Lighting as a guide for an audiance

My name is Roy Erickson. I'm currently working on my Associates of Arts degree from Brazosport College in Lake Jackson. As of right now I work as a Bio Tutor at BC where I make study plans and provide extra study help to students.

As a lighting designer, my job is to see the stage differently than everybody else. Paying attention to how people use a space should dictate how I light a scene. I do not become beholden to the script, however there is a fine line. I must never forget the script and let it guide me, but I do not let it hold me back. I let the costumes, music, blocking, and set construction influence my lighting.

Most importantly, I know the emotional journey the audience is supposed to go on, so I guide them there. I don't shove the main theme or message down their throats but instead gently nudge them to feel whatever emotion the actors and the director want them to feel. I'm a conduit for both my own ideas and that of everybody else working on the show. Because theater is nothing without collaboration, I cannot be selfish.

That is my lighting philosophy.

I'm currently researching four-year lighting design programs to transfer into