ArtsPerforming ArtsEducation

Light Talk with The Lumen Brothers

David Jacques, Steve Woods, Ellen Lampert-Greaux, and Dennis Size

LIGHT TALK is a show featuring three seasoned professional lighting designers and educators who discuss the latest developments in the world of live entertainment and architectural lighting design. Steve Woods (SMU), Stan Kaye (University of Florida), and David Jacques (California State University Long Beach) offer sage, and sometimes controversial advice to professionals and students of lighting design. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and very little makes sense.

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30 episodes
weekly
Avg 54 min
English

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S10 · E499
Yesterday · 43 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 499 - "The Halloweeners - Our Annual Halloween Horror Show"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Decorating your house to Strange Horrors in the Theatre. Join Ellen, Stan, Steve, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Welcome back, Stan; Going into the haunted vaults of the Light Talk Catacombs; Prepping for our 500th Anniversary Show next week; Running power for roof decorations; "SJ" vs "BS"; Using GFCI; Alternate (not so safe) methods for roof power; Remembering Benjamin Franklin; Our favorite scary Halloween movies; Coping out on decorating the house; The "Candycorn Theme"; Skittles and Cigs; Led Zepp Halloween Magic; Stephen Rosen retires; and The most frightening moments we ever saw in the theatre. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.
S10 · E498
October 21 · 56 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 498 - "Feeling the Handprint - The Lumen Ladies Part Deux" - Our Conversation with: Isabella Byrd, Maia Gomez, and Jen Schriever.
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Sisters present their second in a series of special round table discussions exploring Women in Lighting. These episodes brings together veteran women Broadway lighting designers, along with young professionals who have recently entered the lighting community. Join Isabella, Maria, Jen, and Ellen, as they discuss: More challenges for women in the industry; What its like to win a Tony; Current projects; Advancing in the industry; Happiness through dancing; Musical influences; Being panelists at LDI; Biggest challenges; A "new" Fantasticks; Being a woman during "intense collaborations" and moments of adversity; The challenge of being a nimble LD; Making LED's "dirtier"; Team building; Working, and not working with AI; Talking to Robots; and much more... Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E497
October 14 · 52 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 497 - "You Need an Ensign, Captain!"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from "Light Talk Jeapordy" to AI-ALD. Join Ellen, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Lumen Ladies Episode next week; Dennis' expansive memory; ALD opportunity for "A Light in the Piazza" in LA; The best time to deliver the lighting plans and paperwork to the Master Electrician; A lawsuit from Snoot; Guidelines for a-vista scene changes; Hadestown; AI-ALD; The takeover of the Entertainment Award Shows; "It's all about the Gambling"; and The Craziest Load-ins. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E496
October 7 · 56 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 496 - "Another Beaujolais... Please!"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Dennis' Battered Yacht, to When to Just Give Up. Join Ellen, Steve, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Our 500th Episode plans; David is looking for an ALD; Architainment Lighting; Color Correcting "Bumper Shots"; Back to Additive color mixing; Mixing primary colors in washes; "Simple and Bold is Usually Better"; Light the people first!; Yacht Owners... To Be or Not to Be?; All about the LDI sessions, shows, and parties; Collaborating with Furries; When to decide to just give up; "Filling time" in the theatre; and Wedding Cakes NO, Cupcakes YES! Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E495
September 30 · 1 hr 24 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 495 - "Two Steps Ahead - Our Conversation with Lighting Designer, Cory Pattak"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Improvisational Lighting Designers, to Loving an Ugly Preset. Join Cory, Ellen, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Developing "Spot-On"; Designing a Disney/Pixar theatrical show; "Light Humor"; Developing the Podcast "In-One"; Broadcasting during Covid; When to reveal "lighting tricks"; Talking through the lighting with the Director before you start in the theater; "The Great Gatsby"; The secret of the "Green Light"; "Spamalot"; Thoughts on Lighting Education and graduate schools; Training under Ken Billington; Lighting and Jazz; Why Cue #1 is the most important cue in the show; Setting up the audience; Photographing your own shows; Bucket List projects; "Video Designers are Lighting Designers"; and Sage advice for young lighting artists. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E494
September 23 · 1 hr 1 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 494 - "Embrace the Chaos!"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Tearing Down the Kennedy Center to Dennis' Alimony Payments. Join Ellen, Steve, Zak, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: The "Emotional Arc" of light; A high school student pursuing lighting as a career; Learning how to be a Human Being; Looking for financial and health security in our profession; Advice and help from USITT; "Great Opera Disasters" and "The House"; Dumplings; The 9/11 "A Tribute in Light" and drone show; Drone Show restrictions; The "challenge" of lighting design; and Embracing the Chaos. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E493
