Hugh Vanstone (born 8 August 1965) is one of the UK’s foremost lighting designers. He has lit more than 160 productions, working in all spheres of live performance lighting, as well as exhibitions and architectural projects. His career has taken him all over the world and his work has been recognised with many awards, including a Tony Award for his lighting of ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', also known simply as ''Matilda'' and ''Matilda the Musical'', is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel '' Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narr ...

'' (West End, Broadway, US Tour, Australia), and the

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

for ''Best Lighting Design'' in 1999, 2001, and 2004. Hugh Vanstone is an associate artist at The Old Vic. In

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is an English theatre director, playwright, and filmmaker. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Early life and education Warchus grew up in Selby, North Yorkshir ...

' inaugural season as Artistic Director (2015/2016), he will be lighting ''Future Conditional'', ''The Master Builder'', ''The Caretaker'', and ''Groundhog Day''.

Early life

He was born on 8 August 1965 in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, the son of Jeremy and Marion Vanstone. He attended Exeter School.

Career

Hugh Vanstone trained at the Northcott Theatre,

. He has designed lighting for numerous London productions, including Shrek! (

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

); Ghost the Musical and

(directed by

); The Wizard of Oz (2011 musical) (

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

);

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot: A Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail) is a musical theatre, stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book ...

(

Palace Theatre, London The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. Its red-brick facade dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus, London, Cambridge Circus behind a small plaza near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Chari ...

); ''The Red Lion'', ''Royal Hunt of the Sun (

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

);'' ''Desperately Seeking Susan (

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldo ...

''); ''Howard Katz'' (

) and ''The Caretaker'' (Comedy Theatre), both directed by Patrick Marber; ''Mouth To Mouth'', directed by Ian Rickson (

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

and Albery Theatre); ''The Graduate'', directed by Terry Johnson (

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

); ''Dr Dolittle'' (

Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...

) and ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

), both directed by Steven Pimlott; ''Orpheus Descending'' (

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

) and ''The Lady In the Van'' ( Queen's Theatre), both directed by Nicholas Hytner;

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

directed by Trevor Nunn (

); ''Juno and the Paycock ''directed by John Crowley (

); ''Art'' ( Wyndham's Theatre and Whitehall Theatres),''The Unexpected Man'' (

, Duchess Theatre) and ''The Winter’s Tale'' (

Roundhouse (venue) The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former Railway roundhouse, railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a Rai ...

) all directed by

; ''Blast!'' (Apollo, Hammersmith); ''Cyberjam'' (Queen's Theatre) ; and ''The Blue Room'', directed by

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours ...

(

). He also designed ''Dance of the Vampires'', directed by

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

in Vienna (1997 and 2009) and the European tour starting in Berlin in 2006. His opera productions have included ''Dialogues des Carmélites'' (English National Opera), ''Carmen'' (Opera North) both directed by Phyllida Lloyd; and ''The Bartered Bride'', directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff (Glyndebourne). His Broadway credits include: '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (1993); ''

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

'' (1998, Royale Theater);'' The Blue Room'' (1998, Cort Theater); ''Closer'' (1999, Music Box Theatre); '' Follies'' (2001 revival at the Belasco Theater); ''Blast!'' (2001, Broadway Theater);''The Unexpected Man'' (Promenade Theater); ''The Graduate'' (2002); '' Uncle Vanya'', ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (BAM); Life x 3 (2003, Circle in the Square'' ); Bombay Dreams'' (2004); ''

'' (2005, nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

)'' ; Shrek the Musical'' (2008 on Broadway); '' A Steady Rain'' (2009); Mary Stuart (2009, nominated for a

); '' Ghost the Musical'' (2012, nominated for a

) and ''

'' (2013, winner of the

for ''Best Lighting Design''). He has also designed lighting for plays in Los Angeles, Australia and elsewhere.

Awards

He has received three Olivier Awards for his work in London: for '' Pacific Overtures'' (

) in 2004, for ''The Cherry Orchard'' and ''The Graduate'' in 2001, and for ''The Unexpected Man'' and ''The Blue Room'' in 1999. Hugh was nominated for a

in 2005, 2009, 2012, and won a Tony Award for

in 2013.

Personal life

Hugh Vanstone was born in

. He lives in London with his partner George Stiles.

Notes

References

Broadwayworld list of several Vanstone productions

External links

Hugh Vanstone Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanstone, Hugh Living people 1965 births People from Exeter British lighting designers Laurence Olivier Award winners Helpmann Award winners Tony Award winners People educated at Exeter School