Robert Perry, lighting designer and professor at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign discusses his work, graduate school, and what what he looks for in graduate school students.

What projects have you worked on recently?

Lately I have been working on projects ranging from comedies to tough works about life struggles and current events. Just recently I designed the lighting for two very different productions of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – first at Arena Stage in DC and then the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. I have also done shows that make me think about what is happening in the world and our culture. This past season I designed the lighting for Ayad Akhtar’s economic and political drama titled Invisible Hand at Milwaukee Rep and most recently the world premiere of Queens for a Year by TD Mitchell at Hartford Stage, which sheds light on the atrocities done to women in the military. My favorite projects are those that are fairly new and in somewhat of a devised state. I love working on new plays and with those directors that make me think like a dramaturg. Just recently I designed a new play titled Long Lost that was being developed at our university by playwright Donald Margulies and directed by Daniel Sullivan.

What do you enjoy about teaching?

The thing I most enjoy about teaching is being able to impart the knowledge that was taught to me and that I have used in my own designs to a new generation of designers. I love advising students both during the design phase of a show and also during the tech process. I try to make my students think in more of a holistic approach. In the classroom, I also enjoy teaching in more of a Socratic way, where I present a question to the students and let them tell me what they think the answer is. That way a discussion begins with a question where everyone can be included in the room.

How did you end up at University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign?

I used to live and design in New York City, using that as my base for also designing regionally, but then in 2004, my wife [Stage Manager and Chair of Stage Management program at UIUC] Cindy Kocher received an offer to teach at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. A few years later I was also teaching there and then I received an offer to teach lighting at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. After just two years at VCU, my wife and I received dual offers to teach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

How did you pick your graduate school?

I never had intended to go to graduate school, as I was designing steadily in NYC and regionally. After a while, I remember thinking to myself that I liked what I did and it seemed that other people did too, but there was a fundamental thing that I was missing. I just wasn’t sure of how I was making it all fit together and what led to the decisions I did for each of my successful designs. So I was remembering back to the days when I first moved to New York City and was taking a lot of jobs as a theater electrician and lighting board programmer. Many of the shows that I worked on that I admired the most were lit by designers from the Yale School of Drama. So I researched them along with other universities and eventually decided that was the place for me.

What do you look for when recruiting graduate school students?

When I recruit graduate students I look at an overall body of work and maturity level. I don’t just look at light plots and paperwork and pretty pictures, but I want to know that these students can think like a director and a dramaturg. I also like to see that the students can excel in other artistic areas as well. For instance, if someone can paint or sculpt or take a great photograph, then that excites me. There is a lot I also learn especially at the URTAs when I simply sit down and meet with prospective grad students. I seem to know right away if there is a connection to be built over a three year stint at my university.

What advise can you give candidates attending The URTAs?

My best advice to candidates attending the URTAs is to research a lot of schools and not just those that you think are your top choices because they have a great name or are in a major city or seem to have great facilities. There are many ‘gems in the ruff’ when it comes to great theatre schools and we are all looking for a few good candidates. Also, I would say to research the professors that you would be studying with and see if their style of design or attitude towards design seems to fit what you are looking for in a graduate program. Curriculum is also very important when it comes to picking a graduate school. Look at the classes that they have to offer and then ask questions about those classes.

What advice do you give to people considering graduate school?

I always tell prospective students to remember that graduate school is only three years and each student needs to make it work for them to get the most out of the program that they can get. I love to be challenged by a student asking me to give them more. It makes me feel content that they are that passionate about the work that they want to soak up as much information from me as possible in just three short years.