Showlight 2025 Speakers

Dr. Yaron Abulafia is a visual artist and researcher whose work explores the dynamic intersection of light and space, where performance design and installation art converge. His creations transform light and lighting objects into kinetic scenography for ballet, theatre, and opera, elevating light to the role of performer and imbuing it with life and narrative. Abulafia is the author of The Art of Light on Stage and is currently completing his next book.

Sophya Acosta and Luciana Suppicich are a team of two Argentine lighting designers specialized in lighting design for theatre productions and live events, with offices in Buenos Aires and Barcelona.

Founded in 2019, the studio has developed projects of various scales for local and international companies. In addition to its focus on theatrical lighting, its research extends to the field of Light Art, creating works where light is the central and foundational element of construction.

Thierry Arbogast is one of France’s internationally renowned cinematographers. Having won numerous awards, including two Césars for “The Fifth Element” and “The Horseman on the Roof” as well as a further six nominations. He has worked with some of the top directors in film, including Luc Besson, Brian De Palma, Jean-Paul Rappeneau and Emir Kusturica. Still very active Thierry has been making films across the world including China.

Alba Abad Carretero leads the broadcast lighting project for the host broadcaster, Olympic Broadcasting Services. With a background in architecture and a specialised education in lighting design, Alba has successfully managed the broadcast lighting for the latest editions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Lucy Carter is a light artist and multi award-winning lighting designer, working across many creative mediums. Her extensive work for theatre, ballet, dance, musical theatre and opera has let her to work with some of the top directors, choreographers and creative teams globally, to produce unique, eclectic and critically acclaimed lighting designs, with a vibrant and abstract style. Lucy also creates light installations for galleries, site specific venues and exhibitions.

Simon Corder has completed more than 400 projects internationally over the past forty or so years. His practice embraces lighting for performance, set & production design, light art, and zoo design.

He has worked extensively as a lighting designer and scenographer in opera, site-specific performance, theatre, music theatre, and dance. Simon created lighting for the first night-time zoo in the world, which opened in 1994 – since visited by over twenty-five million people.

He was honoured as a Knight of Illumination in 2017.

Clara Daguin is a French-born artist who grew up in California's Silicon Valley. She is a graduate of the California College of the Arts (San Francisco) and the Ecole Nationale

Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (Paris). She founded her eponymous Maison in 2017 following her participation in the Festival International de Mode et de Photographie in Hyères. In addition to her own creations, she collaborates with artists, researchers and institutions including Google, Baccarat, Nike.

John Dudley is Professor of Physics at the Université Marie et Louis Pasteur and also holds a Senior Fundamental Research Chair at the Institut Universitaire de France. He has had a 30-year career in research and education related to light science, and currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the International Day of Light. He is a passionate advocate for improving links between scientists and society through interdisciplinary outreach.

David has been lighting puppetry for the last 20 years, was a core company member at Little Angel and Polka Theatre, and was a producer at the National Theatre.  

A recent recipient of a Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England, a Peggy Ramsay Foundation bursary and part of the team that won the 2025 Stage Award for Building of the Year, David has also recently been commissioned to write a book on his career for Routledge.

Born in 1967, Frédéric Fayard (Aka Aldo) is the founder of Concept K, a company initially based on programming and lighting design. For almost 30 years, with his company, he has worked on live tours, large scale events, cinema, and permanent installations all over the world and extended his skills to encompass all other AV technologies such as lasers, sound, vidéo, 3D simulation and set design.

Thierry has been fascinated by light and images since he was very young, so it was only natural for him to become a director of photography - a field where artistic and technical skills are very closely intertwined.

For him, technology and construction have always been a source of curiosity and are part of his practice during the preparation and shooting of a film.

This has led him to work on a wide range of projects, from documentaries to fiction, music videos to advertising, wildlife films to experimental short films. Thierry also teaches at Cinecreatis in Nantes and ISB in Brest.

David is a highly experienced Project Director with a career in themed entertainment spanning over 34 years and five continents. He has a unique ability to work across cultures and industries, leading teams to deliver excellence. With notable projects such as the large scale systems integration for the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, themed projects including Disneyland Paris, Motiongate (Dubai) and Genting Highlands (Malaysia) balanced with Teatro La Fenice (Venice) and Royal Opera House (London). David brings originality and quality to every project he takes on, drawing on his foundation of international contracts, technical construction, and commercial delivery. 

