Brandon D. Mitchell, Lighting Designer
Home base: Hempstead, NY
Current project(s): Lighting designer for My Fair Lady at Seven Angels Theatre; assistant lighting designer for Westport Country Playhouse Gala
Celebration; and Fiddler On The Roof National Tour.
Most notable achievements: Lighting design for the world premiere of Marfa Lights, a new play by Octavio Solis in 2006; conducted research into the feasibility of using LED lighting technology for stage lighting as a McNair Scholar at West Texas A&M University; earned my MFA in lighting design from Carnegie Mellon University in 2010.
When I started in this industry: 1999
How I got into this industry: I accidently registered for a technical theatre course in high school.
Influences: CMU professors and lighting designers Abigail Rosen-Holmes and Cindy Limauro; lighting designer Philip S. Rosenberg; the work of James Turrell.
Worst advice I’ve ever heard: “Add templates to all of your frontlights, and it will help even everything out.”
Best advice I’ve ever heard: “Treat the stage like a painting or photo; always light the foreground, middle ground, and background.”
favorite thing about the production industry: Always meeting and working with new people.
Favorite design/programming/technical trick: Always consider everything on stage relative to everything else on the stage.
Plans for the future: Moving into New York City and continuing my design career.
Other interests/side gigs: Photography, fly fishing.
Awards, honors: Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, William Nelson Memorial Award; 2006 ACTF Region VI Festival, Excellence in Lighting Design for Marfa Lights.
Organizations, memberships: USITT