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Tom Lee, a student on the Creative Lighting Control BA course at Rose Bruford College, was awarded the Student Virtual Lighting Design Award at the 2024 Profile Awards for his work on ‘Exigence’.
We spoke to Tom following his win about his experience so far at Rose Bruford College.
What made you choose the Creative Lighting course at Rose Bruford College?
I really liked how broad it seemed, and the varied training and experiences you could get from it. The opportunities on offer in both theatre and live music, as well as the large amount of equipment that the College owns mean that there is so much you can get from the course.
What are the most interesting things you’ve learned on the course?
One of the best things about the course is that you get to learn in a ‘real’ environment. There are three performance spaces and lots of shows are put on each year, so the opportunity to develop your skills is always there. This is also helped by the placements that are offered by companies, which means you can work in the industry while still studying. It’s a great environment to learn skills in technical, management and other roles.
What are you hoping to achieve after university?
I’m grateful to have already had a lot of great job opportunities from my first year, and I’m excited to take these forward during my next two years at the College and beyond, into the wider industry. My main goal is to broaden my horizons as much as possible while at Rose Bruford so that I have lots of paths to choose from when it is my time to leave.
Sofia Alexiadou, Programme Director for Rose Bruford’s Creative Lighting Control course, said:
“Tom’s well-deserved success is the outcome of hard work and committed involvement in the teaching activities. Our course actively promotes creativity and experimentation. Our state-of-the-art facilities are a playground for students to try out ideas outside the box from the very beginning of their studies creating a safe space for collaboration.”
What the Profile Awards judges said about Tom’s work on ‘Exigence’
“For me the standout here is Tom Lee’s Exigence. I thought the work contained a great variety of dynamic responses to the music, allowing for long slow builds and developments of themes alongside short, sharp accents.” – Guy Hoare, Lighting Designer
“I think Tom’s is a brilliant design. The lighting events and effects align with the mood of the music perfectly.. As a result the design as a whole flows wonderfully.” – Robbie Butler, Lighting Designer
“I think Tom Lee has utilised the given rig with dramatic breaks, great form in his structure of the lights and timings to the music.” – James Tinsley, Lighting Designer and Director
“I love the theatricality of the design, and the way it evolves as the music progresses whilst staying true to its original feel and colour palette.” – Simon Wilkinson, Lighting Designer
“I would like to pick Tom Lee, I thoroughly enjoyed the musicality of the piece and use of dark and light to full effect.” – Lizzie Powell, Theatre Lighting Designer
“I enjoyed the simple use of two colours and how they allowed the lighting movement to shape the space and complement the music.” – Jai Morjaria, Production Lighting Designer