September 16 · 49 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 493 - "Monologues About Oatmeal"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from numbering fixtures to watching the mansions float away. Join Ellen, Steve, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Ben Green's Emmy; The "9/11 Tribute" in NYC; "Space Cannons"; Don't Knock Miss Piggy!; Researching iconic lighting designs from the 70's and 80's; "Qello.com" and "Nugs.net" for old concert recordings; "Tales from Texas"; Proper (and somewhat controversial) ways to number fixtures and channels on a light plot; Spider Noir; Jim, Janis, and Drone Focus Deluxe; and A Stick of Uranium. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E492
September 9 · 1 hr 7 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 492 - "Understanding the Big Picture" - Our Conversation with Lighting Designer Chris Medvitz"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview Lighting Designer Chris Medvitz. Join Chris, Ellen, David, and Dennis, as they discuss: Growing up in Belmont Shore; The Guess Who Tour; Planning the Show Design; Considering "The Throwback Heritage Experience" when Designing a show; The process of finding the right setlist to support the emotional journey of the performance; Determining the size of the tour rig; Utilizing house rigs; Working with different video screens with different aspect ratios and resoltions; Specifying equipment types; Choosing color from the media content; Dealing with LED color for corporate shows; How to maximize your design time with technology; The future of AI lighting technology; Being in the right place at the right time; and Wise advice to young lighting artists. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E491
September 2 · 58 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 491 - "Make Your Own Luck - Our Conversation with Ben Green"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview esteemed Broadcast Lighting Designer, Ben Green. Join Ben, Ellen, Steve, and Dennis, as they discuss: Planes vs. Yachts; Working with Al Gurden on Jesus Christ Superstar; Calling 12 followspots; The importance of supportive parents; Working on the Super Bowl; Live testing of new equipment on shows; Working with Kamala Harris; Building a Cardboard Box Light; The Oscars in Union Station; "Theatre that you are pointing a camera at"; The pleasure of working outdoors; Meeting the needs of broadcast and live audiences at the same time; Curling up with the Dogs; Biggest challenges when transitioning from theatre to broadcast lighting; Working with LED screens as backgrounds; Working at the US Open; Learning from the masters; Where the lighting jobs are going in the fututre; Using AI to communicate ideas; and Advice for young designers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E490
August 26 · 56 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 490 - "Not For the Faint of Heart - Our Conversation with Geoff Amoral"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview esteemed broadcast Lighting Designer, Geoff Amoral. Join Geoff, Ellen, David, Steve, and Dennis, as they discuss: Getting started in broadcast lighting; Geoff's many years at Saturday Night Live; A typical weekly production schedule for SNL; Lighting the musical guests; Working with the other great Broadcast LD's on SNL; "Trust Your Gut"; Working with Kanye West ("It's a Good Story Now"); How technology evolved at SNL; Working with Nirvana, Paul McCartney, and The Rolling Stones; Dealing with multiple LD's; Being out on the floor; Using the Robe followspots; Why the show is shot at 3200K; Lighting The Christmas Tree; Being a "Staff Guy"; Lighting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; The challenge of the SNL 50th Anniversary Show; Concerns and dreams about future technologies; and "Don't Say 'No'". Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E489
August 18 · 54 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 489 - "The Lumen Ladies! - Our Conversation with Kelsey Araghi, Dawn Chiang, Christina Giannelli, and Elena Hewitt"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Sisters present their first in a series of special round table discussions exploring Women in Lighting. This episode brings together veteran women Broadway lighting designers, along with young professionals who have recently entered the lighting community. Join Christina, Dawn, Elena, Kelsey, and Ellen, as they discuss: Challenges for women in the industry; Putting women in positions to "manage personalities"; Other training options for women besides pursuing a Bachelors or Master's degree; Preparing for a career in teaching; Does undergraduate theatre training prepare young designers adequately?; Challenges in touring; Recreating old productions in new theaters; The next "disruptive" technology; Favorite productions, and horror stories; How "Anti-Woke" may affect women in the lighting industry; and "The Taste of the Light". Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E488
August 12 · 52 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 488 - "Dealing with Unstable Crazy - Our Conversation with Mark Ravenhill"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview the Director of German Lighting Products, Mark Ravenhill. Join Mark, Ellen, David, Dennis, and Steve, as they discuss: The "EVEN" program; Flashbacks to days in Ft. Lauderdale with Martin Professional; David reminses about working with Gary Mass and Jorge Valdez; What technology will be driving new lighting fixtures; The story behind the X5 Dot; How the tariffs affect lighting equipment companies; How manufacturers deal with unsold equipment; The Edsel of lighting equipment; The "10 out of 10" Podcast; The "Juliette Console"; Finding "The Holy Grail" for the Lighting industry; and Where to eat in Nashville. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E487
