A CAREER IN LIGHTING DESIGN
Answers provided by professional lighting designer, Jeff Atkisson.

How do I prepare NOW for a career In LIGHTING DESIGN?

The thing that is great in regards to lighting design is that middle and high school students have every opportunity to start training themselves in the field at a young age, especially if the school that they are attending has a full theatrical space. When I was in High School, one thing that we did was bring in a local lighting company that helped us with our fall plays and spring musicals. This allowed the kids (myself included) to work hand in hand with the professionals that could eventually lead to employment if that is what we wanted.

The man who came in and showed me how to hang my first light…eventually ended up being contracted by me to work on some of my own shows and later was my boss when I was hired at a design firm. Lots of hands on is very important, if the kids get started early, they can learn the do’s and don’ts very quickly and they can have the same amazing experience as the kids who want to be actors/actresses.

What many of the students DON’T know is that there is MUCH more work for the technical aspects of theatre, movies, and concerts out there then there will ever be for someone who wants to be on the stage. I tell a ton of students - You see maybe 4-5 lead and supporting lead characters when you go to see a movie, but it took 300-400 people to make it to the screen that you NEVER saw.