Sam Waddington
Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Designs include: The Country Wife, Superhero (Southwark Playhouse), The Cherry Orchard, Lucky Stiff (The Union Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Morley Theatre Company), Seesaw, Big Love (Unicorn Theatre), Top Hat, Treating Odette, Anything Goes, Wallis, Legally Blonde (Upstairs at the Gatehouse), Joy (Gerry's, Theatre Royal Stratford East), Remember, Remember (Norden Farm Centre for the Arts), 35mm: A Musical Exhibition (The Other Palace Studio), Skate Hard, Turn Left (Battersea Arts Centre), Spring Storm (The North Wall Theatre for Oxford School of Drama), The Sorrows of Satan (Tristan Bates Theatre), Daddy's Girl (Brick Hall, The Vaults), Birthday Suit, The Past is a Tattooed Sailor (Old Red Lion Theatre), Legally Blonde (Watford Palace Theatre), The Great Divide(Finborough Theatre), Richard III (Swan Theatre, RSC/Leicester Square Theatre for CVP), RAZ (UK Tour), Sweet Charity(Embassy Theatre), Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Three Tryers (Landor Theatre), The World Goes Round, The Clockmaker’s Daughter in Concert, Rhythm of Life (St James Theatre Studio), La Ronde (Etcetera Theatre), Red the Wolf Slayer (Webber Douglas Studio)
As Associate Lighting Designer: For David W Kidd: The Velveteen Rabbit (Unicorn Theatre), For Matt Daw: Rules for Living (English Touring Theatre), Wasted (West Yorkshire Playhouse), For Christopher Nairne: La bohème (Iford Arts), For Simon Gethin Thomas: Battleface, One Cold Dark Night (Bush Theatre), For Nick Moran: Singin’ in the Rain (Watford Palace Theatre), West Side Story (Embassy Theatre)
As Assistant Lighting Designer: For Matt Daw: Secret Cinema presents 28 Days Later, For Hugh Vanstone: The Caretaker, The Master Builder (The Old Vic), For Jon Clark: The Lorax (The Old Vic), Tipping the Velvet (Lyric Hammersmith/Edinburgh Lyceum), For Tim Deiling: American Idiot (Arts Theatre), For Richard Lambert: The Clockmaker’s Daughter, In the Dead of Night (Landor Theatre)
Previous productions
| Show name | Type | Venue/Company | Role | Creative Team | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Town | Theatre |
The North Wall Theatre Oxford School of Drama |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Alice Malin Set designer: Georgia De Grey |
Jun 2018 |
| Not Now, Bernard | Theatre |
Unicorn Theatre Unicorn Theatre |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Sarah Argent Set designer: Natalie Pryce |
May 2018 |
| Return to the Forbidden Planet | Musical |
Upstairs at the Gatehouse Ovation |
Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Amy Yardley |
May 2018 |
| The Country Wife | Theatre |
Southwark Playhouse Morphic Graffiti |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Luke Fredericks Set designer: Stewart Charlesworth |
Mar 2018 |
| The Cherry Orchard | Theatre |
The Union Theatre The Phil Willmott Company |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Phil Willmott Set designer: Justin Williams |
Mar 2018 |
| Salome | Opera |
ABAO-OLBE, Bilbao Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Bruno Poet Director: Francisco Negrin Set designer: Louis Desirè |
Feb 2018 |
| ART | Theatre |
Cambridge Arts Theatre, then touring David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Matthew Warchus/Ellie Jones Set designer: Mark Thompson |
Feb 2018 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Theatre |
Morley Theatre Company Morley Theatre Company |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Lisa Cagnacci |
Feb 2018 |
| Seesaw | Theatre |
Unicorn Theatre Unicorn Theatre |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Sarah Argent Set designer: Verity Quinn |
Jan 2018 |
| Top Hat | Musical |
Upstairs at the Gatehouse Ovation |
Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Emily Bestow |
Dec 2017 |
| The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe | Theatre |
West Yorkshire Playhouse Elliott Harper Productions |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Bruno Poet Director: Sally Cookson Set designer: Rae Smith |
Nov 2017 |
| A Christmas Carol | Theatre |
The Old Vic The Old Vic |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Matthew Warchus Set designer: Rob Howell |
Nov 2017 |
| The Velveteen Rabbit | Theatre | Unicorn Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: David W Kidd Director: Purni Morell Set designer: James Button |
Mar 2017, Nov 2017 |
| The Empire of Light | Theatre |
Théâtre National de Bretagne, then touring National Theatre of Korea |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Ingi Bekk Director: Arthur Nauzyciel Set designer: Riccardo Hernandez |
