Designers that have transitioned from careers in the theater to architectural lighting explain what it takes to make it in both arenas
The lighting on the set for a Broadway musical is very different than that in an office building, right? Not quite, says five award-winning lighting designers who have worked on theatrical productions and architectural projects for over a combined 100 years. LD+A asked these experts to explain their career trajectories and to examine how the design practices in theater and the built environment intertwine, run parallel and diverge.
How long were you in theater lighting before transitioning to architectural lighting? Do you continue to work on both types of projects?
Hensley: After I earned an MFA in theater design at the University of Minnesota, I was fortunate to join the staff at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. I assisted Duane Schuler and other stage lighting designers. After working at Lyric for four years, Duane and Bob Shook invited me to join them in their new firm, Schuler Shook. I continued to design lighting for many stage productions in those early years, then transitioned most of my time to Schuler Shook as a theater planner. I still design lighting for a few productions a year, which helps keep me connected to the production world.
Militello: I worked as a lighting designer in New York City in the Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters for about 12 years. During that time, I was also moonlighting, designing for bands in music clubs and retail-store displays. After, I left New York and started my own company, Vortex Lighting; I have been doing both architectural and stage lighting for about 30 years.
Mather: About 21 years, but it was a slow transition. I started introducing architectural projects to my work after four years, and by 2008, I had totally crossed over to the built environment.
Holder: I’ve been a theatrical lighting designer since 1987. I began what I would consider my informal education as an architectural lighting designer around the same time, working as a freelance draftsperson for the facilities design division of Imero Fiorentino Associates (IFA) in New York City. I assisted principal designers on a broad range of projects from new theaters to legislative chambers to television studios. This was the catalyst that set me on the path toward doing my own work in these disciplines. My first independent architectural lighting design was in 1993.
Andersen: I began my theatrical career in high school and continued on to study theatrical design for my Bachelor and Masters degrees. It was my professor, Cindy Limauro, at Carnegie Mellon that introduced me to Focus Lighting Founder Paul Gregory. I joined Focus in 1996 and never looked back.
What prompted your transition?
Holder: My experience with IFA opened my eyes to the power and potential of architectural lighting—how it can add depth, nuance, contrast and focus to a space. I quickly saw the parallels between architectural and theatrical lighting: just as a scenic design for a play is not complete without the proper light to reveal the space as intended, the same holds true for an architect’s work.
Andersen: Initially, I thought I’d spend a few months at Focus. To my surprise, when I saw all the unique opportunities for exciting lighting design that the world of architecture and interior design offered, my plans changed. A predictable paycheck didn’t hurt, either!
Militello: Architecture paid more and was equally satisfying to me in a unique way. While I was working in New York, Walt Disney Imagineering was recruiting lighting designers for their expansion projects worldwide. I was offered a position and jumped at it to try something completely new and exciting.
Mather: My freelance work included working for David Hersey, who got some projects in Las Vegas and Italy. I worked on his theatrical projects as well as his permanent installations. Once I had kids, I decided I needed to be home more, so I made a conscious effort to make a full transition.
Hensley: I dedicated the majority of my time to Schuler Shook as the practice continued to grow. In the world of stage design, I chose to work on intense, short-duration productions such as operas, so that I was only briefly away from [the company]. I also was the resident lighting designer for Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, which allowed me to “double up” my time and do both theater and architectural lighting.
Architectural lighting design isn’t viewed from one place (like a theater seat). The viewer is literally inside the focus areas; the story is told all around them -Hensley.
In what ways are the design processes for theater and architecture different or similar?
Hensley: The similarities are very potent. I teach a stage lighting class at DePaul University, and we include architectural lighting. In both portions of the class, we spend a lot of time talking about the hierarchy of light. What’s the primary area of focus? What’s secondary, tertiary? These decisions are critical in stage-lighting design, and they apply just as much in architectural lighting. The difference is that the architectural lighting design isn’t viewed from one place (like a theater seat). The viewer is literally inside the focus areas; the story is told all around them.
Holder: There are more differences than similarities. In the theater, the work is temporary—typically installed for a very limited amount of time; architectural lighting is installed permanently. Theatrical lighting is used for a few hours each day, while architectural lighting is often specified for continuous use. Theater lighting is not subject to the same energy and electrical codes that have a profound impact on an architectural lighting design. Finally, a theatrical lighting design can evolve and change over the course of rehearsals and previews; almost all of the design development in architectural projects must take place prior to construction.
Mather: In the theater, you are able to take more risks; you have to work quickly and efficiently and you tend to work with the same people as a cohesive team. On the other hand, architecture is so expensive that safer choices are ususally made, careful documentation is key due to liability and the contractor’s interests are not aligned with yours.
