Lighting Design Fundamentals At Studio School Of Design

The Studio School of Design is an ambitious project founded in 2021 by lighting designers Mark Stanley and Clifton Taylor, with a diverse community of design professionals. With a mix of online and in-person classes, this unique project offers an alternative  - or an addition  - to college and university courses. New this fall is their most comprehensive course yet: Lighting Design Fundamentals, an 11-week intensive is built around hands-on projects and personalized instruction, and targeted for emerging designers to kickstart their professional lighting careers. The course runs from September 8 through November 24, 2025.

"The fundamentals course is designed for folks who are working who want to gain a strong working understanding of lighting design. The course will take place in a lab environment with equipment and is constructed as a series of practical, hands on problem-solving exercises," explains Taylor. "There will be a series of teachers and facilitators, providing the community with both consistency and variety in style and point of view. I think we’re providing something unique in this course and we couldn’t be happier to be launching it after several years of planning."

This high-impact, low-cost course in lighting design will feature noted lighting designers from Broadway, ballet, opera and more. This 11-week course serves an an entry into professional lighting design practice. The classes take place on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings in two three-hour sessions per week, with additional lab time available for projects and homework.  We will be working with state-of-the-art equipment and working on problems including: lighting for plays and music, programming, drafting, and more in a learner centered and inclusive environment.