Nov 2017 |
| Joy | Theatre |
Gerry's, Theatre Royal Stratford East clamour |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Melanie Fullbrook Set designer: Carla Goodman |
Oct 2017 |
| Lucky Stiff | Musical |
The Union Theatre The Union Theatre |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Paul Callen Set designer: Reuben Speed |
Sep 2017 |
| 35mm: A Musical Exhibition | Musical | The Other Palace | Lighting Designer |
Director: Adam Lenson Set designer: Natalia Alvarez/Lauren Woodward |
Sep 2017 |
| Rules for Living | Theatre |
Royal & Derngate Theatre, then touring English Touring Theatre, Royal & Derngate and Rose Theatre Kingston |
Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Matt Daw Director: Simon Godwin Set designer: Lily Arnold |
Sep 2017 |
| Treating Odette | Theatre |
Upstairs at the Gatehouse Ovation |
Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Emily Bestow |
Jul 2017 |
| Skate Hard, Turn Left | Theatre | Battersea Arts Centre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Jemima James Set designer: Ruth Sutcliffe |
Jul 2017 |
| Superhero | Musical |
Southwark Playhouse Tim Johanson Productions |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Adam Lenson Set designer: Georgia De Grey |
Jun 2017 |
| Spring Storm | Theatre |
The North Wall Theatre Oxford School of Drama |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Alice Malin Set designer: Georgia De Grey |
Jun 2017 |
| La Boheme | Opera |
Iford Arts Iford Arts |
Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Christopher Nairne Director: Christopher Cowell Set designer: Eleanor Wdowski |
May 2017 |
| Big Love | Theatre |
Unicorn Theatre Unicorn Young Company |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Purni Morell/Christian Roe |
Apr 2017 |
| The Velveteen Rabbit | Theatre | Unicorn Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: David W Kidd Director: Purni Morell Set designer: James Button |
Mar 2017, Nov 2017 |
| The Sorrows of Satan | Musical |
Tristan Bates Theatre Fisher Taylor-Gaunt Productions |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Adam Lenson Set designer: Michael Conley |
Feb 2017 |
| Daddy's Girl | Theatre |
Brick Hall, The Vaults Three Streets Productions |
Lighting Designer |
Director: Alice Malin |
Jan 2017 |
| Birthday Suit | Theatre | Old Red Lion Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Alice Malin Set designer: Georgia De Grey |
Jan 2017 |
| Anything Goes | Musical | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Emily Bestow |
Dec 2016 |
| ART | Theatre | The Old Vic | Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Matthew Warchus Set designer: Mark Thompson |
Dec 2016 |
| Legally Blonde | Musical | Watford Palace Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Sam Gaines |
Nov 2016 |
| Tanz der Vampire | Musical |
MDM Theatre, Moscow Stage Entertainment |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vantstone Director: Cornelius Baltus Set designer: Kentaur |
Oct 2016 |
| Wasted | Musical | West Yorkshire Playhouse Courtyard Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Mat Daw Director: Adam Lenson Set designer: Bec Chippendale |
Oct 2016 |
| Battleface | Theatre | Bush Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Simon Gethin Thomas Director: Joe Murphy Set designer: Olivia Altaras |
Oct 2016 |
| One Cold Dark Night | Theatre | Bush Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Simon Gethin Thomas Director: Omar Elerian Set designer: Olivia Altaras |
Sep 2016 |
| R and D | Theatre | Hampstead Theatre Downstairs | Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Joshua Gadsby Director: Nadia Fall Set designer: Ben Stones |
Sep 2016 |
| The Great Divide | Theatre | Finborough Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Rory McGregor Set designer: Sebastian Noel |
Sep 2016 |
| Tanz der Vampire | Musical |
Saint Petersburg Theatre of Musical Comedy Stage Entertainment |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Cornelius Baltus Set designer: Kentaur |
Aug 2016 |
| The Past is a Tattooed Sailor | Theatre | Old Red Lion Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Jeffrey Mayhew Set designer: Rosie Mayhew |
Aug 2016 |
| Richard III | Theatre | Swan Theatre/Leicester Square Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Imogen Beech Set designer: Evelyn Hunter |
Jun 2016, Jul 2016 |
| Richard III | Theatre | Swan Theatre/Leicester Square Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Imogen Beech Set designer: Evelyn Hunter |
Jun 2016, Jul 2016 |
| Wallis | Theatre | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Emily Bestow |
