Research | Queen’s University Canada

Nothing Burns Down: A History and a Career in Theatre Lighting Design

Nothing Burns Down: A History and a Career in Theatre Lighting Design

Dr. Tim Fort discusses how an early fascination with lighting design inspired a lifelong career.

Interviewee Name: 
Dr. Tim Fort
Topic: 
Nothing Burns Down: A History and a Career in Theatre Lighting Design
Podcast: 
Blind Date with Knowledge, Season 2, Episode 10
Interviewed by: 
Barry Kaplan
Air date on CFRC: 
November 28, 2018
Episode length: 
18:10
Academic areas: 

Dr. Tim Fort is a Professor and Chair of Graduate Programs in the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen’s. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto's Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama, and much of his research examines late nineteenth-century lighting design and staging.

Dr. Fort has designed lighting and/or scenery for over 200 productions, including the world premieres of And All For Love at the National Arts Centre and Judith Thompson’s Hothouse at The Isabel Bader Centre.  In Kingston, he recently directed and designed Unity (1918), Candide, and The House of Martin Guerre in the Rotunda Theatre. Dr. Fort has also served as the Producing Director at the Weston Playhouse in Vermont since 1988, a hub for many Broadway and regional designers and performers. At Weston, he has directed over 60 productions, including Les Misérables and Avenue Q.

In this episode, he discusses his early career fascination with lighting design as his inspiration to study its history. Dr. Fort also discusses the place of authenticity and representation in modern theatre.

Please visit the Dan School of Drama and Music for more information about Dr. Fort's research.

Nothing Burns Down: A History and a Career in Theatre Lighting Design

Season 2: Episode 10