A conversation with lighting designer Don Holder.  

Topics:

⭐️ Advice for young designers

⭐️ Managing finances as a freelancer

⭐️ Advantages of filing taxes as a C Corp

Video Version

https://youtu.be/YXHdU1JVmRE

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

Don Holder

https://www.donaldholderlighting.com/welcome/portfolio/index.html

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/donald-holder-25700

The Lion King

https://lionking.com/

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Turn_Off_the_Dark

Eastern Standard - Don's first Broadway design

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Standard

Imero Fiorentino

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imero_Fiorentino

Bill Klages - TV Lighting Designer

https://www.livedesignonline.com/news/memoriam-bill-klages

Randy Nordstrom

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635210/

Frank Brault

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankbrault

George Tsypin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tsypin

Jennifer Tipton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Tipton

LDI - Free registration with promo code ARTISTICFINANCE

https://www.ldishow.com/

LDI AF Recording - The Art of Tailoring A Show

https://sched.co/1odhj

LDI AF Recording - Financial Independence for Creatives

https://sched.co/1hUTn

Sylie Scowcroft

https://www.financialgrove.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvie-scowcroft-55670361/

Madelline Song In Two Languages at Once

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GoEuuMEkng

Donald Holder has worked extensively in Theatre, Opera, Dance, Architectural and Television lighting in the US and abroad for over 30 years.  He has designed 60 Broadway productions and has been nominated for fourteen Tony awards, winning the Tony for Best Lighting Design for 'The Lion King' in 1998, and for the 2008 revival of 'South Pacific'.  Recent Broadway productions include: 'The Pirates of Penzance' (Spring 2025), 'Tootsie', 'Kiss Me Kate', 'McNeal', 'Anastasia', 'My Fair Lady', 'Oslo', 'Straight White Men', 'She Loves Me',  'Fiddler On The Roof', 'The King and I', 'On The Twentieth Century'  and many others.  Projects at the NY Metropolitan Opera include: 'Champion', 'Rigoletto', 'Porgy and Bess', 'Samson et Delilah', 'Otello', 'The Magic Flute' and the premiere of 'Two Boys'.  He has worked at most of the nation's leading resident theatres, and has designed over 100 Off-Broadway productions.  His television/film work includes the theatrical lighting for 'Spirited' (Apple Studios), seasons one and two of 'Smash' (NBC-Dreamworks), 'Oceans 8' (Warner Brothers Pictures), 'Gossip Girl' (HBO Max), and 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Amazon).

Recent International projects include the 2024 London West End revival of 'Kiss Me Kate' (Barbican), and 'The Great Qin' (Xian, China).

Mr. Holder's architectural lighting projects include the refurbishment (conversion to all LED light) at St Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre, NY, Bond 45 and Patio at the Edison Hotel, Dance Theatre Workshop- West 19th St. NYC, Sony Plaza's Public Spaces and the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, AT and T's Interactive Communications Gallery in Bedminster, NJ, The America's Smithsonian Exhibition (touring 12 cities across the United States), and several restaurants in midtown Manhattan, including the Redeye Grill and The Brooklyn Diner .

Holder was Head of the lighting design program at CalArts from 2006-2010, then led the lighting program at Rutgers University- Mason Gross School of the Arts 2016-2025, before transferring as Head of Lighting Design at The Yale School of Drama starting 2025. He is a graduate of the University of Maine and the Yale School of Drama, and the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Muhlenberg College.

Instagram Handles

@donaldholder12

@nicolevsteimel

@ethansteimel

Interview by Ethan Steimel