Ben Ormerod Lighting Design

In preparation:

The Scent of Roses is a dark, funny, new play about truths, lies and how we tell them from leading Scottish playwright and director Zinnie Harris, whose recent plays have been commissioned and produced by the Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Designed by Tom Piper. Opens February at the Edinburgh Lyceum.

Company Chameleon’s The Shadow returns to the Place in London in February before going on a UK tour. “The technical aspects of this show are mesmerising: beautiful spotlighting effects that work brilliantly well on what is mostly a completely black stage… a genuinely impressive hour of physical art delivered in the form of world-class contemporary dance.” The GMReviewer

Die tote Stadt opens at Longborough Festival opera in June in a production directed by Carmen Jacobi, designed by Nate Gibson and conducted by Justin Brown.

Work in 2021

Carmen Bird and Carrot Choreographed by Didy Veldman, Designed by Nina Kobiashvili, Video design by Oleg Mikhailov, Music by Dave Price “Ben Ormerod’s brilliantly versatile lighting design shifts the action, in a moment, from the main living space of the house to the smaller, private rooms behind.”

A Christmas Carol Citizens Theatre at the Tramway Directed by Dominic Hill, designed by Rachel Canning, music by Nikola Kodjabashia “The strength of Bartlett’s hard-hitting version and the unswerving emotional clarity of Benny Young’s central performance as Scrooge ensure that we never lose the thread of Dickens’s moral tale. And as the story ends, an exhilarated audience cheers Hill’s brilliant young company of musician-actors to the echo, for a fine telling of one of the greatest Christmas stories, and a celebration of all things theatrical that truly captures the spirit of the Citizens’ Theatre.” Joyce McMillan the Scotsman

Footfalls & Rockaby Jermyn Street Theatre Directed by Richard Beecham, designed by Simon Kenny. “It is a brief but deeply affecting evening, with ghostly performances by Charlotte Emmerson and, in mostly recorded speeches, Siân Phillips, whose slicked silvery hair evokes, in this half-light, the playwright himself.” Chris Wiegand The Guardian

Don Juan Perth Theatre Directed by Lucy Kemp, designed by Matthias Strahm, Music by Danny Krass “Lu Kemp and her company succeed in delivering a hugely entertaining evening of thought-provoking jokery” Joyce McMillan, the Scotsman

@HOME Humanoove UK tour Choreographed by Didy Veldman, designed by Joana Dias, Music by Sabio Janiak “Veldman’s strength – abetted by skilled, very watchable dancers – seems to lie in composing human relations rather than acting them out. For a choreographer, that’s a great quality. Sanjoy Roy The Guardian

Backwards up a Rainbow Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire Directed by Conall Morrison “The show promises songs and stories from their work – and more than delivers. It sails through years of musicals and revues and through her second career as a straight actor. This time her stage partner is the couple’s pianist and composer son, Conor Linehan, foil and low-key support, shining gloriously without taking the sheen off her. There are characters and voices and mimicry galore, as expected – but, possibly for her first time in performance, we also get the woman herself, unshrouded, revisiting her own life with honesty, humour, vulnerability and occasional deprecation. Deirdre Falvey Irish Times

The Dresser Theatre Royal, Bath and UK tour Directed By Terry Johnson and designed by Tim Shortall “Tim Shortall’s set is a model of economy. The action is mostly within the damp, mushroom-coloured walls of the dressing room, where a row of faceless mannequin heads and a single skull (a Yorick, perhaps, from Hamlets gone by) are witnesses to the men’s fraught, co-dependent dynamic. When we switch to the backstage area during a performance of King Lear, the walls ascend to reveal a dark, yawning void subtly accented by Ben Ormerod’s lighting.” Ryan Gilbey The Guardian

Saviour Jermyn Street Theatre Directed by Donnacadh O’Briain “Saviour is a highlight of the Footprints Festival, a play that uses its fluid structure to sow seeds of doubt about the reliability of the narrator while questioning what the quest for female perfection has driven her to.:” Maryam Philpott The Reviews Hub

Mr Kipps Mountview Directed by Stephen Jameson, Designed by PJ McEvoy, Choreographed by Emma Woods

