Podcast Episode 73 – Two-Time Tony-Nominated Lighting Designer, Ben Stanton.
Whenever I start a new project and Directors give me a short list of lighting designers they want to work with, Ben Stanton’s name is always on it. Always. Like every single time.
I’m surprised it took me as long as Spring Awakening to work with him, since I had heard his name so often, and seen his work all over, including in Fun Home (his first Tony nomination), this season’s Fully Committed, Seminar, as well as a ton of super cool Off Broadway stuff like Murder Ballad.
And of course, when I saw his work on Spring (his current nomination), well, I understood why he was on everyone’s short list. And now he’s on mine too.
Ben took time out from his crazy schedule of lighting like 147 shows and being a new Dad to help me understand how lighting affects a show and . . .
- How being trained as a drummer makes him a better lighting designer.
- How guessing is involved in lighting design.
- Does he like how shows are incorporating more and more projections? (An interesting perspective considering his wife is the super talented projection designer Lucy Mackinnon, who also was on Spring.)
- What LEDs are doing to Broadway and is that a good thing or a bad thing?
- What he wants all Broadway producers to know about lighting design.
I’m a huge believer that to produce theater or to write for the theater or to direct for the theater . . . to do anything that has to look at the whole picture . . . you need to understand the elements. And Ben does a great job in this podcast of, well, showing us the light.
Enjoy the podcast!
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Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.