Jon Clark is an Olivier Award-winning British lighting designer. He was previously nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lighting Design In A Play for his work on The Inheritance at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre, and won for Best Lighting Design of a Play this year for his design for The Lehman Trilogy.
Production: The Lehman Trilogy
Broadway dates: 25 Sept 2021 - 2 January 2022
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Designer: Es Devlin
- Costume Designer: Katrina Lindsay
- Video Designer: Luke Halls
- Composer: Nick Powell
- Sound Designers: Nick Powell and Dom Bilkey
- Associate Lighting Designers: Rob Casey & Gina Scherr
- Programmers: Grant Wilcoxen & Kevin Wilson
- Production Electricians: Dan Coey & Matt Roper
- Production Manager: Jim Leaver & Aurora Productions
What was your intent with the design, and where did your inspiration come from?
Sam’s concept was clear from the outset: that we should only utilize the elements of a
contemporary office environment to tell the story. I designed a lighting installation in the
cube which adhered to an office aesthetic, whilst providing the scope to expand, contract
and gradiate the space and the temperature of the room. The challenge was to utilize
these tools to establish a clear conceptual language for light, which could develop
throughout the piece.
What gear do you rely on for your design choices?
The lighting rig comprises entirely of Martin MAC Encore WRMs, with the exception of 10
ETC Source 4 Lustr IIs. There is a large installation inside the revolving cube: in the ceiling
are 140 individually dimmed tungsten M16 down-lighters and 35 bespoke square LED
panels. There are single lines of diffused LED tape describing the outline of the cube on
the ceiling, floor and dividing glass walls.
What was the biggest challenge?
Using light to tell an epic story over three acts, with the actors permanently located in a
revolving glass cube with a low ceiling and surrounded by a wrap-around video wall!
What do you think made this design so successful?
We owe a huge debt to the hard graft and dedication of Laurie Clayton, Karin Anderson,
Gareth Connoley and the original lighting team at the National Theatre in London and the
raft of excellent lighting freelancers in London and New York who have worked on the