Based in Brooklyn, Isabella Byrd is a multi-award winning lighting designer for live performance. Her designs have received accolades, including two Tony nominations, three Lucille Lortel Awards, two Obie Awards, a DramaDesk Special Award, and a Henry Hewes Design Award. (2022), A joint review in The New Yorker in 2022 for Arbery's Corsicana and Brian Watkins' Epiphany focused directly on the impact of the lighting… "Byrd’s lighting, exerting a strong but delicate harmonic influence, like that of the double-bass in an orchestra, made the pieces cohere for me, forming a suite on the themes of the terror of love and the agonies of belief.”
In 2021, the revival of Cabaret marked her West End debut and garnered an Olivier nomination. Soon after she made her double Broadway debut in 2024 with Cabaret and An Enemy of the People, staged in-the-round. Both designs received Tony nominations for Best Lighting Design (of musical and play).
She is a member of USA-829 and support union labor and freelancer rights. In the industry pause created by the pandemic, she was able to realign toward arts activism, food justice, and respect.
Join Byrd for a look at her nominated lighting design:
Production: Dog Day Afternoon
August Wilson Theatre; opened March 30, 2026; directed by two-time Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold
Collaborators:
David Korins, Scenic Design
Cody Spencer, Sound Design
Brenda Abbandandolo, Costume Design
Live Design: What was your intent with the design, and where did your inspiration come from?
Isabella Byrd: The first job of the lighting design for Dog Day Afternoon was to summon the brutal heat wave that sat upon New York City in late August 1972. That heavy heat and the passage of time are key elements of the pressue cooker tension in the "robbery gone wrong." It was delightful doing research, leaning heavily on photography and films of the era, the style of Ray Metzker and Kodachrome photo collections were touchstones for me.
I’m so inspired by the way light interacts with cities, and I am particularly inspired by the light in New York City. I hope that my obsession with the urban and emotional edges of this political story translated into the design. It’s as important to me to that light transforms our emotional understanding of both people and place, and thus emotional politics.
LD: What gear did you rely on for your design choices?
IB: I needed bright and reliable fixtures.There's a good chunk of Ultras, Encore Perf Warms, and slew of GLP wash units, including the wonderful X5Bars. A portion of the plot tracks inside the big scenic wagon, including a handful of ETC ColorSource Fresnel V's, Aryton Diablos, and Martin VDO Sceptron XBs.
LD: What was the biggest challenge?
IB: The moving wagon was a huge challenge. Literally a moving target, it felt critical to maintaining a dramaturgical honestly to the passing time of day, while the wagon pivoted and swung about. It was a true puzzle! Thanks to my incredible associate programmer Paul Toben and associate Timothy Reed, we were able to create a "work smarter" system to cue around the ever-shifting automation timings. Also, VOR made this possible. Without it, I don't know what we could have done! It certainly would have looked messier!
LD: What do you think made this design so successful?
IB: Teamwork and sticking to my instincts. There are always moments in a tech process when it feels like "oh no... it's not coming together as I imagined!" But with the support of my incredible team, I could re-center myself and approach any challenge with confidence. No design is the work on one person, and I feel immensely empowered by the technical expertise, and playful camaraderie of my team. We had a wonderful time amidst a challenging task. I think our laughter and clear eyed commitment to a high level of work is the magic combination that levels up any design, and Dog Day Afternoon certainly benefited from just that.
Lighting Team :
Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd
Associate Lighting Designers: Paul Toben and Timothy Reed
Lighting Programmer: Paul Toben
Production Electricians: Stephen Long and Randy Zaibek
Head Electrician: Nicholas Troccoli
Electrician: Nicholas Keslake
House Electrician: Randy Zaibek
Gear provided by PRG