August 5 · 1 hr 10 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 487 - "A Human Touch - Our Conversation with Tom Kenny"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview renowned lighting designer Tom Kenny. Join Tom, Ellen, Dennis, and Steve, as they discuss: Skipping classes to work for The Police; Early days designing for U2 in Ireland; Focusing 400 Par Cans for Eric Clapton; Tom's "Super-power"; What qualities Tom looks for in a programmer; How to get a gig with The Who; Getting jobs from Instagram; Banning cellphones from concerts; Working with Virtual Scenery and Lighting; A shout-out to Chris Kuroda; Transitioning into broadcast lighting; Leon Russell, Elton John, David Byrne, and David Bowie; Differences between American and European lighting approaches; Learning what the clients want; From 12 Parcans to the Sphere; Attending LDI; A hilarious VL1 story; The new Robert Juliat footlight; Feedback to the rescue!; Thoughts on AI taking over lighting; and Advice to young artists in "Making your own luck". Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E486
July 29 · 1 hr 9 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 486 - "High Adrenalin Positions"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Starting a Career as an Educator to the "Margarita-To-Go Man". Join Ellen, Dennis, and Steve, as they discuss: How can you be assured that the CRI rating in LED's will produce an accurate color; Designing the "Perfect Light"; TM-30 vs. CRI; How to market yourself as a programmer; The skills that separate the great from the good programmers; "The Stagehand Flashlight"; How to start a career as an educator; and A Sophomore's Tale of Woe. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E485
July 22 · 36 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 485 - "Don't Do It, Roxanne!!!"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Pre-Viz, to The Temptation of Total Administrative Power. Join Ellen, David, and Steve, as they discuss: David's birthday discounts; Using Pre-visualization programs for productions; Vision, Capture, and Carbon; A (not so) tempting opportunity to become Chair of your department; Drunken Tattoo Nights; The qualities that lighting designers have that seem to make them good chairs; 10 rules for Speaking with your Set Designer for the first time; and Good classes to take in Community College to help prepare you for your Junior and Senior years. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E484
July 15 · 52 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 484 - "A Smorgasbord for Seaweed"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Leaving a Production to Suing Backstage Coffee. Join Ellen, Dennis, David, and Steve, as they discuss: Madness at MSG; Max Keller's new book; 4th of July shenanigans; Repurposing your light cues from production to production; Is it really possible to work with a lot of directors over your career?; What to do when a family emergency pulls you away from a production a few days before load-in; The Snoot Group; Emmy Award nominations; Dealing with a playwright in residence; and Dennis up on the roof. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E483
July 7 · 47 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 483 - "The Gobo-Wheel of Death"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Meetings with the Director, to Cringe-Worthy Concert Light Cues. Join Ellen, Dennis, David, and Steve, as they discuss: Trump's "Great American Fair"; Advice on using followspots in operas; How to make inital meetings with Directors less stressful; Annoying, over-used concert lighting cues that we hate; Your first day as a rock n' roll stagehand; and Staying focused when the Director changes their mind. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense. @lighttalkpodcast
S10 · E482
July 1 · 1 hr
LIGHT TALK Episode 482 - "The Ultimate Team Sport - Our Conversation with David Grill"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview Lighting Designer David Grill. Join David, Ellen, Dennis, and Steve, as they discuss: Finding your first job; Why it took 37 years to get to Broadway; Working at Radio City; Working with Ken; Getting into Dance; "My Son is a Lighting Designer!"; Choreographing with Light; Stories from Designing the Superbowl Halftime Show; Sleeping under a Tarp; Working with new lighting technology; Luring one into the visual picture; What David did during the Pandemic; The University of Klages; Becoming a Good Teacher; and Advice for young theatre lighting designers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.
S10 · E481
June 24 · 43 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 481 - "The Big Easy"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister discuss everything from Rowing your Boat, to Becoming a Visual Storyteller. Join Ellen, Steve, and Dennis, as they discuss: Visiting the Asolo Theater; Dinner with Brother Stan; The Coxwain; LDI moving to New Orleans; The Four "C's" of lighting; How to survive a Lighting MFA program; The most important skill to have to be a successful professional lighting designer; and How to design a plot for a multi-purpose space. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.
S10 · E480
June 16 · 59 min
LIGHT TALK Episode 480 - "The Holy Moment of Darkness - Our Conversation with Isabella Byrd"
In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview Broadway Lighting Designer Isabella Byrd. Join Isabella, Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David, as they discuss: Attending this year's Tony Awards Show; Jules Fischer's Lifetime Achievement Award; Historic Firsts; "No Boys Allowed"; Qween Jean; Lighting Theatre in the Round; Lighting "Caberet"; The story of DOTS; How union contracts are adapted for multiple designers working as a collective; Freelancers' rights; The difference between Europe and North America in the way theatre artists get paid; "The Most"; A "Production Design" Tony award category; Bringing Caberet to our time; "Designing the Dark": "Less is Less so that More can become More"; Discovering the power of "...At Full"; "It's all about contrast"; "Trusting the less"; Being the "squeeky wheel"; Early inspiring mentors in "The School of Hard Knocks"; Asking questions; and Advice for young designers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

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