Dominika Fišerová Kuntzmannová worked as a lighting technician in Czech public theaters between 2014 and 2024. She participated in several seasons of the open-air theater festival in Pilsen and also collaborated with Les Ballets Bubeníček. Between 2017 and 2022, Dominika studied theater management, stage technology, and production at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, and during her studies she was involved in various school projects (PQ 2019, theater productions, university research, etc.). Since 2023, she has been working at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts as an assistant professor and researcher. In her teaching and research, she specializes in the history of stage technology, theater management, and theater buildings. She also supervises stage technology students in their school projects and works with them on related technical documentation.
Saskia Louwaard (1969) studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and then scenography at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.
She worked as a scenographer in Belgium with, among others, Tom van Dijck, Tom van Bauwel, Stef de Paepe, Ariane van Vliet and Alice Reys and Arlette van Overvelt. Together with Katrijn Baeten she worked with Michai Geyzen, Jeanne Dandoy and for dance with David Hernandez and Clement Thirion for Het Toneelhuis, Het Paleis, Theater Luxemburg, KVS, Theater Zuidpool, De Monty, Stuk Leuven, Theater Varia, La Balsamine Brussel, Theater de Liëge, Le Manège Mons. In France they worked with Galin Stoev, Compagnie des Possedés, Rodolphe d’Ana, Emmanuel Daumas, Cie Ildi Eldi, Antoine Oppenheim and Sophie Cattani for Théatre du Rond Point, Théatre de la Bastille, Théatre de la Colline, Comedie Française since 2007. , Theater L’Athenee and Ferme du Buisson in Paris, in Theater Festival de Fourvière, Point du jour in Lyon and Theater de Lorient. In Germany with Jasper Brandis In Essen, Oldenburg and Aachen. Soon for Les Célestins in Lyon and La Scala in Paris.
For Het Paleis, she designed various educational spaces for the Garden and for Het Steen. She also worked with Anne-Lore Baeckeland for Cacaobleu on various interactive dance installations and projects for children.
With Mrs Olsen’s 11 minutes, she made her own production without words with Katrijn Baeten for Theater Luxemburg.
In recent years they designed also interiors for three libraries, Deurne, Berchem and Ekeren and are now preparing a scenography for an exhibition at the Red Starline Museum.
She taught scenography for 10 years at the Academy of Antwerp-DKO and led the scenography program.
She teaches at the RITCS in Brussels as a free-lancer.
www.katrijnbaeten-saskialouwaard.be
Isabel Nielen, Lighting Design (1964)
While studying at art school, Isabel developed a fascination for scenography and lighting. In 1990, she became the assistant to the English lighting designer Steve Kemp, while also starting her own freelance lighting design practice.
In the early years, she mainly created lighting designs for theatre, modern dance, and opera in both large and small venues. Location theatre became her specialty, working with Dogtroep from 1992 to 1999, as well as with the Lunatics and Anouk van Dijk DC.
Since 2007, she has expanded her work to include lighting designs for architecture, museums, and public spaces. Since 2015, she has been part of the Theatermachine, a collective of four lighting designers. Theatermachine provides consultancy services and lighting designs for theatre, opera, music, museums and architecture.
In addition to her work in museums, Isabel’s primary focus remains on theatrical projects with a strong social and cultural impact, such as ‘Crossing Time’ in Camp Vught National Memorial (2020), ‘Anderhoofd’ by Opera Theater Amsterdam (2021), and ‘Zenith’ (2022), directed by Tom Jaspers. In 2023/24 Isabel made the lighting design for the music theatre production ‘Grondproeven’ which addressed the challenges related to agricultural practices, performed at various farms across the Netherlands.
lighting design Institute (iLo in dutch)
Besides freelance work, Isabel is director and coach at the Lighting Design Institute (iLo) in Amsterdam. Founded in 2007, the iLo aims to promote the quality of light and lighting design. The focus is on the intellectual and artistic development of the lighting design profession. Isabel has developed and led coaching programs for young lighting designers, organized lectures and workshops, and planned expert conversations and excursions for the iLo. She has also been giving workshops in the Netherlands and abroad for many years.
Since 2020, Isabel has been a regular guest lecturer at the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK), Design & Technology department in Amsterdam. She also frequently delivers guest lectures at various academies in the Netherlands, including the Reinwardt Academie, Artez, Willem de Koning Academie, and Saxion.
Sharing knowledge — Retaining knowledge?
Isabel has a strong conviction in the importance of knowledge sharing and the transfer of knowledge. Her career has been characterized by a strong autodidactic spirit, marked by a willingness to learn from the expertise of those around her. She has demonstrated a consistent commitment to sharing her expertise.
