What he does: "As a lighting designer, I help to set the mood, time, and location of each scene in a play. I collaborate with the director and the other members of the design team [including] set, costume, sound, sometimes projections."
Starbird says the majority of his work is done during tech week, that is when the actors rehearse with the finished set, sound, lighting and costumes. "It's typically the first time the director and other designers have seen my product, which inevitably leads to tweaks and fixes and sometimes refocusing."
Why he likes it: "I'm never sure if it's the art I'm doing or the people I'm collaborating with that I like more," Starbird tells us. "I know I love the problem-solving aspect of my job, as well as the physical labor of hanging and focusing the lights, but whether that's because of the actual process of each aspect or because of the sense of accomplishment that comes from revealing the final product is up for debate.
"I know that I love how ephemeral the product is, that its lifespan is fleeting, that each performance is unique and once the show is struck it can never be reproduced in the exact same manner. I love that my job is always changing, and each play brings its own set of challenges--either within the script or with the personalities I'm working with--and no two problems I encounter are ever quite the same. There's always something new."
What inspires him: "Inspiration, for me at least, is an odd thing. Since I'm not party to the selection of the play I'm designing for, the play itself serves as the initial inspiration. This is followed by discussions with the director and design team, where pretty much anything anyone says can serve as inspiration. Beyond that, simple things like how the light filters through the trees, or reflects off glass or plastic can inspire me. I see something interesting and I take a picture, come back to it later and think about how I could reproduce the effect or what I might use it for, or how it makes me feel and why."
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