We are excited to bring you this new episode in our podcast series, The Art of Collaboration, with Brandon Stirling Baker and Justin Peck. This series focuses on directors and choreographers in conversation with some of their collaborators. The series explores the ins and outs of these processes, both finer details as well as overarching ideas about what goes into a productive collaboration on a show. In this episode you will hear a conversation with Brandon (Lighting Designer) and Justin (Director, Choreographer, co-Book Writer) about their work on Illinoise including how they collaborate, the value of incorporating team members early in the production process, and the role of lighting in theatrical storytelling. They also discuss the different iterations of the production as it moved from venue to venue.

 

Bios:

 

Brandon Stirling Baker is a Tony Award-Nominated lighting designer working internationally. His work can be seen on stages throughout the United States and abroad including Broadway, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Park Avenue Armory, American Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and many others. Baker received a Tony Award Nomination for his lighting of ILLINOISE on Broadway and is a recipient of the Knight of Illumination Award for his work in dance. Baker has designed over 30 premieres worldwide for director and choreographer Justin Peck, and works frequently with William Forsythe, Jamar Roberts, and Pam Tanowitz among others. He is the Resident Lighting Designer of Boston Ballet and a Lecturer of Design at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. www.stirlingbaker.com

 

Brandon's headshot by Vincent Tullo

 

Justin Peck is a three-time Tony Award winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City. He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet.  Peck has created and developed over 50 dance and theater works for stages around the world, including work for Broadway, the Palais Garnier, Lincoln Center, the Sydney Opera House, & Brooklyn Academy of Music.  He has created extensively for film, most notably choreographing Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021).  In 2024, Peck directed and choreographed the original Broadway musical Illinoise.  Honors include the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Carousel (2018) and Illinoise (2024), the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), the Bessie Award for Rodeo (2015), and the World Choreography Award for the film West Side Story (2021).