May 2016 |
| The Empire of Light | Theatre | CDN Orléans | Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Ingi Bekk Director: Arthur Nauzyciel Set designer: Riccardo Hernandez |
May 2016 |
| RAZ | Theatre | The Lowry, then touring | Lighting Designer |
Director: Anthony Banks |
May 2016 |
| Secret Cinema presents 28 Days Later | Environmental | Secret Cinema | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Matt Daw Director: Fabien Riggall Set designer: Tim McQuillen Wright |
Apr 2016 |
| The Caretaker | Theatre | The Old Vic | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Matthew Warchus Set designer: Rob Howell |
Mar 2016 |
| Sweet Charity | Musical | Embassy Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Anthony Banks Set designer: Andrew D Edwards |
Feb 2016 |
| The World Goes Round | Concert | St James Theatre Studio | Lighting Designer |
Director: Kris Rawlinson |
Feb 2016 |
| The Master Builder | Theatre | The Old Vic | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone Director: Matthew Warchus Set designer: Rob Howell |
Jan 2016 |
| Legally Blonde | Musical | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | Lighting Designer |
Director: John Plews Set designer: Isobel Power Smith |
Dec 2015 |
| The Lorax | Musical | The Old Vic | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Jon Clark Director: Max Webster Set designer: Rob Howell |
Dec 2015 |
| Singin' in the Rain | Musical | Watford Palace Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Nick Moran Director: Nikki Scott |
Nov 2015 |
| The Clockmaker's Daughter in Concert | Concert | St James Theatre Studio | Lighting Designer |
Director: Robert McWhir |
Nov 2015 |
| Tipping The Velvet | Theatre | Lyric Hammersmith/Edinburgh Lyceum | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Jon Clark Director: Lyndsey Turner Set designer: Lizzie Clachan |
Sep 2015, Oct 2015 |
| Eventide | Theatre | The Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, then touring | Touring Re-Lighter |
Lighting designer: Simon Gethin Thomas |
Oct 2015 |
| Ticking | Theatre | Trafalgar Studios 2 | Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Max Blackman Director: Paul Andrew Williams |
Oct 2015 |
| La Ronde | Theatre | Etcetera Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Jenny Quayle Set designer: Milda Samsonaite |
Sep 2015 |
| Tipping The Velvet | Theatre | Lyric Hammersmith/Edinburgh Lyceum | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Jon Clark Director: Lyndsey Turner Set designer: Lizzie Clachan |
Sep 2015, Oct 2015 |
| Thoroughly Modern Millie | Musical | Landor Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Matthew Illife Set designer: Andrew Riley |
Aug 2015 |
| The 3 Tryers | Theatre | Landor Theatre | Lighting Designer |
Director: Paul Nicholas Dyke |
Aug 2015 |
| An Evening with Tim McArthur | Concert | Landor Theatre | Lighting Designer | Jul 2015 | |
| American Idiot | Musical | Arts Theatre | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Tim Deiling Director: Racky Plews Set designer: Sara Perks |
Jul 2015 |
| The Gathered Leaves | Theatre | Park Theatre | Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Paul Colwell Director: Antony Eden Set designer: James Perkins |
Jul 2015 |
| Rhythm of Life | Theatre | St James Theatre Studio | Lighting Designer |
Director: Robert McWhir |
Jul 2015 |
| Red the Wolf Slayer | Musical | Webber Douglas Studio | Lighting Designer |
Director: Sherrill Gow Set designer: Hannah Wastnidge |
Jun 2015 |
| The Clockmaker's Daughter | Musical | Landor Theatre | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Richard Lambert Director: Robert McWhir Set designer: David Shields |
May 2015 |
| In the Dead of Night | Theatre | Landor Theatre | Assistant Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Richard Lambert Director: Claudio Macor Set designer: Paul Nicholas Dyke |
Apr 2015 |
| West Side Story | Musical | Embassy Theatre | Associate Lighting Designer |
Lighting designer: Nick Moran Director: Ed Hughes Set designer: Sara Perks |
Mar 2015 |
| Happy Birthday Without You | Theatre |
Tricycle Theatre PaperMash Theatre |
Draftsperson |
Lighting designer: Max Blackman Director: Ruby Thompson |
Jan 2015 |
The Country Wife
Any aside by a character – this production makes you realise how many there are – is accompanied by a dipping of light. It’s an impressive technical feat by lighting designer Sam Waddington; it also repunctuates the play, giving it the flicker of film. It becomes not only a series of dialogues between characters but a series of internal discussions. With a witty apogee when one aside, frozen in light, consists only of a gasp.
