Lighting Designer Ian Knodel

Finding a lighting designer has always been a challenge for us. There are so many good ones out there and it’s always difficult booking one because they are in such high demand especially in the Twin Cities area as we have theatres EVERYWHERE!!

Also, usually designers are “supposed to” be booked way in advanced and for one reason on another we end up hiring ours literally WEEKS before the show which is always not the best idea.

This time around we did things very differently. We did our research and spoke to several lighting designers. Some of those we’ve worked with before and some we’ve only heard of. After meeting with several of them, we narrowed it down and decided that the best fit for this year’s LEGACY show would be Ian Knodel.

During our research, my wife was the one who found Ian and after contacting him, she said to me: “This guy, is your guy- I just know it”. That’s how well she knows me; down to what lighting designer I would choose. LOL

I was very impressed with Ian since the first time we spoke over the phone.

When I first spoke to him on the phone there was something he said that made me feel like he knew and understood what LEGACY is about. He was telling me that he thought LEGACY was not a show about “dance numbers”, one after the other. He said to me: “you’re conveying a feeling, you know?” 

When he said that I knew right away that he knew and understood what I do and why I do what I do. I try to convey whatever it is MJ felt onstage during those moments and spill that emotion onto the audience through performance.

I met with Ian after one of his shows in Minneapolis and we talked about LEGACY, his current and past work, family and the VERY ORIGINAL punk-rock band that happened to be playing that night where we met.

I got to see some of his work and I was very impressed. What really impressed me the most was that when we went through different lighting scenes he had worked on, he explained what he was trying to convey with each design and why. Throughout, I could feel his passion for his work. He is truly passionate about his work and it shows. I love to work with passionate people because it’s the best way to truly get the best out of them in terms of their work. The work becomes less technical and more about the art form.  I believe that the art and the passion you put into it is what conveys feeling to the viewer- not just the technique.

Ian has worked on many productions in theatres such as Bedlam , Southern, Loring and Mixed Blood to name a few. He has also done lighting for non-traditional venues as well as nightclub lighting which will come in handy during some of the numbers in our setlist. I think Ian will be a great asset to the SteppingStone Theatre shows as well as those at L’Homme Deu Theatre this summer. It’s going to be incredible.

LC

The Show Approaches Debut!

The new LEGACY shows are underway to debut on April 19th. This time it’s an “on our own” production. Were talking insurance, liabilities, employment of some artist to do costuming and lighting as well as managing and direct the stage etc. For these shows, I’ve taken on choreography, marketing, music editing as well as the business side of the production which includes production financing and handling whatever comes my way from any of the areas mentioned above. It’s a BEAST of a project. On top of that, in the background I’m working on the second set of shows at L’Homme Deu Theatre in Alexandria which hit in July. Needless to say, I’m exhausted!!  

What’s NOT exhausting is the kick ass show this one in turning out to be. I must say that this show will be different than others in the past.

I’ve been told by several theatre directors that I need to condense LEGACY to something SOLID and "stable". I always like to play around with the songs and dance numbers in terms of variety. I always like to throw in something completely random like “Blood on the Dance  Floor” or “Ghost”. This is something other MJ impersonators are not doing. For the most part, they stick to the classics which is great but I like to add something different to our show in order to stand out from the hundreds of MJ impersonators there are out there.

In taking advice from directors in this business, I'm working towards making this show to be “the best of LEGACY” if you will. I’ve taken people’s favorite numbers and turned this show into what it’s becoming; solid, dance PACKED and high energy. There are still some surprises in there that I know I didn’t see coming until it was brought to the table. 

LEGACY has promo-shows scheduled in various places such as the Winter Carnival, The Saloon, the Landmark Center and other locations in order to push promotion for LEGACY at SteppingStone Theatre. You might notice that LEGACY isn’t naming times and dates on many shows that come to light on YouTube or Facebook and that’s because I'm targeting brand new audiences. I want our current audiences to go to the show and see everything as brand new and not something they saw at a promo-event.

The toughest challenge at this point has truly been hiring a Lighting Designer/Technical Director. We started with six candidates and now were down to two. One we’ve worked with before and the other one is new. Both are great and it’s difficult choosing who’s going to light this show. As a matter of fact, this year’s budget is geared to the lighting design. I told every potential designer "I want your design to be inspired by MJ, the music and this image (the promos). It's full of color, saturation and movement. 

I am very happy where we are at this point and I’m looking forward to opening the doors to this incredible piece if work. Michael Jackson gives us SO MUCH to work with and I am in awe when I really dive in, deep and get to experience his work from a completely different standpoint that the listener. 

LC 

P.S. Yes, you will see “Remember the Time” in this show. I know that was a big mistake last year (leaving it out). Many of you were not so fond of that decision. Well, it’s back!!  And better than ever!  

Promo Cards
Photography- Xavier Tavera
Design- "LC Jackson"