ALD Lumiere 20:20 Scheme Exceeds All Expectations

	Lighting the stage. Photo Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

The ALD -- for people in performance lighting -- has announced the participants of a hugely expanded Lumiere 20:20 mentorship scheme, which has tripled in size after an unexpected turn of events. In total, the ALD will now help 68 emerging lighting designers through the Lumiere 20:20 scheme.

The original format planned to match 20 emerging lighting designers with experienced mentors. However, due to the generosity ALD members waiving their micro-bursary, 38 Lumieres will now benefit from the one-on-one scheme.

Katharine Williams, project manager for ALD Lumiere, explains: "It started with one person waiving their micro-bursary and then the whole thing snowballed as many others decided to pay theirs forward too."

In addition, the standard of applications was so high that a separate, newly created program, dubbed Team Lumiere, has been initiated. A further 22 applicants will receive a place in the group where they will work as a collective through an expanded version of the Lumiere course program which focuses on creativity, craft, and building community at a time when emerging lighting practitioners most need it.

Rory Beaton, leader of Team Lumiere, says, "I'm extremely excited to be leading Team Lumiere! Alongside copious interviews and discussions with lighting designers, we hope to create a real sense of community amongst the group. Imagine a world where 22 of your peers came to support you at your next press night! We'd all love that support and that's part of what we hope to create."

The scheme expansion means the ALD will help 68 emerging lighting designers in total. Participants from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, England, Italy, Poland, Malaysia, Australia, and the US have been chosen. Many of them identify as being under-represented in lighting design.

Charlotte Burton, chair of the Lumiere Scheme Working Group, adds, "We have been taken aback by the wonderful response to Lumiere 20:20. The quality of the applicants has made the matching process joyous and we are thrilled to be able offer additional places and the community of Team Lumiere.

"Lumiere 20:20 has become everything we wanted it to be and more. I believe this shows the talent that is out there and that our freelance designers want to support and encourage them especially at this unique time for the industry."

Lighting designers taking part as mentors in Lumiere 20:20 are:

Adam Silverman, Aideen Malone, Ben Cracknell, Bruno Poet, Charles Balfour, Charlie Morgan Jones, Daniella Beattie, David Howe, Declan Randall, Eleanor Higgins, Howard Hudson, Jason Addison, Jessica Hung Han Yun, Jon Clark, Kathy Perkins (US), Ken Billington (US), Lee Curran, Lizzie Powell, Lucy Carter, Malcolm Rippeth, Mark Jonathan, Matt Haskins, Mike Le Fevre, Mike Robertson, Natasha Chivers, Nic Farman, Nick Schliper (Australia), Paul Lim (Australia), Ric Mountjoy, Rick Fisher, Rob Sinclair, Sherry Coenen, Simon Wilkinson and Zoe Spurr. Rory Beaton will lead Team Lumiere.

Lumiere 20:20 will start on September 14, 2020.