ALPD’s pilot Lumière Scheme underway
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The Lumière Scheme provides a pathway into the industry for emerging lighting designers by creating professional opportunities that include practical training and professional experience. The new Production Lumière Scheme has been established as a pilot in 2021, with its first edition initially planned as a virtual process due to the continuation of COVID-19 restrictions within the theatre environment.
But circumstances as well as generous donations have since made it possible for this year’s Lumières to benefit from a week of onsite paid work experience alongside their mentors, with all the associated networking opportunities that brings.
As such, the five successful Lumière applicants were paired with suitable and professionally established mentors. The Lumières engage in a series of structured discussions based around each stage of the production process, as well as some group-based masterclasses with leading industry professionals.
The 2021 ALPD Production Lumières are Izzy Waugh, mentored by programmer Victoria Brennan; Lewis Byfield, with mentor John Delaney, production electrician; Louisa Craig, mentored by programmer Dan Street; Rachel Stanwood-Jones, mentored by programmer Sarah Brown; and Dan Heesem, for whom production electrician, Fraser Hall is mentor. Stuart Porter and David Ayton run discussions and masterclasses for the Lumières with guest speakers.
The roles of production electrician and lighting programmer continue to evolve and are both invaluable within the lighting department, therefore the Production Lumière Scheme honours the dual strands of production electrics and programming.
ALPD Lumière working group chair, Charlotte Burton comments: “It’s been wonderful to launch the Production Lumière Scheme in our 60th year, alongside our name change to the ALPD, as it puts production at the heart of what we do as an association.
“The support of our brilliant mentors and generous donations mean we have been able to provide more for the Lumières with the bonus of getting to do a placement with their mentors. This on-site placement and the weekly discussions give the Lumières the chance to learn from leading industry professionals and develop their skills. We are very excited to be expanding the Scheme for both production and design roles.”