“I have been a light designer for about 35 years, and I have only recently come to understand that the preservation of knowledge is a significant yet overlooked aspect of our field.” Therefore, I believe it is of the utmost importance to collaborate with Bastiaan Schoof on the development of the Canon II research project. “What is the most effective method for documenting lighting and scenography, both technically and artistically, to ensure the knowledge of lighting design remains accessible to future generations?”
Kathleen studied Sinology and Anthropology and built a career in the fields of development cooperation, health promotion and education. The common thread throughout her professional career is her experience in project management: from setting up and formulating projects to successfully managing and monitoring them. She works in close collaboration with a wide range of partners, both nationally and internationally, in different settings.
Ulf Nielsen sits on the board of both the Swedish Theater Technology Association (STTF) and the Swedish Lighting Designers Association (SLF).
Ulf has a background at Malmö Music Theater as lighting director and also as lighting designer for various productions ranging from spoken theater, musicals, ballet, and opera. Ulf has also done freelance work as a lighting designer. He also works as a technical producer at European and World Championships in Magic around the world.
In 2005, Ulf and colleagues from Malmö University’s technical education program Stagevision Oresund AB started a company that offers short and long courses and training in various areas of lighting, image, lighting, and stage technology, as well as costume, pyrotechnics, and scenography. In recent years, safety courses such as electrical safety, fall protection, rigging, scaffolding, and mobile platforms have dominated the course offerings.
In recent years, Ulf has represented the Swedish Theater Technical Association (STTF) in various working groups within our authorities, such as the Swedish Electrical Safety Authority, the Swedish Work Environment Authority, and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. Through STTF, Ulf has a solid network and knows most of the technical managers in the theater and event industry throughout Sweden, but also in the Nordic countries.
In the absence of vocational training for theater and event technicians, STTF has been working with the industry since 2007 to establish a training program for theater and event technicians as a complement to SKH. Under the slogan “no vocational training, no profession,” Ulf and STTF, together with the industry, have designed the basic content for the YH programs for theater, event, and stage technicians at both YRGO in Gothenburg and Frans Schartau in Stockholm, but now also with Prefoming Art School as the main provider of the technician program Stage, Event, and Digital Production, starting in August 2022.
As a representative of the Swedish Theatre Technicians’ Association, Ulf is part of the Erasmus project together with representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. European Theatre Technicians Education (ETTE) Basic safety for the theatre and event industry. The group has developed manuals and teacher guides for teachers across Europe. http://stage-tech-edu.eu/
Ulf is now also working as a project manager for Scandlight and is part of the project group for Conference by Candlelight, both in Stockholm in June 2026.
Caroline Mathieu is a lighting designer, scenographer, performer, and researcher in the fields of theatre and dance. She studied product development and obtained a master-after-master degree in theatre studies, followed by training in scenography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Her professional journey began as an assistant lighting designer for Harry Cole on a production by Voetvolk | Lisbeth Gruwez. Since then, she has collaborated with artists such as Lydia McGlincy, Anne-Laure Vandeputte, BOG, Igor Shyshko, and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.
She is currently working on LUMINAL, a performative installation in which light takes on the role of protagonist. This project is part of her doctoral research in the arts at the Brussels Arts Platform (VUB/RITCS).
Anders Larsson leads the Lighting design working group.
Anders Larsson has worked as theatre technician and lighting designer in the Performing Arts sector since mid-1980s. Between 1990 and 2004, Anders Larsson worked as the lighting director at the House of Dance (Dansens hus) in Stockholm responsible for adapting guest performances from around the world to the stage at Dansens hus. He has also been lighting designer for a number of major productions for dance, opera and theatre.
In early 1990, Anders Larsson started to teach and be responsible for the stage management course at the Theatre Technician Training at the Dramatic Institute (Dramatiska Institutet – DI).
1999 Anders Larsson become responsible for developing and managing the Advanced Vocational Training (KY-utbildning) of Technical Theatre at the Dramatic Institute. He was responsible for that training until 2005 when it become part of Stockholm Academy for Dramatic Arts´ – SADA´s Theatre Technician education until it´s ending spring 2019.
From autumn 2019 Anders Larsson is manageing and teaching for the education in Technical Management of Productions in the Performing Arts sector.
In addition to responsibility and coordination of all guest teachers, Anders Larsson teach in the field of history of the theater building and it´s development, overall stage technology and safety in theatre productions and everything related to basic lighting technology.
