ALD Membership
Membership Categories
Joining
Fees
On-line Payments
Professional Applications
Introduction
The Association of Lighting Designers has nearly seven hundred members, including leading lighting designers such as Richard Pilbrow, Robert Bryan, Andrew Bridge, David Hersey, Mick Hughes, Rick Fisher, Paule Constable, Hugh Vanstone, Paul Pyant and Chris Ellis. Roughly one third of the membership are in the professional category and the ALD has members in many countries around the world.
Corporate members include many leading lighting suppliers and manufacturers, all of whom enjoy access to the world’s most accurately targeted database of lighting professionals.
You can download or view our 'Joining the ALD' version of FOCUS here
Membership Categories
There are six main membership categories in the Association of Lighting Designers:
Professional Designer
Open to those professionally and actively engaged in lighting design for the theatre, live entertainment and associated industries who are contracted and
earn fees from lighting design from all scales and types of project. This includes associate lighting designers and those who regularly undertake re-lighting on touring productions. See additional notes below.
Professional Member
This category is for those actively working in the theatre, live entertainment and associated industries professionally but not specifically as lighting designers. This includes for example programmers, production electricians, those working for lighting companies, freelance or resident electrics theatre staff, educators, theatre consultants and projection designers. Please attach a current CV with your application for membership of this category.
Associate
Open to any individual interested in the design of lighting for theatre, live entertainment and associated industries.
Student
Open to any student aged 16 or over studying on full time course in either higher or further education with some lighting elements being taught. Proof of student status is required with application. A member may only continue as a student for up to five years.
Corporate
Open to companies that have an interest in lighting, lighting designers and the lighting profession.
Non-profit Organisation
For organisations, particularly educational establishments, so that they can hold Association publications and information for the public or students to refer to.
Related Organisation
Related Organisation status is given to organisations that need to receive information about the Association and its activities.
In addition, there are three categories which are conferred at the discretion of the Executive:
Fellowship
Fellowship is conferred on a member in recognition of their contribution to the art and business of lighting design.
Honorary Membership
Recognises people outside the Association for their contribution to the art and business of lighting.
Life Membership
Recognises the contribution members have made to the running of the Association.
Joining
We require all new members to complete and return an application form to the office. This is because of data protection issues involved with website listings and the various mailing lists that are available to our corporate members.
To join the Association you can download some or all of the following forms or contact our office and we will put a set in the post.
Supplementary Form for Professional Designer Applications
We prefer payment by standing order as it reduces our administartion costs, but will also accept cheques sent to the office (address below) or via our online payment option (details below). Please contact the office for a standing order form if you choose this option.
Students wishing to join the Sponsored Student scheme should go to the 'Student' pages where you will find a special application form.
Fees
Membership fees are due on 1st April each year. The Annual fees per year are:
| Professional Designer | £75 |
| Professional Member | £75 |
| Associate | £40 |
| Student | £25 |
| Corporate | £400 |
This is how to work out your initial payment:
- If you are joining between April 1st and August 31st, your first payment is the full year’s subscription. Your next subscription will be due next April.
- If you are joining between September 1st and December 31st, your first payment is half the normal subscription rate. Your next subscription will be due next April.
- If you are joining between January 1st and March 31st, your first payment is the full subscription, but you will not have to pay again until April the following year.
On-line Payments
If you would like to pay your subscription fee on-line you can make use of our Paypal account by clicking here.
You do not need a Paypal account to make use of this facility - most credit/debit cards should be accepted.
Professional Applications
The ALD's Constitution defines a Professional Designer member as follows:
"Professional Designer Membership shall be open to those who are professionally and actively engaged in lighting design for the theatre, live entertainment, associated industries who are contracted and earn fees from lighting design from all scales and types of project. This includes associate lighting designers and those who regularly undertake re-lighting on touring productions. Should the applicant’s work not be familiar to the Executive Committee, they may, at their discretion, require evidence of the applicant’s professional ability."
Listed below are the sort of criteria the Executive are looking for in an application.
- At least 2 years work as a professional lighting designer.
- You will have been paid as a lighting designer to light a minimum of 6 productions or events in different venues within the last two years.
- Proposal from another professional member of the ALD.
- Details of productions, i.e. venue, company, director, designer and length of run in the c.v.
- Details of any other lighting designers you may have worked with or who know your work.
- Other evidence, e.g. programmes, photos, brochures, contracts etc.
Of course details will vary depending on your lighting design background. We do not want to put off new or recently graduated lighting designers but the aim is to establish a creditable difference between Professional Designers and other membership categories.
If you wish to apply for Professional Designer Membership please complete the supplementary appliacation Form above and send as much supporting material as possible to the office with your application forms.
Office Address:
PO Box 680
Oxford
OX1 9DG
07817 060189