About Me

I am a Chicago based light designer, currently in my third year at Northwestern, though I am geographically flexible and have done work in New York City and Washington DC.

My design is based off of three tenets:

Feelings are fact

The idea that theatre is a fantastical world that has the unique ability to respond to the feelings of the characters in it. The feelings and emotional arcs of the characters have just as much influence on my design aesthetics as the “facts” of the world.

Serious play

Borrowed from the Northwestern School of Communication, the idea that while collaboration is to be taken seriously, we ought to cultivate an environment where we nonetheless feel comfortable engaging in playful exploration. The opportunity to collaborate with other artists is a gift, and we should have fun accordingly, while still taking the work seriously.

Art in spite of

The idea that a production shouldn’t be defined by the struggles we encounter, but how the team collaboratively overcomes them and produces beautiful art in spite of these factors. Whether these constraints are financial, spacial or due to time, the art that is borne out of this struggle becomes a testament to the team’s creative flexibility.

While not a tenet, I also enjoy making chairs look particularly good in my designs

I love meeting new people, so don’t hesitate to reach out via email at samjbessler@gmail.com or @sjblights on Instagram.