Leading Light with…Paule Constable

Ask anyone interested in theatre to name five lighting designers and you can guarantee that Paule Constable will appear on the list. Not only is Paule one of the most successful lighting designers this country has ever produced but is also a pioneer for female artists in the industry. We’ve been meaning to meet for a while yet her extremely busy schedule has meant that this hasn’t come into fruition. Thankfully, she’s back in London working on a production of Seventeen at the Lyric Hammersmith which allows us to finally sit down and chat. That said, we have only an hour before she goes into a second preview; and it’s an hour in which I intend to hear all about her fascinating journey.

As always with Leading Light, we start at the beginning. For Paule, this is North Devon; although the West Country was only a temporary abode. She comments: “My dad was a hunter pilot in the military. As a result, we moved all across the world. I lived in Germany, Belgium and even the Middle East. I wasn’t really used to anything else so it didn’t seem that unusual”.  When Paule began her education, she attended boarding school, where a lot of other children were also part of RAF families. She adds: “I went away when I was 8 and remained so for all my education.  It never seemed a big deal to me.  All the other officers’ kids were away at school.  When we came home in the holidays, we immediately formed a tight community”. It might come as a surprise that, during her formative years, Paule had no interest in theatre. Rather, she was more interested in climbing trees and the great outdoors. She states: “I was a bit of a tomboy. My older brother was an academic whereas my father was very sporty so this was something I did with him. I was very active and preferred to be on my feet”.

Goldsmiths University Students Protesting in 1986.

Whereas Paule shared her father’s passion for all things outdoors, he made sure that this was the only thing they shared: “Dad was very clear – he told me specifically that I could be anything I wanted but he didn’t want me to be a fighter pilot. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but I was made clear it wasn’t to be this!”. At this point though, theatre was yet to make a big impact on Paule’s life. She adds: “Although theatre still didn’t really interest me, I did start to get involved at school. My initial reasons for doing this weren’t artistically motivated – if we used the theatre at school it meant we could sneak out for a smoke!”. So the arts didn’t really strike Paule as a career choice at that point. She still remained very academic yet she reached a crossroads at college. She comments: “My A Levels were a real eclectic mix. I picked Maths, Physics, History of Art and English – therefore it was an extremely random choice! Yet it was also one without a very definite sense of direction”. This didn’t prevent Paule from continuing with her studies and she soon found herself on the way to London where she studied English at Goldsmiths University. It would be a move that would influence the rest of her career and personal life.

The original Angels in America at the National Theatre (which Paule is currently lighting at the National).

When Paule attended Goldsmiths University, this was run by Peter Hoggett and it was a very left-wing, radical institution. She recalls: “I attended university in 1986 and this marked the end of the miners strike. I remember going down to Wapping and standing on the picket lines. There was a lot of political activity at that time. It was also very exciting for me personally as I had received a very traditional upbringing in a very enclosed world. Suddenly, this was burst open and I was introduced to people I’d never come across before. It was also great as I lived in East London when it was still the East End. There was a real sense of community where people genuinely knew one another, which is sadly no longer there”. Whilst in London, this meant that Paule got to see more theatre and soon her interest grew. So much so that she changed her course from solely English to English and Drama; a decision she made due to the fact that “you didn’t study plays with just English”. With her change of course and the fact that she was seeing more plays than ever before, it seemed that Paule had finally discovered the direction she was lacking; albeit by accident.

During her university years, Paule saw lots at the ENO, productions by Cheek by Jowl and even the original Angels in America. She recalls: “My passion just seemed to slowly grow with the more I saw. It was a very natural progression and I just enjoyed engaging with new work”. During her degree, Paule would work part time to make ends meet like most students. It was her flatmate’s persuing of romance that would lead to Paule’s first experience of working in theatre. She comments: “My flatmate was a stage manager and would work on a range of shows. Then one day she fell in love and moved to Spain (as you do!). At the time, she was a follow spotter at Hackney Empire where she was working on Black Heroes in The Hall of Fame. One morning the phone went and someone said that Jackie needed to be at the theatre by ten. As I was completely broke, I said that she’d be there – only she was me!”. Paule then made her way over to the Hackney Empire: “To this day I still don’t really know why I said yes or what I was expecting. I remember turning up and not knowing what I was doing. However, it wasn’t as disastrous as it could have been. Thankfully, the other followspotter, Fiona Simpson, was extremely approachable and talked me through the various steps”.