Elanor is a prolific lighting designer based in Wales. She has been lighting productions for theatre, opera, dance, musicals and children’s theatre for over 25 years and thrives on the collaborative nature and challenges each production brings.  A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, she returns as a guest lecturer and mentor in Stage Lighting. Elanor features in the new book ‘Women in Entertainment Lighting’ by Collective Light, WIL.

Jesper Kongshaug is an award-winning lighting designer working at the intersection of performing arts, light art, architecture, and lighting technology. Over the past 25 years, he has shaped striking visual experiences on international stages with a signature style that blends classic precision with radical innovation. Known for his experimental yet assured approach, Kongshaug creates evocative theatrical landscapes. He also lectures at leading cultural institutions worldwide, sharing his expertise in lighting design and visual storytelling.

Martin Kuhn is a German lighting designer with extensive experience on a wide range of

global projects, from concerts and events to museums and architectural lighting. His expertise lies in creating immersive designs that integrate storytelling, audio, and video, bringing each project to life with a unique, captivating vision that resonates with audiences.

Tim Lutkin is a Creative Director and a TONY and double Olivier award-winning lighting designer. Recently opening Disney Tales Of Magic at Disneyland Paris, Tim wrote and developed the original concept and led the team as Creative Director. Working internationally, he has designed lighting for Broadway and West End musicals, plays, world arena tours and large-scale events. He has worked extensively with video and projection, magic and illusions and drone technologies.

Peter Macdonald worked with director Sir Laurence Olivier on four films as camera operator and got his break on the 1958 film “A Night to Remember” with cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, with whom he collaborated for the next 25 years as his camera operator (Cabaret, Superman I & II, A Bridge Too Far, Cromwell, Excalibur, Murder on the Orient Express) and with David Watkin (Yentl). Macdonald evolved into a second unit director, (Batman 1 & 4, Empire Strikes Back, the first four Harry Potters, Guardians of the Galaxy, Wolverine, The Bourne Ultimatum), and then cinematographer, director and producer. Today, Macdonald reads a lot of scripts, works as Advisor and Consultant, Producer and Executive Producer in the U.S., participates on film festival juries in Europe where he mentors young filmmakers. He is President of Le Rex , his local cinema in Veules les Roses, Normandy.  

Marco Miglioli, architect and lighting designer with over 15 years of experience, initially trained in theatre, has placed at the centre of his interest the relationship between light and built space, constantly blending his passion for theatre, art and architecture. He is founder of the studio “Marco Miglioli ArchiLight Studio”. He won several international awards. He is a member of the ALPD, IES, DarkSky International, APIL and AIDI Associations.

Anne Militello is a veteran lighting designer and Professor at CalArts. She has received critical acclaim for her work in theatre, concerts, themed architecture and light art installations.  She frequently lectures about light and design and heads the Masters Lighting Program at CalArts. She received an OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Off Broadway Theater, the prestigious Paul Waterbury Award of Distinction from the International Illuminating Engineering Society, Lighting Designer of the Year from Lighting Dimensions International, among other honours.

Adrien Mourey  has been the Show Lighting Designer at Disneyland Paris since 2021. He has designed all the lighting for the Park's 30th anniversary, from the outdoor lighting set to the Disney D Light night-time preshow which integrated drones into a Disney park show. Following a variety of experiences with night shows, parades, events and indoor shows, Adrien became the lighting designer for the latest Castle show, Disney Tales Of Magic.

M. David Mullen has won three Emmy Awards and two ASC Awards for Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. He also co-edited the 11th Edition of the American Cinematographer Manual and the 3rd Edition of “Cinematography”, a textbook originally written in the 1970s.

Ezequiel Nobili, an Italian-Argentine artist, is a prominent lighting designer with a degree in Image and Sound Design from the Pan-American School of Buenos Aires. He is a member of the AAI, Spain's association of lighting and video authors. With extensive experience in the performing and audiovisual arts, he has designed numerous lighting, video, and scenic design projects. Additionally, he teaches at various institutions, focusing on light and the emotional impact of colors. 