Work in 2020

The Importance of Being Earnest Perth Rep Directed by Lu Kemp, Designed by Jamie Vartan “Built around the timeless themes of love, money and human snobbery, Wilde’s satire burns as brightly as ever on the Perth stage, thanks in part to a superbly simple and effective design by Jamie Vartan – platform stage, grand piano, some display shelves that slide on stage-side whenever required – and stunning lighting effects by Ben Ormerod.. Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman “Lighting by Ben Ormerod bathes the stage in sunshine in the garden scenes, backlit with bright blue and green hues.” Broadway World

The Sunset Limited Boulevard Theatre Directed By Terry Johnson and designed by Tim Shortall

Work in 2019

The Shadow Chameleon Dance at the Home, Manchester Six characters and their shadow counterparts are swept into different stories and places, revealing inner worlds, hidden personalities, desires and motivations. The unevolved, primitive, inferior and awkward parts step into the light. In his first full-length work since Beauty of The Beast choreographer Anthony Missen uses an end of the world hypothesis and Carl Jung’s model of the psyche to delve into the theme of unconscious desires. “The technical aspects of this show are mesmerising: beautiful spotlighting effects that work brilliantly well on what is mostly a completely black stage… a genuinely impressive hour of physical art delivered in the form of world-class contemporary dance.” The GMReviewer

Prism Birmingham Rep/Hampstead Theatre Following a sold-out run at London's Hampstead Theatre, the astonishing true story of the man who made Hollywood's greatest divas beautiful comes to The REP. before embarking on a national tour. Written and directed by Terry Johnson; designed by Tim Shortall.. "...movingly records the fragmentation of Cardiff’s Alzheimer’s-affected memory and yields a riveting performance from Robert Lindsay." Michael Billington, The Guardian

Assassins Watermill Theatre/Nottingham Playhouse This multiple Tony award-winning vaudeville style show is a modern classic. Directed by Bill Buckhurst, designed by Simon Kenny, choreography by Georgina Lamb, musical supervision and orchestration by Catherine Jayes. “…both glorious and frightening, the small stage absolutely bursting with talent.” The Stage

The Duchess [of Malfi] Citizens Theatre/Edinburgh Lyceum at The Tramway, Glasgow. Webster’s dark tale of bloody treachery is the most thrilling and chilling of the Jacobean revenge tragedies – an exploration of male rage and female resistance as two brothers try and control their sister, block her marriage and repress her agency with fatal results. Reflecting contemporary debates about female empowerment and the abuse of male power, this bold new interpretation is written and directed by Zinnie Harris and designed by Tom Piper. “A bloody and brilliant piece of work.” Neil Cooper The Herald "Towering adaptation of Webster's revenge tragedy as an inditement of misogyny" Thom Dibdin, The Stage

The Elixir of Love Norfolk Into Opera Festival. “Designer Lorenzo Russo Rainaldi has a ready-made set at his disposal. All that’s needed to fully immerse us in life on the farm are some dangling horseshoes, a few agricultural accoutrements and wooden crates bursting with ripe apples and verdant carrots. The verisimilitude is aided by Ben Ormerod’s discrete lighting and, especially, Jasmine Ricketts’ imaginatively devised choreography which neatly and slickly conjures the business and bustle of farm life within the confines of the small stage. Raghu makes the most of the dimensions of the venue to suggest a wider expanse and her attention to detail is notable. She establishes and sustains a narrative with a consistency and credibility which is sadly all too rare in more familiar, ‘conventional’ opera houses.” Claire Seymour, Opera Today

Vienna 1934 – Munich 1938 Ustinov Theatre, Bath. In the late 1930s, the illustrious actor Michael Redgrave became close friends with the celebrated poet Stephen Spender. Through their families’ notebooks, journals and memoirs, and Stephen’s poems, Vanessa Redgrave discovers the love affairs that they remembered, and the hopes and fears of a generation that confronted the rise of fascism in Europe. Devised and directed by Vanessa Redgrave, designed by Lee Newby “Watching the production is like going on a switchback ride through the 1930s, but it is held together by the presence of Vanessa Redgrave, who is like a benignly reminiscent aunt with passionate convictions.” Michael Billington, The Guardian.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park. “The costumes and sets by Rachael Canning are equally strong. Inspired by Henry Fuseli’s supernatural painting The Nightmare, the woodland locale is populated by stilt-walking fairies who look like they’ve emerged from a reed bed. It’s also gorgeously lit by Ben Ormerod who adds a note of beauty to the sinister setting. This a far darker Dream than usual and that’s all to the good. By switching dreams for nightmares, Hill creates a bewitching spectacle.” Rosemary Waugh, The Stage