Black Heroes in The Hall of Fame was Paule’s first professional lighting job.

Paule must have made an impact in her inaugural attempts at followspotting as she was then asked by Midnight Design to work on a rock ‘n’ roll show – something she jumped at the chance to do. She recalls: “I was asked to work on this show and the guys there needed someone to climb up on the rig. I think they were surprised at how eager I was to do this – a part of my inner tree- climbing child must have reemerged!”. Paule continued to work for Midnight Design on a range of rock ‘n’ roll concerts alongside her studies. It was during this time that she met Dave Bryant, who was resident Lighting Designer at the London Astoria Theatre (which has since been demolished). Paule comments: “Dave was a huge influence and really showed me the ins and outs of lighting as it were. We worked on everything from Acid House clubs to live gigs. Dave offered advice to Paule who began lighting her own shows in the third year of university. She states: “There wasn’t a particular moment where I thought I am now going to be a lighting designer. I actually just liked getting my hands on kit!”.

The Astoria Theatre where Paule met Dave Byrant

Paule soon graduated and continued to freelance and light shows when and where she could. It was also during this time that she met her partner, Ian, who worked at People Show – an immersive, experimental theatre company who Paule worked with. Paule also worked on the Festival of Circus on the Southbank and continued to work alongside Midnight Design. She also began to work for established lighting designers, which not only saw her gain valuable experience but offered her first-hand insight into their methods. She states: “I remember carrying Ben Ormerod’s bags while I was lighting his shows! I was never afraid to get stuck in and when I worked on a production I always made sure I helped out as much as I could”. Paule continued to relight a lot of other shows, including those of Stevie Whitson; a lighting designer from New York. Stevie worked closely with DV8 and was renowned for working in experimental theatre. Paule recalls: “Stevie was this larger than life figure who was just so passionate about theatre. He had a really interesting way of working and he managed to create some stunning looks on stage”. It was Stevie who made Paule really think about her career and the direction she wanted to take. She recalls: “Stevie would always call me up to get lamps for the show but stopped asking me to relight them. This upset me as I thought I was doing a pretty decent job. So when I pressed as to why he didn’t ask me anymore, he literally turned around and said ‘Just f*ck off and do your own work!’. Although this might sound incredibly rude, it was actually really inspiring as it made me think that I could actually work in this industry on my own designs, as opposed to imitating the work of others”.

The Street of Crocodiles at the National Theatre.

This was the motivation that Paule needed and she soon found herself taking on her first paid gig with 784 Scotland. It was here she met renowned designer Rae Smith who Paule would work with numerous times over the years. She states: “It was fantastic meeting with Rae as the way she talked about theatre made real sense to me. It wasn’t jargon or numbers or technical terms; it was her own language. This inspired me to develop my own way of talking about theatre; one which made sense to me”. Following 784 Scotland, Paule then lit and toured shows with Complicite. One of these was The Street of Crocodiles which she deems as her “big break”. She comments: “Street was a huge success; much bigger than I anticipated. It ran at the National and then I found myself at aged 26 being nominated for an Olivier. It was quite surreal!”. It also meant that Paule was now recognised as an emerging lighting designer and her work was finally being viewed on a bigger scale: “The show opened so many doors for me. I was taken on by an agent meaning I had someone to represent me for this first time. It also meant that I went from being a relatively unknown to having people now want to work with me – they were even returning my letters!”.

The Dark Materials won Paule her first Olivier.

