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Let there be light

Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Lights on Adi Shimrony

When Adi Shimrony was on stage in Chennai recently, calling out instructions to lighting technicians during a rehearsal lead by Hebrew qawwali singer Shye Ben-Tzur, the invitees did a double take.

That’s the kind of reaction Adi draws — abroad and in India. For, it is not common to see a woman in charge of stage lighting, and Adi is one of those bucking the trend.

While Adi was working extensively in London, which has a rich theatrical tradition, she was seen as something of a rarity. “A light designer’s job primarily involves visualisation and planning and getting the lighting technician and the master electrician to carry out the design.” But, in small productions, the long hierarchy is often done away with — the lighting designer has to play the additional role of technician.

“As this aspect of the job involves lugging huge equipment and working on electrical circuits, women don’t find this profession appealing,” says the Israeli, who is, however, equipped for such situations. She can carry out an electrical job, thanks to the ‘Set Design’ course she underwent at the Tel Aviv University.

For the ease with which they handle their job, women such as Adi attract attention and admiration wherever they go. It is their responsibility to recreate an era when women dominated lighting design. Until Jean Rosenthal’s work in the 1940s, the term ‘lighting design’ was unknown. Earlier, lighting was arranged by a man designated ‘scenic director’.

Despite their low visibility, lighting designers have reasons to be happy with their line of work. In the West, a theatre critic never fails to discuss the lighting in detail.

Adi built her career by virtue of the encouraging reviews of her work in plays such as “Cosi”, “Error Of Their Ways”, “Work” and “Frida Kahlo”. “A play’s success depends on how well a lighting designer has understood it. Lighting is a non-verbal way of carrying the story forward.”

Challenges on the theatrical stage include providing the right illumination for the faces. However, the rules for a concert are different. Standards on what makes for proper lighting vary wildly across the world. “When you are an international lighting designer, you must quickly learn what works in a particular place,” she says.

Everywhere, the director calls the shots. “At the end of the day, you are working for him.”

Adi, however, assures that it is an exciting, if not lucrative, profession — and it can be perfect for a woman.

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