Luc Peumans is the founder and creative director of Painting with Light. He is a visionary lighting designer with over 30 years of experience in creating immersive visual experiences. Renowned for his innovative designs in live entertainment, architainment and themed environments, Luc combines artistic creativity with cutting-edge technology to craft captivating narratives through light and multimedia. As a passionate leader and industry expert, he inspires professionals worldwide to push the boundaries of lighting design, blending art and innovation seamlessly.

Having studied architecture at the National School of Versailles, Saffran has been a lighting designer for 10 years in Paris, Dijon, Marseilles and New York. Sensitized to light at a very young age through photography, she has integrated light into every moment of her schooling. On a 6-month internship at New York’s l’Observatoire International, she discovered both the exciting job of lighting design and how light and space/architecture are inseparable, before deciding to direct her professional practice towards lighting, learning the trade in the best Parisian studios before setting up her own business in September 2021.

As the MD of White Light, Bryan led the sustainability strategy of the company including achieving B Corps Status and ISO14001 accreditation. Since stepping away from the company early in 2024, He has been concentrating on various sustainability initiatives including the Theatre Green Book and working organisations such as PLASA, Music Venues Trust and ABTT as well as continuing to work with d&b/White Light and other SMEs on their sustainability strategies.

Brad is a self-proclaimed “Lighting Geek” whose love for lighting started at a young age. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to work in various parts of the world and in different areas of the industry. With almost 40 years of experience, Brad is not only an author, designer, programmer, and consultant but has also worked for manufacturers including High End Systems, Vari-Lite and Martin.

One of Australia’s most highly awarded designers, Nick Schlieper has worked with all the major Australian performing arts companies and regularly works internationally. His work has been seen on Broadway, at the Lincoln Centre and BAM in NY and on the West End and at the Barbican Centre in London. His work in Europe includes productions for the State Opera companies of Bavaria and Hamburg and at the Salzburg Festival. Theatre work there includes productions in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Vienna.

His many teaching engagements include a 10 year stint as resident guest lecturer at the Bavarian Theatre Academy in Munich.

Anne has a diverse career in entertainment and events, from touring to prestigious Parisian venues. She managed projects at Dushow Paris and led lighting at La Grande Halle de la Villette as ‘chef de service’. In 2023, she joined the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee as senior broadcast lighting head project manager for the last edition of Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Part of Showlight since 2005, Roger has worked in 30 different countries - sometimes in languages he didn’t understand - and is a graduate, and now fellow, of Rose Bruford college. His award-winning work as a lighting designer, cinematographer, writer and director in many different genres has been seen on stage and screens across the world. Born in the Netherlands, he began his career in the UK and now resides in France. 

Phil has worked outdoors creating lighting designs for large scale performances, artworks, public and private commissions for over 25 years.  He has delivered internationally recognised projects in the UK and worldwide including the national WWI commemorations at The Tower of London in 2014 and 2018.

In 2020 he graduated with distinction from The Bartlett Institute / UCL MSc Light and Lighting course – The UK’s renowned architectural lighting design training programme.

Christina Thanasoula is a freelance lighting designer. She has trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London, UK) and holds a Master of Arts in Advanced Theatre Practice, strand of Lighting Design. Since 2003, she has designed lighting for over 250 opera, theatre and dance performances. She is currently working on her PhD thesis on lighting design at the Department of Theatre Studies at UOA.

Willie Williams works with light and moving images to create live shows. He is best known for his 40-year creative relationship with rock band U2, whilst his long-term pioneering work with LED technology, new media and immersive environments has produced innovations that have become industry standards. Theatre credits include video design for Prima Facie in the West End and on Broadway, for which he won a 2023 New York Drama Desk Award. He is a founding partner of Treatment Studio, London.

Born in 1957, Éric Wurtz is a renowned French lighting designer who has significantly influenced contemporary dance, theatre, and opera through his innovative approach to stage lighting. His career began in the early 1980s after he moved from graphic artist in press and publications to lighting.

He is best known for his work with some of the most innovative choreographers in contemporary dance, including Lucinda Childs, François Chaignaud and Cecilia Bengoléa, Régine Chopinot, Philippe Decouflé, Maria La Ribot, and Mathilde Monnier, for whom he worked on her entire production. Since 2019, he has collaborated with (LA) Horde and the Ballet National de Marseille, further cementing his reputation in the field.