The Lighting Design Category Committee invites you to attend our first LIGHTING Design Table Talk with Lighting Designer Mike Wood on Monday, August 26, 2024, at 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 5 PM PT on Zoom. You can RSVP here.
We’re excited to sit down and talk with the influential designer Mike Wood, who is a Lighting Designer and educator working primarily in live theater for the past 18 years. He got his start in the Tampa Bay Area, designing for nearly every theater company in the west central Florida area before expanding his work nationwide—living in NYC, Nashville, and Atlanta while building up a name and reputation for himself as a passionate artist who values the blending of art, technology, and science in a highly collaborative production environment. Mike has continued to build his reputation as a name in the industry through his social media and other online presence, striving to be a resource for early career designers and students in the aspects of a career in the entertainment industry that aren’t usually taught in school. His unique approach of not only showcasing his work, but the behind the scenes process, the nitty-gritty technical details, and his life outside of the theater have been an inspiration for many young people who are starting out.
Recent notable projects include being the lighting designer for the Marvel Studios / Disney + on-screen Rogers The Musical and the Off-Broadway smash hit Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern which will also be embarking on a national tour next year. He recently lit The Hot Wing King with director/writer Katori Hall at The Alliance Theatre, and his design work has been seen on countless other stages, screens, and in classrooms throughout the world. He has been the resident Lighting Designer for City Springs Theatre Company since the company’s inception in 2018, and in 2021, he took over as the Director of Production there supervising all production departments for Atlanta’s newest and fastest growing musical theater company.
Mike values the power of collaboration and people. An examination of his resume or show credits reveals a long list of recurring collaborators. From directors to fellow designers to associates and assistants, Mike’s greatest passion is to work as a member of a stellar team to bring stories to life. Most of his core of associates have been working with Mike for 10+ years on stages of all shapes and sizes, many of them starting as his students in high school and college programs.
As an educator, Mike has served on the design and technology faculties of Howard W. Blake School of the Arts, Hillsborough Community College, The Collegiate School NY, and Marymount Manhattan College. This fall, he’ll be working as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University, continuing to share his love and passion for theatrical design with the next generation of artists. He currently resides in Marietta, GA with his wife Katie and their three cats (who are also well-known on social media) and works extensively throughout the country.
This informal conversation will be moderated by LDC Committee members and is open to everyone (including students, colleagues, and non-members). You are encouraged to submit any questions you may have for Mike via the RSVP form ahead of the table talk.
We are looking forward to getting to know Mike even more. We hope that this forum presents a way for all of us, across all categories and regions, to understand each other’s work, celebrate each other’s art and accomplishments, and continue to build our community and solidarity. We hope to see you there!
Design Table Talk with Lighting Designer Mike Wood
Presented by the Local USA 829 Lighting Design Category Committee
Monday, August 26 at 8 PM ET; 7 PM CT; 5 PM PT
On Zoom
RSVP Here