National lighting workshop illuminates Sangeetha Nataka Akademi

The Focus National Lighting Workshop, organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, has began on a radiant note on the Akademi premises. Theatre and filmmaker Sunil Shanbag inaugurated the workshop on Saturday, describing the stage lighting as “a form of magic beyond words.”

He stressed that light plays a pivotal role in revealing a character’s depth and essence to the audience and shared anecdotes from his early days working backstage in commercial theatre at just 17.

Akademi chairperson Mattannur Sankarankutty presided over the function and secretary Karivellur Murali addressed the audience. Sri Lankan theatre director Ruwanthie de Chickera and Abhilash Pillai, Director of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, were guests of honour.

The Sri Lankan theatre director stressed the need for a deep, creative dialogue between the director and the lighting designer to ensure the success of any stage production. Dr. Pillai added that “light is not just illumination, but a philosophical force — it is what imprints every image onto the viewer’s mind.”

Certificate of appreciation

Festival director Gopinath Kozhikode set the thematic context of the workshop. The akademi honoured Chitra Sukumaran, festival director of the akademi’s Central Region Dance Festival, with a certificate of appreciation. Executive committee member Saheer Ali, and programme officer V.K. Anil Kumar also spoke.

The workshop, conducted in collaboration with Cameo Light, featured 25 participants from across India and will conclude on October 24.

Mr. Sankarankutty expressed his wish to perform alongside the most promising participants of the workshop. “It was during a Chenda performance in London that I truly realised the transformative power of lighting,” he said, adding that effective lighting brings completeness to any performance.

Dancers Ms. Sukumaran and Deepa Kartha captivated the audience with a spellbinding performance that blended rhythm and radiance. Under the artistic guidance of lighting designer Sai Venkitesh, every flicker of light mirrored the dancers’ expressions and movements, creating a living dialogue between motion and illumination.

Mr. Venkitesh, addressing the workshop participants, noted that lighting designers should reach the venue at least a day before any performance to ensure technical precision. Lighting designer Arun Moorthy and Mr. Gopinath also led sessions on the foundational principles of stage lighting.