Grant Anderson
“By the very nature of RCS being a conservatoire, it meant I experienced live performance in many forms. By the time I graduated, I’d designed multiple types of theatre including, opera, dance, musical theatre and contemporary performance. Not only was there diversity in the types of work but also the venues, equipment, and people. The whole experience taught me that the more you put into something, the more you get out.”
Tell us about your background:
I’m originally from Edinburgh and lived there before moving to Glasgow to attend RCS straight after high school. I’ve lived in Glasgow since, I spent a brief time living in London, but my base is now firmly back in Glasgow, travelling wherever my work takes me.
What sparked your love of working in lighting design?
Seeing theatre and live art from an early age is absolutely what sparked an interest in lighting design for me. Living in Edinburgh, the Festival Fringe was very close. I walked through it daily going to and from school. I loved going to the theatre, but there was never any desire to be on a stage, I was more spellbound by the magic of the whole experience. I was involved in the industry from a young age and hustled my way in to working on Fringe shows whilst still a kid. Even during my school year, I managed to spend evenings at The Kings in Edinburgh backstage seeing how a production ran.
How did your time at RCS prepare you for the world of work?
By the very nature of RCS being a conservatoire, it meant I experienced live performance in many forms. By the time I graduated, I’d designed multiple types of theatre including, opera, dance, musical theatre and contemporary performance. Not only was there diversity in the types of work but also the venues, equipment, and people. The whole experience taught me that the more you put into something, the more you get out.
What have you been up to since you graduated?
Upon graduating, early on, I split my time between Lighting Design and Production Management, with a lot of time at The Arches in Glasgow. As time progressed, I built up my portfolio working in regional theatres across the country. I met lots of wonderful people and honed my skills as a Lighting Designer. In the last 5-10 years, I’ve ventured into entertainment lighting more broadly. The worlds of theatre, concert and event lighting have fused in a lot of ways, and I enjoy the diversity of work, allowing me to work with light in many ways.
What have been some of your career highlights?
I’m currently lighting some of Scotland’s major events including The Enchanted Forest, GlasGLOW and Paisley Halloween Festival. It’s brilliant to see so many people collectively sharing experiences and making memories over something you’ve been a part of making.
Starting out, many of my highlights came from The Arches and working on such a diverse body of work across the arts festivals there. I love creating and sharing theatre in unconventional spaces like that.
My time spent at Dundee Rep over the years has been a highlight in general. From being an RCS student on work placement as assistant lighting designer for Chris Davey right the way through to this year’s upcoming Christmas show. I’ve designed many shows at the Rep and a particular highlight was Hecuba, directed by the late, wonderful RCS alumna, Amanda Gaughan. We along with RCS alumna Claire McKenzie, spun the auditorium around and created a surreal world on the Rep stage.
A major highlight of my work is travelling to amazing places and spending time exploring them, in the past few years I’ve worked on almost every continent.
Is there anything that people might find surprising about you?
I think people might find it surprising that I don’t want to talk about lighting! I see as much live performance as I can and people always ask, “What did you think of the lighting?” I’m there to watch a story being told in some form or another. Sure, I appreciate good lighting, but I don’t want to talk about the latest fixture release or if I noticed a cue timing was wrong. I’m there because I love the collective live experience.
What’s next for you?
I’m excited to be joining the team at Woodroffe Bassett Design. They work to the highest of standards and the body of work is expansive. Joining the team at WBD will allow me to really grow as an artist, as well as offering additional resources to my existing clients and body of work. I can’t wait to get started and relish the challenge ahead.
What would you say people interested in pursuing a career in lighting design?
See everything. Be part of it. Even the stuff you hate will make you think and inform your decisions.