associate and assistant lighting designers, programmers and electricians.
> and beyond the art and craft of lighting, the practicalities of a lighting career – moving from just getting enough work to pay the bills, to lighting the world’s biggest shows.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Neil Austin
Natasha Chivers
Jon Clark
Paule Constable
Rick Fisher
Jessica Hung Han Yun
Rich Howell
Howard Hudson
Mark Jonathan
Amy Mae
Bruno Poet
Jackie Shemesh
Johanna Town
Case Study: Billy Elliot
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author :
Emma Chapman is a lighting designer known for her work on productions including Kiss Me, Kate (Paris, Luxembourg); Marjorie Prime (Menier Chocolate Factory, London); Ghost Quartet (Boulevard Theatre, London); The Importance of Being Earnest (Theatr Clwyd, Mold), Lungs (Paines Plough); and the Olivier-award-winning play The Mountaintop (Trafalgar Studios). She was Co-Designer of Roundabout, The Stage Awards’ Theatre Building of the Year in 2015. She is co-chair of the Association for Lighting Production and Design Awards Working Group and a member of the Association’s Wellbeing Working Group. Emma has also worked as a theatre consultant and designer for Charcoalblue and was a founding member of studio three sixty. www.emmachapman.co.uk
Rob Halliday has lit shows around the world, from the acclaimed dance show Tree of Codes to the intimate production of the musical Amour. He has also worked as lighting programmer, associate designer or both for productions such as Billy Elliot, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Equus and Red. He writes about the production of live shows for magazines including Lighting&Sound International, Lighting & Sound America, Live Design, The Stage and others, many of these articles collected together in the Entertainment in Production books, and has been a guest speaker at drama colleges and trade shows around the world.
www.robhalliday.com
Review :
[The] book offers an opportunity to look at differences in practice between US and UK productions... While a useful read for anyone interested in theatre lighting or production design, readers who already have a firm understanding of theatre lighting practice will draw the most from this book. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.
Fascinating reading.
An interesting and thought-provoking book … If you design theatre lighting, teach people how to design it, or simply care to know more about how what you see on stage got there, read it.
