In this episode of LIGHT TALK with The Lumen Brothers and Sister, the Lumen Family interviews Lighting Entrepreneur and "Geezers of Gear" podcaster Marcel Fairbairn.

In this episode, Marcel, Ellen, Steve, Dennis, and David discuss: Being the Poorest guy in Wellington;  GearSource; Musical roots; The "Rock Mass"; Early days at Martin; Crazy parties; PAL 1200 and RoboScan stories; Ticket Bots; Dining with Dinosaurs at LDI; Sin City Sessions; GearShare, Solving cross-rental gear problems with AI; X-Live; Know Your Customer;  Marcel's pandemic Zoom Happy Hours; Are we close to an AI Lighting Console?; and Words of wisdom for young lighting entrepreneurs. 

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from Mystery Budgets to Missing Professors.

Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they pontificate about: Vectorworks says: "Thanks for the invite... but...."; The differences between an Assistant and Associate Lighting Designer; What do you do when your Superstar lighting professor is rarely at school; Knowing what your production budget is; Great Shakespeare come-backs; Why are some TV shows so dark; and When to freeze an academic show.

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from Rising  Vectorworks Prices to Dennis' Lighting Injustices.

Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they pontificate about: Dancing in the Dark; The new Sphere Wizard of Oz show; Extensive uses of Gobos; Creating a stained glass look on a window; Paying attention to the playwrights' lighting notes; Designing the black before you design the light; Our most powerful blackouts; The new inflation barometer; Dennis' strange Dunkin Donuts encounter at LDI; Are software subscriptions here to stay?; Vectorworks' new pricing strategy; Kit fees; and Wasting time at technical rehearsals.

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from Being Attracted to Triangles to The Village People.

Join Ellen, Zac, and David as they pontificate about: New time for "Light Talk at LDI"; Zac's new appointment as one of USITT's Digital Media Commissioners; Making the world safer for projections; Lighting Zones; Odds vs. Evens; Striving for a "Hot Center"; Designing for heat and hail storms at summer festivals; "The HAL 2001 AI Lighting Console"; Can the design process be standardized?; Favored Nations and negotiating design fees; Having the flexibility to adhere to other artists' standards; "Test and Adjust"; The "Zac-App"; David's Memoirs; and "Freezing" Shows. 

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK with The Lumen Brothers and Sister, the Lumen Family interviews Lighting Programmer/Designer and Tech, Matt Schiller.

In this installment of our "Young Designers' Series", Matt, Ellen, Steve, Dennis, and David discuss: Getting started right out of high school; Telling Mom and Dad that you are going on the road; Doing the PRG Internship; Touring with Diddy; Safety issues when touring; Moving to Las Vegas; Sphere Stories; Working with “Dead and Company,” and “The Backstreet Boys”; Dead and Company’s Par Cans; "Lighting Up" at The Dead shows; Road Stories; Are Followspots dead?; Setting up your console; Advantages and disadvantages of being on the road vs. a residency; Dealing with different levels of competency; The future of AI in console development; Changing things that your dad complained about; and Advice to young designers and techs who want to work in Las Vegas. 

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK with The Lumen Brothers and Sister, the Lumen Family interviews Lighting Designer Mextly Couzin.

In another installment of our "Young Designers' Series", Mextly, Ellen, Dennis, and David discuss Mextly's amazing and meteoric career. Mextly describes her fearless journey from earning a Pure Mathematics degree to designing her first Broadway show. Tons of wise words and advice on many issues, including: Making connections; The story of "JOB"; Being proactive; Safety issues at summer theatres; Discovering "painting" with light; Things that need to be changed; Will AI take over our jobs?; and How to survive and succeed, at such a young age.  

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk with stage designer and Professor of Scenic Design at San Francisco State University, Michael Schweikardt.

Join Michael, Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they discuss the Passing of Legendary Theatre Artist Robert Wilson; and The ever-changing landscape of budget, enrollment, workload, and expectations that are affecting the future of university theatre programs. 

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from The "Ellipsoidal of Death" to  Poking Pigs.

Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they pontificate about: Upcoming deadlines; The Billy Joel documentary; How should a resident lighting designer or assistant prepare for a visiting guest designer;  Our favorite lighting fixture; "Shower Curtains Can Be Your Best Friend"; Do people still use Fresnels?; The affects of working in a dark theatre for 18 hours a day; "The Rookie's Guide to Selecting Color"; "Disco Inferno"; Are organized labor unions becoming obsolete?; and Lighting an unpainted set.

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from Creating the Illusion to Remembering Ozzy Osbourne.

Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they pontificate about: David and Snoot's wedding report; Our memories of Ozzy; Royal Castle burgers in a box; Tomorrowland fire; How to choose your colors while using subtractive and additive mixing; Remounting shows and matching color using different sources; How to create an effect of light coming through a slit in the wall of the set; What to do when your plot, paperwork and backups are stolen; Total Bastard's "Eternal Roll of Gaffer's Tape"; and How much pre-production decision-making is necessary.

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from Facebook Lighting Group Wars to Getting Drunk in Catalina.

Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David as they pontificate about: David's upcoming wedding; The Brouhaha occuring with lighting groups on Facebook; How to get more attention from your lighting professor; Undergraduate students in graduate classes; "Extra Credit"; Tales From the American Stage"; How to tell your director that part of the show is not working; and Are swatchbooks really obsolete?

Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.