A Lighting Designer will work with the Director, Artistic Director and/or Lighting Technicians to create the visuals for lighting, lasers, strobes, spots and sometimes video screens for a performance.
Find a variety of different opportunities in lighting design here.
While you do not need a degree for this role, here are some useful subjects and courses that you can study to gain knowledge and experience.
School subjects that are relevant for lighting design are:
Further education at colleges or universities:
Find training opportunities in lighting design here.
These are the desirable skills to have which would make you an ideal candidate for a Lighting Designer role:
You could start as Crew or Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) to gain experience before moving on to become a Lighting Technician or Theatre Technician and then, once you have more experience, move into a Lighting Designer role. Find out how Lighting Designer and Technician Rajiv Pattani got into theatre and how you can too.
Most Lighting Designers are employed on a freelance basis, meaning that you are self-employed. In bigger theatres, some employ a resident Lighting Designer which pays an annual salary, however this is rare. These are the typical rates you can charge as a freelance Lighting Designer, however it mainly depends on the project, what is expected of you and what experience you have.
Starting pay/salary: from £100 a day
Experienced pay/salary: up to £225 a day.
Find theatre vacancies with The Stage Jobs here
https://ccskills.org.uk/careers/advice/article/lighting-designer1
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/lighting-technician-broadcasting-film-video
Photo: Shutterstock
Published: 04 March 2019