2014 Stockholm University of the Arts – SKH was founded out of Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts – StDH/SADA, the University Collage for Opera – OH, and the University Collage for Dance and Circus – DOCH.
Within SKH Anders Larsson also is involved in a number of education issues related to the Performing Arts industry. This includes issues regarding electrical safety in the event sector, the development of an international rigging-certifikat, certification for stage builders and certification of pyrotechnics.
Anders Larsson has also during the time at DI, SADA and SKH been taking part in several European projects such as: Theatre Technincal Training in EU – TTT (2005-2007), Live Performance Technics in EU – LPT (2007-2009), Development and implementation of courses for theatre technicians and stage managers – ScenTec (2013-2015) and European Technical Training Education – ETTE (2014-2017).
Anders Larsson also serves in the board of the Swedish Theatre Technical Association – STTF – which also includes work in the organization OISTAT. He is also Chair for the Association of Swedish Lighting Designers – SLF since the foundation in 1992.
Bri Newesely leads the set design working group.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bri Newesely: Born in Innsbruck (Austria). Fine Arts and Architecture at the Universität der Künste Berlin and Set Design at the Kunsthochschule Weissensee Berlin (Germany). Since 1996, freelance set designer, architect and technical supervisor; 2002, approved as a certified “Bühnenmeister” (stage manager); 2008 PhD “Das Bühnenportal im Theater der Gegenwart”. Since 2009 professor at the Beuth-Hochschule-University of Applied Sciences Berlin in Scenography and Theatre Architecture. Since 2014 member of the International Observatory of Scenic Spaces at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). She lives in Berlin, Innsbruck and Arenys de Lledó (Spain).
Bastiaan Schoof has been a senior lecturer in lighting and light design at the University of Arts Amsterdam since 2016. He is also one of the members of the Dutch Institute of Light Design (iLo). He participates in the Canon II lighting design working group and the lighting technology working group. He will serve as the expert researcher for this project, drawing on his expertise in light, light design, and education.
Bastiaan began his career with lighting in theatre while studying in Groningen. At that time, the newly built University Theatre was ready and in need of volunteers. It all started with a simple question: “Do you want to help for two weeks in the University Theatre?” Obviously, he said yes, and it lasted a bit longer than two weeks.
He joined a group of volunteer students in a theatre equipped with six ADB PC’s, a couple of ADB Fresnels, six Strand Pattern 23’s, two ADB dimmers with six channels, and an ADB manual lighting console. Alongside a manual six-dimmer system with levers from the 1970’s, as sometimes more than twelve channels were needed. It was 1989.
After a year experience with lighting, he was asked by a theatre festival from the art academy to assist a theatre performance, made by Finnish theatre students. A year later, he was invited to work for the NNT, the professional touring theatre group in the North of the Netherlands. That was the start of his professional career in the world of lighting for theatre and live events. First in and around Groningen and from 1999 in and around Amsterdam. Today, Bastiaan works in various fields of the lighting world. He serves as a teacher, workshop leader, light designer, maker, expert researcher, and curator for light art
Since 2016, he has been a senior lecturer in lighting and light design at the department of Design & Technology at the University of Arts Amsterdam. Prior to that, he worked as a teacher in vocational education in Amsterdam from 2003 until 2016.
With his extensive knowledge of education, he was involved in three EU education projects: since 2015 in the ETTEC project focused on safety on stages, since 2021 in the ESSENCE project, contributing his expertise on competencies, and in 2023 and 2024, he participated in the TEBEVAT project, another EU initiative for the validation and recognition of prior learning.
In addition, he is a light designer for location-based theatre. In recent years, he has primarily focused on creating light art in public spaces through his Happy Tunnel project, which has resulted in five permanent light artworks in Amsterdam.
Bastiaan was also instrumental in the launch of the Amsterdam Light Festival in 2012, where he worked for almost ten years. He founded the team responsible for building and installing the artworks, utilizing the operational methods typical of a technical theatre team. He has helped, advised, and selected locations for approximately 300 light-artworks, overseeing projects from existing pieces to the development of ideas and concepts through to installation.
In 2021, he founded his own light art exhibition in Utrecht, titled “I Light U,” where he serves as the artistic director and curator. Additionally, he advises other light art projects and festivals.
He is also involved with the Dutch Institute of Light Design (iLo), where he organizes several expert talks each year. Currently, iLo is part of the Canon II project. Together with Isabel Nielen, he will serve as the expert researcher for this project, drawing on his expertise in light, light design, and education.
More about Bastiaan in Dutch: article in the alumni university magazine of the University Groningen:
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