Is it true you only notice good lighting on bad shows? Pauline Fallowell is joined by Lighting Designer Aideen Malone to explore how light shapes the emotional landscape of Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s dazzling musical.

Aideen reflects on her creative journey in theatre and how light has become her storytelling language. For Into The Woods, the forest is shaped not just by the glorious tree-filled set designed by Tom Scutt, but by shadow and illumination – creating a world that subtly shifts as the characters move from hope to consequence.

She discusses how lighting guides the audience’s emotional focus, how colour and contrast influence mood, and how darkness itself becomes a powerful dramatic tool. From intricate technical precision to instinctive creative choices, Aideen reveals how light helps navigate the musical’s complexity.

She also reflects on the distinctive spatial possibilities (and constraints) of working at the Bridge Theatre, and how lighting transforms the space as the fairy tale edges into something more unsettling.

Because every role has a story – and sometimes, what you see depends entirely on how it’s lit.

Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.

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Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced, mixed and edited for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan and the team at Pardon Our French Productions.

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