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