Jennifer Tipton Speaks to the Association of Lighting Designers of Spain

	Jennifer Tipton with the Association of Lighting Designers of Spain

On July, 16, 2013, the Association of Lighting Designers (AAI) of Spain organized a meeting with Jennifer Tipton, a lighting designer from the United States, with the participation of its sponsors and collaborators and the support of the Teatro Real of Madrid. This event, that took place at the Sala Gayarre of the Teatro Real, has been the starting point for a series of activities that the AAI would like to carry out on a regular basis.

Tipton is one of the most celebrated lighting designers on the international scene as well as a pioneer in this field. She has worked with the most important dance companies of the United States and has a long career lighting dance, theatre, and opera at the world's most visible stages. Since 1981, she has been a professor-adjunct at the department of design at Yale University School of Drama, where she still teaches.

Her outstanding designs have won Tipton numerous awards, including the Dorothy and Lillian Gish prize, two Tonys, two Drama Desk awards, and one Olivier (the London equivalent of the Tonys).

The interview with Tipton was divided in several parts. First, she addressed her beginning in the field of lighting design and about what drew her to it. Then, Tipton spoke about her approach to light and her relationship to dance, theatre, and opera, and the similarities and differences between these scenic art forms. Finally, she gave us a detailed explanation about the production she was working on at the time at the Teatro Real, the opera Il Postino.

After she concluded her interview, the participants had the opportunity to raise questions and make comments.

The presentation was a very enriching experience and the AAI looks forward to future meetings with other prominent figures in lighting design.