Susannah Clapp, The Observer 15/04/2018
The Cherry Orchard
Enhanced by an atmospheric lighting design by Sam Waddington
Nick Wayne, Pocket Size Theatre 19/03/2018
Seesaw
The faltering confrontations between the boy and girl – accented by Sam Waddington’s emotional lighting states – powerfully reflect the extreme highs and lows of young friendship
Miriam Gillinson, The Guardian 05/02/2018
Top Hat
The lighting ebbs and flows with the music & action, and guides us nicely along through all of the different locations the show demands. Never missing the musical nuances or the costume bling, Sam shows an experienced hand on the lighting
Richard Lambert, TheatreReviews.Design 16/12/2017
Sam Waddington’s lighting design is a lesson in how to light a space of its kind, a delightfully lit production
Mark Swale, Pocket Size Theatre 16/12/2017
Lucky Stiff
Glamorising the emptiness, pools and shafts of wonderful light from Sam Waddington give character and mood to the otherwise deserted terrain
Julian Eaves, BritishTheatre.com 01/10/2017
Angular and dynamic lighting... (designed perfectly by Sam Waddington)
Colm Molloy, The 730 Review 30/09/2017
35mm: A Musical Exhibition
Sam Waddington is here to light it all with his trademark skill
Julian Eaves, BritishTheatre.com 25/09/2017
Superhero
"Usually details like the lighting and sound are good enough to support the performance but not quite good enough to stand out as their own craft. In this case the lighting was as original and exciting as the rest of the musical. Many of the scene changes and mood settings relied almost completely on the lighting. Sam Waddington, lighting designer, demonstrated a level of craft and skill that matched the efforts from all involved."
Christian Fisher, The Weekender 06/07/2017
"Lenson’s triumphant direction of a fiendishly complicated web of strands in the story, punctuated with near-perfection by Waddington’s 300 or so lighting cues, is a miracle of stagecraft."
Julian Eaves, BritishTheatre.com 04/07/2017
"Cinematically lit by Sam Waddington, who manages to create a Marvel-worthy apparition."
Francesca Peschier, Exeunt Magazine 03/07/2017
"Sam Waddington’s lighting design is crisp and clear, giving definition between states of past and present and taking us into new worlds at the push of a button."
Max May, Live Theatre UK 03/07/2017
"The constant change of setting and flashbacks could prove a challenge. However, through clever direction and a clever lighting plot, this was overcome easily."
Sarah McPartlan, Musical Theatre Musings 01/07/2017
"Director Adam Lenson's work, combined with lighting designer Sam Waddington and sound designer Andy Hinton, is what makes the musical run smoothly and clearly through the various time jumps. Via interesting use of lighting and a slight echo, Colin travels from his memories with his family to the courtroom."
Cindy Marcolina, Broadway World 01/07/2017
The Sorrows of Satan
Sam Waddington – that upcoming genius of the theatre – lights it all with his customary brilliance and economy, and is especially adept in opening up the different ‘layers’ of the script.
Julian Eaves, BritishTheatre.com 24/02/2017
Sam Waddington’s lighting designs are kind and responsive, allowing in the second act for the quick switching of states and the opening up of a more performative space.
Max May, Live Theatre UK 23/02/2017
Anything Goes
The lighting design by Sam Waddington and musical direction by Dan Glover also add to the high standard of professionalism of this production.
Musical Theatre Review 20/12/2016
The lighting (Sam Waddington) is very sympathetic to the piece. It conveys location and time of day whilst maintaining the delicate balance between visibility and atmosphere. Expertly achieved
Richard Lambert, TheatreReviews.Design 16/12/2016
The Great Divide
Light and darkness (controlled expertly by Sam Waddington) play their part, whether for beauty and atmosphere or to establish the grinding repetition of factory work and the horror of fire and smoke.
Judi Herman, Jewish Renaissance 10/09/2016
The Past is a Tattooed Sailor
The Lighting Design (Sam Waddington) was perfect. Expertly transporting us from interior drawing room to sunny glades while maintaining visibility of actor’s faces. Enough dynamic variations to keep it interesting."
Richard Lambert, TheatreReviews.Design 13/08/2016
RAZ
The lighting, music and sound effects were all incredible, successfully setting the scene of where Shane was. Along with adding incredibly humorous elements such as location changes and the downing of drinks with perfect timing
Ellie Close, North West End 16/05/2016
Legally Blonde
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Both the set and period-but-greyish costumes are given brush-strokes of class in Sam Waddington's richly toned lighting design.
Johnny Fox, Londonist 27/08/2015
Sam Waddington lights proceedings with a sure eye and real skill, so that shadows dance and hover in an appropristely romantic/spooky way depending upon the scene
Stephen Collins, BritishTheatre.com 27/08/2015
Theatre:
- West End
- Commercial Tour
- Regional (Main House)
- Regional (Studio)
- Small Scale Touring
- Fringe / Pub Theatre
- Touring relights
Musical:
- Regional (Main House)
- Regional (Studio)
- Small Scale / Fringe
- Pantomime
Opera:
- 'Country House'
| Contact method | Details |
|---|---|
| Mobile phone |
07791 795277 |
| Email address | |
| Website | www.samwaddington.co.uk |
