AJ Pen has refined his skill in live event lighting and set design over a career which spans almost three decades. Passion for theatre tech in high school and university led to work on the shop floor at Christie Lites, then at a local amphitheater where he experienced his first touring productions as a stagehand and follow spot operator. Opportunities as a lighting programmer & director would ultimately evolve into the role of concert production designer. These fundamental career experiences have honed AJ’s ability to realize an artist’s vision in various venues and countries across the globe. In addition, years of international touring combined with knowledge in all aspects of arena & stadium performances have inspired original state-of-the-art productions.
Building on this success has led to expansion with Penlight, your new creative design house! The aim of this fresh firm is to bring music to life through innovative lighting, imaginative concepts and passionate performance while promoting sustainability without sacrificing excellence. Penlight leverages over 50 years of combined experience in concert production and creates visually stunning shows based on proven lighting & set design methodologies. The team consists of a diverse set of artistic professionals: AJ Pen (founder/CEO), principal designer, Sol Pen (COO) as creative consultant, Jeff Farrow, technical director & associate designer, Amy Edge and Andrew Ewing as associate designers, and Jeffrey Weekes, graphic illustrator. This expansion enables AJ and his creative team to maintain a strong and competing presence in the live entertainment industry and have a far-reaching impact to better serve a larger client base worldwide.
“Penlight has grown,” AJ says about his design firm. “I spent too many months touring with just one band at a time. I am breaking the cycle and stepping off of the bus. I am now concentrating on design, realizing the artist’s vision and working with my team to execute the production. I am open to collaborative opportunities and am looking forward to doing more of that,” he says.
Meet the Team
Sol Pen: With a diverse background in the art of dance, performance & event planning, Sol brings her vast experience and insight as a performer to the creative side of production in the live events industry. As a highly motivated, results-oriented leader, her focus lies in developing, implementing, assessing and improving business strategies & operations through a hands-on approach; a skill set she refined during her tenure in leadership in the operating theatre. Sol is a strong advocate for diversity and sustainability with a charismatic personality and a passion for client satisfaction
Jeff Farrow: In a career spanning two & a half decades, Jeff has developed skills as a multifaceted designer and educator. Through a variety of roles at Christie Lites, a stint with the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University and now as in-house designer at the preeminent Avalon Theatre & OLG Stage in Canada, he has consistently evolved alongside new theatrical technology and techniques. Jeff leverages his attention to detail and big picture perspective to refine the underlying process that supports the development of top class drafting, documentation, pre-visualization and programming.
Amy Edge: Over the course of a thirteen-year career Amy has worked on several aspects of technical theater production from fixing lighting rigs to running full-scale production. She demonstrates expert attention to detail with the experience to adapt to the moment in a fast-paced environment. She has proven herself to be a flexible leader with a collaborative mindset. If asked, she’d tell you that one of the best perks of the job is calling spotlight cues.
Andrew Ewing: Andrew aspired at an early age to pursue a career as an LD, lighting over 250 performances while in high school alone. In line with his goal, he started with a local backline company setting up and repairing backline, PA and lighting gear. He also operated as LD at a local concert venue then over to Fantasse Lighting, where he worked as QC & LED technician while being afforded the opportunity of running shows in larger venues, ending with his latest gig as touring LD. Andrew continues to hone his craft by learning on his own MA3 console while pursuing LSO training and certification.
Jeffrey Weekes: A Toronto-born artist with achievements spanning over two decades. He has completed commissions that explore the world of Surrealist oil paintings, landscapes, murals, reproductions, illustrative works, mosaics and portraiture. His media include pen & ink, graphite & charcoal, colored chalk pencil, oil, watercolor and acrylic. Jeffrey continues to study the old master’s tradition of classical oil painting at the Academy of Realist Art, enriching his understanding of oil painting and taking his rendering techniques to new heights.
For more information visit Penlight at www.penlight.ca.
For booking/inquiries: [email protected] or [email protected].
