Camryn Banks is is a lighting design student at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After focusing on technical training for her first two years, she is now confident enough to plan design projects outside the classroom in collaboration with the School of Film, to learn how to light for the camera, and the Schools of Dance and of Drama to expand her experience.
Banks would like to start a non-profit arts organization to serve the greater Atlanta community where students can learn about technical theatre. Banks talked about finding lighting inspiration in Fenty Fashion Shows and supporting young people coming up after her.
The Pat MacKay Diversity In Design Scholarships, funded by LDI and Live Design, were introduced to support the underrepresented and unique voices in the field of entertainment design and are presented in partnership with TSDCA and USITT, for undergraduate students
Live Design: Why did you apply for the Pat McKay diversity in design scholarship?
Camryn Banks: I applied for the Pat MacKay Diversity in Design scholarship because it was honestly the first time that I saw a scholarship opportunity that catered specifically to underrepresented communities in lighting design. Not only is it incredibly hard to find scholarship opportunities for lighting outside of the ones that my school offers, but they are even more difficult to find when you add on the fact that you are a “minority” student. I saw this opportunity as a way to not only put myself out there as a young, black, lighting designer, but also as a way to connect with other designers from underrepresented communities. I wanted to take this opportunity to further my education so that I could become a source of inspiration for those coming up after me and display excellence in this field for underrepresented communities.
LD: What made you interested in lighting design?
CB: I discovered my love for lighting design after I entered the technical theater department of my high school’s VPA Magnet Program. At the time, I wasn’t fully sure what tech theater was or what it encompassed. Once I started classes, I began to learn the ropes of each department, and I tried a little bit of everything. Lighting had always been a mystery because of the complexity, so I never had the opportunity to try it out. Then, I attended one of my school’s dance concerts, where the lighting design created a spark in me. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen, and I was willing to do anything to be able to learn how to create art in that way. I reached out to my teacher and some of the upperclassmen, and they paired me with a mentor. I was taught so much about lighting over the course of a few months, and eventually I was given opportunities to design for small events at school. From there, it was like a match made in heaven, and once I found out that I could make a career out of it, I knew that it was what I was always meant to do!
LD: What are your career goals?
CB: My ultimate career goal is to use the education and tools I receive from school to start a non-profit organization that would serve the greater Atlanta community, which is where I am from. Eventually, I want to expand so I am able to serve as many underrepresented and underprivileged communities as I can reach. I have noticed, especially after graduating high school and having my own experience, that a lot of schools are receiving budget cuts and the first programs they decide to remove are ones within the arts and more specifically in technical theater. This leaves a lot of students who are seriously interested in the field with no way to learn or grow. I was exactly like this, and although I was given different opportunities outside of my school that helped me in the end. I didn’t have support from my school, nor was I given the chance to properly build up my knowledge and technical skill in a formal way. This has caused a lack of confidence about my work because I didn’t feel like my skill set was as strong or refined as some of my peers. This is all because I wasn’t given the support that I needed while I was in high school. This goal is important to me because I have seen, all too often, students becoming discouraged and frustrated with feeling like they are not being acknowledged, heard, or seen in a field that really does require their work. The technical aspects are such an important part of productions, and many people don’t realize that until they have no one to operate their sound, lights, etc. I feel like I am being called to be the change I want to see, and I believe that it starts with helping those who are still in the earlier processes of growing.
LD: How can the industry better serve underrepresented communities?
CB: I think it starts with making sure underrepresented communities have access to the same resources and opportunities. Minority communities are out there, but they may not have the wherewithal to be able to do everything that they aspire to for several reasons; lack of knowledge, money, and exposure. We have to give these communities a chance because I am 100% certain that their raw talent would be a shock to many. It needs to be fostered, it needs to be led in the same direction as those who are more privileged. The industry can serve underrepresented communities better by going out to seek the talent because these talented individuals don’t always have the means to seek the opportunities. Live entertainment needs to welcome minority communities so that those who are underrepresented will see individuals in this industry who look like them and are doing what they aspire to do! Without that, there will never be any change.
LD: Who or what are you influences in terms of people or events?
CB: I think an event that is really modern, something that I don’t see often, that has heavily influenced the path I want to go down is Rihanna’s Fenty Fashion Shows. Both volumes were stellar, as far as lighting design goes, and it sparked a whole new interest that I didn’t know I had. It also made me very excited to take up a concentration in programming at school! I would encourage anyone who doesn’t really know about lighting to give Volumes 1 and 2 a watch, and I guarantee that the lighting will blow you away. I think that the concert-style lighting in Volume 1 was a great contrast to the more immersive style in Volume 2, and I think that I would like to explore both avenues in my career.
LD: What is your #1 bucket list item?
CB: Honestly, I’ve never really thought about things I would put on a bucket list, so I don’t exactly know how to answer this. However, I will say that I have a running list of places that I would love to travel to, and I would be completely satisfied if I got to visit all of those places at least once!
LD: Has the pandemic changed how you view your work or the industry?
CB: Wow, I think that I didn’t realize just how fragile this industry is. Because it is so entertainment-based for live performances, it doesn’t really work without the live part, and I think all of us learned that throughout the pandemic. I will say that I think a lot of us have come up with really creative ways to still design things even in the midst of what is going on in the world. Living through this pandemic has really shown me the beauty of this industry, especially with everyone’s willingness to power through and figure out how to make it all work in spite of what we are going through.
Click here for more scholarship winners from 2021 and previous years.