The ALPD announces Award winners

The Association for Lighting Production Design announced the winners of their 2023 Awards at the New Technology Showcase at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on Thursday 1st February. This event, jointly hosted by White Light, the ALPD and RCSSD is an opportunity for lighting professionals to explore and compare the latest lighting technology available on the market.

The Michael Northen Award sponsored by Go Live Theatre Projects, ETC and Vectorworks is this year awarded to Morgan Moroney, a lighting and video designer working across theatre, opera, dance and installation. A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Morgan received the 2020 APDG Emerging Designer for Live Performance Award for his design on Ghosts directed by Priscilla Jackman (NIDA). He has been nominated three times for a Sydney Theatre Award in Best Independent Lighting Design, and won the 2023 APDG Award in Lighting Design for Cleansed (Redline Productions).

Judges commented that Morgan has developed a beautiful lighting design aesthetic, that his work was original and his choice of colour evocative. They were excited by his portfolio and the range of work he had already undertaken as a young designer and looked forward to following his career.

“I am truly honoured to be the recipient of the Michael Northern Award for Lighting Design. Receiving this award is a testament to the outstanding collaborators I have been privileged to work alongside in bringing these visions to life. It is particularly meaningful to witness the recognition of Australian creativity on an international stage, some of which is direct from the tiny Old Fitz Theatre (nestled in a pub basement!). This accolade serves as a motivation to continue my career with invigorated commitment and passion for storytelling with light.”

The ALPD Award for Excellence in Programming sponsored by ETC goes to Dan Street. Dan works across multiple genres of the entertainment industry as a Lighting Programme and Designer;  his work encompasses programming for live theatre, large arenas and for TV. He has a long-standing professional association with the Royal Albert Hall and also regularly works alongside the BBC.  He was especially commended for his collaboration and mentoring and his brilliant eye for detail.

Thanking the ALPD, and those who nominated him, Dan said, “I feel very honoured and humbled to be receiving it for my work, which I’m so passionate about. I’m fortunate to work across multiple sectors of the industry and have had the pleasure of programming some very special and memorable productions.”

The Fred Foster Award for Excellence in Production Electrics sponsored by ETC goes to Michael Scott. Michael worked in London and Australia before moving to the Royal Opera House, working for both the opera and ballet companies in the UK and internationally. Freelance since 2008 a wide range of work has included the West End, theatre installations and the 2012 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. Michael said, “It’s an honour to be accepting this award named after Fred Foster, who was such an important person in our industry and did so much to move on the technology from where I started to where we stand today in terms of control and illumination.”

Image: Significant Other – Lighting Designer Morgan Moroney, director Hayden Tonazzi, Set Designer Hamish Elliot, Photographer Bob Sears.