Q&A: Lighting Designer Ben Rush

March 19, 2025 by Stewart

Where We Belong Lighting Designer Ben Rush took a moment to share the behind-the-scenes magic of lighting the New England premiere – including his “magic sheet” that encapsulates the working elements of the black box theater’s lights.

Rush’s design does not simply illuminate the set designed by Baron E. Pugh; it paints and transforms its surfaces and contours with changing colors, textures, and contrast in order to support the play’s moving story.

What most inspired and informed the lighting design for Where We Belong?

The lighting design was really ignited by Baron's simple yet epic scenic design. The towering walls really defined a space and a mood that I was excited to play with. I also knew that we would be taken on a complex journey with the protagonist Achokayis and wanted to support that journey without adding more complexities. Then I saw GiGi Buddie’s performance and everything really became clear. The work that GiGi and director Tara Moses did really set a clear world that the rest of us got to color in.

Which lighting look or sequence was the most challenging or satisfying to design and why?

The scene in the British museum was definitely the most challenging for us. We wanted to achieve many different things at once. A sense of this huge museum that is filled with displays while at the same time creating an almost claustrophobic environment that is shrinking in on Achokayis. We played with the lighting for that scene quite a bit before landing on the final version in the show. Besides those opposing feelings of "space", we also played with literal movement and effects in the lighting. Walking the line of not overcomplicating the moment but adding just enough theatrics to support it and really seal the entire thing for the audience.

How was lighting this production of Where We Belong unique?

Being a one person show and being in the intimate black box space, there was more collaboration with the actor during the tech process. GiGi is out there for over 90 minutes on her own. She doesn't have physical scene partners to lean on or connect with. So I felt like the lighting (and the sound by Chris Brousseau) were much more of a scene partner than in a typical show. We are there for her and supporting her and so during tech there would be moments where we would check-in and might make adjustments to better support GiGi as she runs the marathon that is performing the show.

The run of this spellbinding one-person show ends March 23, 2025 – see it at The Umbrella Arts Center before it closes!

BOOK TICKETS NOW