White Light Wednesdays: Learning from the Experts

Award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher leads White Light's 'Lighting Design for the Theatre' Workshop

White Light were delighted to welcome award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher as the speaker at one of their recent White Light Wednesday Workshops.

The Wednesday Workshops started in the Spring of this year, intended to allow anyone to pop in to White Light's Fulham base on a Wednesday morning and learn about the latest techniques, equipment and technology. Every week a different subject area is featured, whether it be the latest in automated lighting, the background to DMX512 or even, in one recent talk, how a lighting hire company works!

Rick Fisher's Workshop was entitled "Lighting Design for the Theatre", and the lighting designer spoke for two hours about both the art of lighting and the practicalities of earning a living as a theatrical lighting designer. Fisher is ideally qualified to speak on this subject: as a lighting designer he has worked on productions of all scales, from the smallest fringe show to productions at the Royal National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway. His work has won him two Olivier Awards, a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. He is currently preparing to light the next Disney production, a musical based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is also chairman of the Association of Lighting Designers, and so was able to provide background information on the profession as a whole.

Fisher's talk was enjoyed by a wide range of visitors, including students from RADA and Croydon College; both of these colleges have integrated the Wednesday Workshops into their lighting courses. The Workshops are also popular with staff from smaller theatres, giving them the chance to try new technology which hasn't reached smaller scale productions - yet!

Remaining Workshops in the Autumn Season include Rosco Scenic and Lighting Products (18th November), VSFX and other Animation Units (25th November), Moving Lights vs Conventional Lighting (2nd December) and WYSIWYG & WholeHog Consoles (9th December). The Workshops run from 10am until lunchtime at White Light's base in Fulham; anyone wishing to attend should call White Light on 0171 731 3291 and ask about the "White Light Wednesdays".


November 1998 News News Page Home Page