The Happiness Project  Unamoove at Jacobs Pillow, NY.. Choreographed by Didy Veldman; designed by Kimie Nakano; music composed and performed live by Alexander Balanescu; touring relight by Anthony Arblaster. "Didy Veldman launches her company with a terrific show that encourages its audience to experience dance as a surge of emotion" Judith Mackrell, The Guardian

A Song at Twilight Theatre Royal Bath and national tour. Bittersweet, hugely entertaining and full of sharp wit and repartee, A Song at Twilight is about harbouring secrets and regretting missed opportunities. Starring Simon Callow in the role created by Noel Coward himself in his semi-autobiographical play and Jane Asher as his one time lover. Directed by Steve Unwin, designed by Simon Higlett, touring relights by Barry Abbots. “Touching, funny and heart-rending, A Song at Twilight is an impeccable production with Callow giving an outstanding turn as the irascible Hugo.”: StageReview.co.uk

Work in 2018

Uncle Vanya at The Hampstead Theatre, London   Directed By Terry Johnson and designed by Tim Shortall. “The whole thing is gorgeously lit by Ben Ormerod who slightly darkens the endless summer rays so that there’s always the faintest suggestion of sunsets and endings.” ★★★★The Stage

The Knot Umanoove: Choreographer Didy Veldman; Designer Joana Dias, touring relight by Dan Saggars. “With a cast of seven exceptional dancers, all of whom joyously inhabit Veldman’s rigorous, classically inflected vocabulary, the piece presents us with the highlights of the big day.” ★★★★Luke Jennings The Observer

Three Dancers at Introdans, Arnhem, Holland: Choreographed by Didy Veldman; designed by Kimie Nakano; music by Elena Kats-Chernin. "Dynamic choreography, deft set design and a bewitching original score ... the dancers pull off Veldman's vision with aplomb, executing her choreography with fluidity and control." Daily Telegraph on the original Rambert production.

Frame of View on tour with Danish Dance Theatre: Choreographed by Didy Veldman; designed by Miriam Buether. Originally made for Cedar Lake, NY. "A hilarious slow-motion fight; a horror-movie-style faceless figure bulging through a rubber-panelled door, Frame of View by Ms. Veldman, offered a memorable theatricality." New York Times

The Model Apartment at The Ustinov Theatre, Bath Directed by Laurence Boswell and designed by Tim Shortall. ★★★★ “Finely directed by Laurence Boswell, with four superb and superbly matched actors … almost perfect. Outrageously funny … a superb production of Donald Margulies’ black comedy” Clare Brennan The Observer

In Praise of Love at The Ustinov Theatre, Bath “Jonathan Church closes this year`s rich Theatre Royal Bath summer season with an articulate and finely acted revival of Terence Rattigan`s rarely-performed last play.”" ★★★★The Stage. Designed by Tim Hatley.

see blue through with Leipzig Ballet: Choreographed by Didy Veldman; designed by Stijn Celis. Originally made for Ballet Gulbenkian. "“The choreography gradually grows in stature and ambition, almost as if marine life is emerging from beneath the waves to taste the oxygen of the air above” The Times

Ariadne auf Naxos at Longborough Festival Opera: Directed by Alan Privett; designed by Faye Bradley; conducted by Anthony Negus. Anthony Negus is described as “the UK’s most eminent Wagnerian” (ArtsJournal), and in 2017 was presented with The Wagner Society’s Sir Reginald Goodall Memorial Award. “The entrance of Bacchus (Jonathan Stoughton) in towering silhouette against a crimson sky is thrilling; and then comes the unrivalled Longborough experience of hearing two heroic voices and an utterly committed orchestra in extreme close-up.” The Spectator

Der Fliegender Holländer at Longborough Festival Opera: Directed by Thomas Guthrie; designed by Ruth Paton; conducted by Anthony Negus. "Nothing about this opera is easy to execute, and it’s greatly to Longborough’s credit that on limited resources it has curated a performance as strong as this one... a backdrop of a livid and stormy sky (beautifully painted and lit by Ruth Paton and Ben Ormerod)...”

