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Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]

MILDRED “Lighting Bae” Moyo, a lighting design technocrat, refers to the craft as being therapeutic during a difficult period in her life.

The lighting designer was in Bulawayo for the inaugural Phenomenal International Lighting Masterclass, which took place at Bulawayo Theatre.

The lighting Masterclass concluded on Friday. She told Chronicle Showbiz that lighting design saved her life.

“Lighting design found me at my lowest in life and through it, I have found myself. I was battling depression as my obsession of the trade seemed not to bear fruit. I started off as a runner, helping with cables or doing anything that would keep me within the lighting design scope,” she said.

Moyo, who is pursuing a Masters in Light in Performance at Rose Bruford College in London, may be basking in fame, but it has not been all roses and rainbows. Such frustration led her to penning “Lighting According Mildred” an unpublished manuscript detailing lighting design through the lenses of her experience.

A cohort of  30 students were taken through the basics of lighting design with the focal point being the dissection of a stage, the types of lights it has, and also the different personnel involved in the production of a stage play.

She also shared her experiences in the United Kingdom where she has worked with industry experts including Patrick Woodroffe, Paule Constable, Rob Marsche, and Johanna Town in productions like the Famous 5 Musical that was held at Theatr Clwyd in North Wales and “Elf” at the Dominion Theatre in London last year.

At the commencement of the Masterclasses, Declan Randall virtually gave introductory statements and some of the international lighting design experts to grace the occasion include Bamanye Yeko (South Africa), Tamykha Patterson, Patrick Woodroffe, Sofia Schmidt, Rob Marsh, Johanna Town, and Laurie Loads (all UK), and Erich Bertti (Brazil).

Some of the artistes who took part in the Masterclass include Mandie Mae, Larynx, and Major Prodie.

The Lighting Masterclass serves as a prelude to the Phenomenal Festival of Lights to be held at Gordon Park in Matopos from October 27 to 29. —@MbuleloMpofu