Paule continued working closely with Complicite as well as branching out into other productions. This included operatic shows and she worked extensively at the Royal Opera House, with her first design being Rigoletto for David McVicar. Since then, she has continued to work in opera and has even co-directed productions. She states: “I love opera as it gives you a freedom that traditional theatre simply doesn’t afford. Opera seems to be less scared of designers that aren’t a big name as such. They are less worried about the credits and more interested in the artist and what they can bring to the role. Similarly, opera allows a much wider scale of expression. You can be really bold aesthetically and this potential has had a huge influence on the rest of my design”.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has earned Paule an Olivier and Tony Award.

Across her career, Paule has won four Olivier Awards, two Tony Awards as well as the LA Drama Critics Circle Award. Her extensive list of credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse, Sleeping Beauty, This House, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Weir, Elegy, Happy Days, Herons, Blasted, Red Shoes, Clybourne Park, The Chalk Garden, Waves, His Dark Materials, RSC Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. Looking at a CV like Paule’s, it reflects the dream résumé for any lighting designer; she’s done it all and then done it again. Yet what has allowed her to take on so many incredible productions and achieved the highest recognition in the industry time and time again? For her, there’s no big secret: “It’s all about relationships. My entire career has been based on a handful of relationships: with Complicite, Rae Smith, Katie Mitchell (theatre director), Vicky Mortimer (Designer), Marianne Elliott, Michael Grandage, Rufus Norris and David McVicar. It’s all about building those strong working partnerships and singling out people who you want to work with time and time again. With all of these, we’ve grown as artists together and we seem to be able to get the most out of each other. Whoever I work with, whether it’s Rufus Norris or Marianne Elliot, we have a strong working relationship and that’s fundamental to me and my work”.

Paule with WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven at this year’s Tonic Awards

Alongside her obvious lighting talents, there is another thing that Paule is renowned for: promoting the role of women in theatre. She is only one of two women to have received an Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design (the other being Natasha Chivers’ whose Leading Light you can read here) and has always advocated the role of women in theatre. She comments: “Women still aren’t represented as well as they should be in theatre. It’s a very male-dominated industry and we need to change that. When I began working in the business, I started in rock ‘n’ roll gigs. For a young woman, this was just awful. You were constantly cat-called and it really was an intimidating environment. Moving into theatre, people’s attitudes improved mildly but it was still uncomfortable”. Earlier this month, Paule was presented with a Tonic Theatre Award – an awards ceremony that celebrates women’s role in theatre. It was presented to her by WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven. So now that there is an organisation championing women in the arts, is the industry no longer sexist? Paule has an answer: “Not at all. It has got better but certain attitudes and prejudices still exist, sadly. A lot of it is subconscious sexism that might leak through a particular comment or in a conversation with a certain individual. All we can keep doing is raising the issue, making sure people are aware of it and making sure we call it out when it does happen”.

There’s also another area in which Paule remains passionate: politics. Following her politically geared education, she still believes that theatre can do more to engage with the world around us. She states: “There is a huge lack of politics within contemporary theatre. The stories we tell on stage really matter and it needs to be a space where we can have some sort of debate. The best type of theatre is that which makes you think and I actively seek out projects that have an important political and social matter behind them”.

The iconic War Horse, for which Paule won a Tony Award.

Paule is now being called back into the tech box as Seventeen is about to start. It’s one of the first shows she’s lighting this year, before she begins work on the highly anticipated Angels in America which will run at the National Theatre. Add this to the fact that Curious Incident and Red Shoes are currently on tour then it seems that Paule is in for yet another busy year. Before we run, she leaves me with some words of wisdom for the next generation of LDs: “Find your safe space. By this I don’t mean somewhere safe where you can be complacent and not be challenged. Rather, I mean somewhere where you can be who you want to be. Where you feel it’s safe to experiment and you aren’t worried about being judged or mocked. Once you find this, you’ll progress as an artist and really achieve your potential”.  I don’t ask where Paule’s ‘safe space’ is. However, wherever it is, it’s seen the birth of some of the most original and innovative lighting designs ever seen on stage.

Photos courtesy of Adam Bennett, Brinkhoff/Mögenburg, Cinema Treasures, Ivan Kyncl, John Haynes, Joan Marcus and Simon Annand.