Andersen: The goal for us is always the same: to create an emotion in the viewer. For example, when we design a restaurant, we want the guest to be just as excited walking through the front door as they’d be on the opening night of a show when the curtain goes up and the set is revealed for the first time. We also want them to continue discovering different details as their experience in a space continues throughout the night, much like they would as details of the play would unfold during a performance.
Militello: Methods and tools can vary widely. Architectural and theatrical fixtures and controls are quite different, although with the recent blending of design approaches, some of the fixtures and controls are morphing with each other to make a new genre or tools.
Knowing as many physiological and psychological aspects of how light affects us is imperative -Militello
What is the one design technique that most easily crossed/crosses over from theater to architectural lighting?
Mather: Composition. It’s universal.
Militello: Tapping the emotional power of color and angle in light whether it be on stage or in a public space. Knowing as many physiological and psychological aspects of how light affects us is imperative.
Hensley: The techniques to express a concept cross over well. At Schuler Shook, we use sketches, concept boards and benchmarking images to help our clients visualize the lighting design for their project and to feel confident about it. Those techniques have always worked well in theater production, too. Strong visual storytelling helps envision a future project.
Holder: Color temperature, color rendering values, and the color of light is of equal concern and evaluated in a similar fashion. An object is revealed in its true color only if the proper wavelengths of light are delivered to the target. This is true of any lighting design process.
Andersen: Thinking in layers of light. In both practices, utilizing different lighting layers from different angles and sources is the key to creating a space that feels rich, visually interesting and perfectly composed.
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IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE…
Everyone has a favorite, so we asked our panel to identify their most memorable projects from both the theater and architecture worlds. Here’s what they had to say:
Holder: One of the most memorable theater projects was Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. The musical unfolds within a luminous, translucent surround inspired by the vast skyscapes of Africa’s Serengeti. [The show] was designed with the intention that the light would bring the world to life, driving the movements through time and space that the storyline requires. To accomplish this task, I drew upon my architectural lighting experience, and there are several moments in the show that benefit from cross-pollination between the two disciplines. As was the case with The Lion King, I believe my most memorable architectural lighting projects are those that benefited from both disciplines. My work at Sony Plaza included the lighting design for a large interactive technology museum. By integrating all the light into the exhibit’s trusswork exoskeleton and deploying fixtures with a theatrical feel in ways that defied expectations, we were able set the tone of the entire experience.
Militello: Designing my first Broadway show as a 25-year-old and working with Robert DeNiro on his Broadway debut was a thrill. Every show I have worked on with Sam Shepard has been extremely memorable. Hearing tens of thousands of people scream in celebration of my lights, and the band, when I was designing a stadium tour for Pearl Jam, was also thrilling. In architecture, hands-down my design on the New 42nd Street Studios façade in Times Square was a milestone for me. It brought all of my knowledge and creative ideas together.
Hensley: Bob Shook and I designed the lighting for the Jay Pritzker Music Pavilion. This design was completed when LED fixtures were in their infancy and weren’t bright enough to use for feature lighting. We used incandescent units with dichroic filters to light Frank Gehry’s stainless steel “ribbons” on the pavilion’s exterior. We used a careful control scheme to extend the lamp life, and the project only needs an annual re-lamping. It’s thrilling to see this beautiful statement about the arts every night in Chicago. I greatly enjoyed working on an opera production of Florencia En Al Amazonas, which was produced by the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. The set featured a 26-ft long boat continually moving on a turntable. Opera combines all the arts in a magical way, and this production was inspiring.
Andersen: One of my favorite memories in theater was when I got the opportunity to run follow-spot for a visiting tour of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, even though I had never run a spot before! As the light from my spot widened, [the actress on stage] began to spin in a sequin-covered gown, filling the theater with reflected beams of light like a mirrored ball. The audience erupted into applause, and the stage manager turned to me and said, “Spot 1—that’s for you!” That was the moment I began to appreciate the incredible power of light. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be a lighting designer. As far as architectural projects go, some of the standouts include the Atlantis Resort at the tip of Palm Island in Dubai, where the goal was to create a glimmering destination visible from shore; Tavern on the Green in New York City; and The Englewood War Memorial in New Jersey, where the opportunity to bring new life to a beloved piece of history was a fulfilling experience.
Mather: In the theater, Les Miserable and Miss Saigon because they were so complicated—yet the lighting all had to be invisible to create an emotional impact. In the built environment, the Gettysburg Cyclorama and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, due to the tension between conservation and commercialism. For spectaculars—the Mirage Hotel and EFX in Las Vegas for the sheer scale and outrageousness of the projects (for instance, turning a waterfall into a volcano).