Toby Ison (Theatre Technology)

What's been your highlight in the industry?

Working with Jamie Platt on The Hunchback of Notre Dame: in Concert as assistant lighting designer has been a standout moment for me. It was fascinating to see an entire musical come together so quickly and see Jamie create such a richly layered and complex lighting design in an incredibly short amount of time. Seeing the audience respond so enthusiastically was really rewarding.

What other passions and projects have you enjoyed exploring during your time at Guildhall?

One of my favourite projects at Guildhall was working as the lighting designer for Spring Opera Scenes (2025). It was a brilliant lesson in collaborative creation - the director and designer were both highly engaged with the lighting so we got to spend a lot of time bouncing ideas off each other and creating a final result that was densely layered with meaning. I particularly enjoyed creating distinct dramaturgical atmospheres for each opera scene, whilst also finding a thread that could cohesively tie the lighting to the arc of the piece as a whole.

What are you most interested in working in after you graduate?

I’m most interested in working as a lighting designer, associate and programmer for theatre, opera and live music. I take a particular interest in how lighting can interact with music as it gives lighting more non-naturalistic and expressionistic license. That’s why alongside theatre, I’m excited to work on musicals and concerts.

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