If you saw Renegade Theater Company’s production of “Lieutenant of Inishmore†— or most of the other shows at Teatro Zuccone in the past few years — or if you saw “Richard III†at the University of Minnesota Duluth, you are probably familiar with Noah Craft’s work as a resident lighting designer and tech director.
The self-described “light enthusiast†— yes, he really calls himself that, and yes he admits it’s nerdy — is in the running to win a trip around the world to places like London, Dubai, New York, Shanghai, Singapore and Amsterdam as part of the World Light Tour, a contest sponsored by Philips Lighting.
A winner will be selected from one of the Top 10 vote-getters. As we speak, Craft is hanging among the leaders. Go here to see how to vote for him. If Craft wins, he will travel to major cities, check out the local sites, then blog about the experience including photographs and videos.
“I saw this opportunity and I said ‘That could never happen to me. I thought about it awhile and thought: ‘This could be the coolest thing ever,’†he said.
Craft, a recent UMD graduate who majored in lighting, sound and scenic design, is spending the summer working behind the scenes in the arts at the Chautauqua Institution in Southwestern New York. He got involved with theater in high school, building scenery, and had the chance to experiment with what can be done with lights.
“I wasn’t interested in doing anything else,†he said.
Craft was part of a group of students that performed “Footloose†in Turkey a few years ago. He worked as a carpenter and an electrician.
“That was an inspiration to me, as someone who loves to travel and finding the universality of light and art,†he said. “It’s a common language across continents.â€
Voting is open through August 8.