The Whale at The Ustinov Theatre, Bath: Directed by Laurence Boswell designed by Tim Shortall. "A morbidly obese man is trapped with his regrets and his furious daughter in the Ustinov’s superb revival" ★★★★★Susannah Clapp The Observer

Long Day's Journey into Night Glasgow Citz production at Home, Manchester: Directed by Dominic Hill; designed by Tom Piper. "...bleak, feverish and compelling." ★★★★ Mark Fisher The Guardian "In a work that endlessly references “ghosts haunting the past” there is something of the haunted house about Tom Piper’s set, a skeleton of a building, starkly lit by Ben Ormerod."★★★★ Allan Radcliffe The Times Transferred to The Home in Manchester in May,

Broken Glass at Watford Palace: Directed by Richard Beecham; Designed by Simon Kenny. "Resonant and urgently relevant revival of Arthur Miller’s intricately-crafted psychological drama." ★★★★The Stage

All's Well That Ends Well at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse:  Directed by Caroline Byrne; Designed by Colin Richmond.. "Byrne’s blisteringly good production about sisterhood." ★★★★The Stage. "A striking piece of work." The Independent

Shows in 2017 included:

A Woman of No Importance Classic Spring at The Vaudeville by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole; Designed by Jonathan Fensom.  "Wonderfully moving… Sublimely funny” The Independent  "A compelling start to Dominic Dromgoole’s Wilde season… the bar has been set high” The Times

Prism at Hampstead Theatre Written and directed by Terry Johnson; designed by Tim Shortall.. "...movingly records the fragmentation of Cardiff’s Alzheimer’s-affected memory and yields a riveting performance from Robert Lindsay." Michael Billington, The Guardian.

The Happiness Project Unamoove at Skanes Dans Theater, Malmo, Sweden. Choreographed by Didy Veldman; designed by Kimie Nakano; music composed and performed live by Alexander Balanescu; touring relight by Anthony Arblaster. "Didy Veldman launches her company with a terrific show that encourages its audience to experience dance as a surge of emotion" Judith Mackrell, The Guardian

Woyzeck in Winter Landmark Productions at The Barbican by Buchner/Schubert. Adapted and directed by Conall Morrison; musical director Conor Linehan; set by Jamie Vartan; costumes by Joan O'Clery. "The anguish and torment of Büchner’s tragedy and Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise combine to brilliant effect in a pioneering piece of music-theatre" Michael Billington, The Guardian. "It looks wonderful too, with Beckett-like tramps stalking the scenes in shadowy lighting by Ben Ormerod that effortlessly conjures a rising moon, a brightly lit fairground and the darkening wood where Marie meets her fate." Sarah Crompton What's On Stage

Orestia: This Restless House at the Glasgow Citizens and Edinburgh International Festival by Zinnie Harris. Directed by Dominic Hill; designed by Colin Richmond; music composed and performed live by Nikola Kodjabashia. "Nikola Kodjabashia’s live score of atonal piano chords, scraping percussion and whispering echoes has defined the playing space just as much as Ben Ormerod’s ravishing lighting from the start." Mark Fisher, The Guardian; "Dominic Hill’s spectacular production – set by designer Colin Richmond in a bleak and grungy hallway, brilliantly lit by Ben Ormerod – whisks us in split-second altered states from the night-club sleaze of Clytemnestra’s court to the slaughterhouse of the palace kitchen" Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
 

Tristan und Isolde at Longborough Festival Opera: Wagner: Directed by Carmen Jacobi; conducted by Anthony Negus; designed by Kimie Nagano. "The glisten of dawn at sea is captured by Ben Ormerod’s lighting and Kimie Nakano’s beautifully simple sets....It’s a first to come out of Act I, never mind the subsequent two acts, and find everyone dumbfounded. It’s hard to imagine this opera making a more shattering impact." Fiona Maddocks The Observer

A Double Bill of French Operas at RCM: Directed by Stephen Unwin; designed by Neil Warmington; conducted by Michael Rosewell. "...thanks to the brilliance, and occasional darkness, of the score and the immense vitality of Stephen Unwin’s production it is boundlessly enjoyable." Michael Tanner, The Spectator.

A Number at The Lyceum, Edinburgh : Directed by Zinnie Harris; Designed by Fred Meller. "A crisp combination of stillness and urgency" Mark Fisher, The Guardian "Fred Meller's box set, placed high on the stage and surrounded in darkness, hints at a succession of similar boxes behind it. This feeling is enhanced by Ben Ormerod's lighting, bursting in from the rooms beyond." Thom Dibdin, The StageTH