BLMC Spotlight: Wendall K. Harrington

Godmother of projection design Wendall K. Harrington joins the Broadway Lighting Master Classes to share a projection designers’ perspective in her session, “Who Asked For These Projections Anyway?” on Thursday, May 22.

“Projected images are everywhere, and it does seem that they are more than just a fad, so we’ll take a look at how to think about projections, when they’re right, less right, and just plain stupid,” offers Harrington in her course description. “Lighting and projection must work together to create a unified stage image, so let’s smooth out those edges.”

As a projection designer, Harrington is no stranger to the collaboration process and dealing with lighting designers as a matter of course. “Basically, I have had a lifetime of doing this and working with LDs,” she says. “If you’re a lighting designer and ever going to deal with projections, you want to hear what I have to say. Projections are here and not going anywhere. I’ll be discussing a few specifics that are easy enough to do, that if you know will make the process a lot less painful.”

Harrington’s mission is to impart a certain message. “Don’t be afraid, and here are the things you can do—I address a lot of those issues from a semi-technical, creative, and collaborative perspective,” she says.

The Broadway Lighting Master Classes includes other presentations by leading lighting designers and technicians, including Jules Fisher, Peggy Eisenhauer, Kevin Adams, Christopher Akerlind, Howell Binkley, Beverly Emmons, Donald Holder, Vivien Leone, Brian MacDevitt, and Clifton Taylor.

The Broadway Lighting Master Classes will be held May 20 to 22 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York and includes a ticket to attend Passing Strange on Broadwaywith lighting design by Kevin Adams. There will also be a special Projection Master Classes component to the BLMC this year, held on Monday, May 19 at the XL LED Lab.