ETC introduces 2018 LDI Student Sponsorship recipients
Date Posted: 9/27/2018
For the past 18 years, ETC has jumpstarted students’ lighting and technology careers by sponsoring them at the LDI trade show. Through the LDI Student Sponsorship, aspiring lighting professionals receive an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas and a full LDI conference pass. This year, ETC has selected eight students from across the globe to participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Each Sponsorship recipient will be exposed to the latest innovations in entertainment technology and network with seasoned industry professionals. As a part of the Sponsorship, ETC pairs each student with an industry luminary who will mentor the recipient as they transition into the world of live entertainment.
The 2018 recipients of the ETC LDI Sponsorship are:
Jonah Camiel
Jonah Camiel is in his final year of study at Pace University, and will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Production & Design for Stage & Screen. He recently acted as the moving light programmer in productions such as Miss You Like Hell and King at The Public Theater. He also was the moving light programmer for the entire Free Shakespeare in the Park series in Central Park during the summer of 2018. Both his programming and lighting design work has been featured in venues across New York City, Massachusetts, and Kansas City.
Thibault Denis
One of the international recipients of the ETC LDI Student Sponsorship, Thibault Denis is the apprentice head of lighting at the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, France. In addition to designing the lighting for productions such as Exercices de style and Les diablogues, Thibault has put his lighting skills to practice in Germany and the Czech Republic. He will graduate from CFA du spectacle vivant et de l’audiovisuel with an associate degree in production lighting in the fall of 2018.
Pei-Yu Lai
Currently attending California Institute of the Arts as an MFA candidate for lighting design, Pei-Yu Lai originally hails from Taiwan. Her selected theatre works in lighting design include The Anatomy of Struggle and The Seagull, which was selected for inclusion in the Emerging Artist/Imagination Exhibit from the USA for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial. Pei-Yu recently completed a full-time lighting design internship at the Ruzika Company. She also was a teaching assistant to senior designers at National Taiwan University for two years.
Jasmine Lesane
Jasmine Lesane is a student at Carnegie Mellon University, working to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2019. Her recent lighting design credits include Detroit ’67, Mine, I’m Sure I’ll Figure It Out, and See What I Wanna See. She also worked as an assistant lighting designer to lighting designer Andrew Hunt at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in its production of New Works. In 2014, she earned a North Carolina Theatre Conference Regional Award for “Excellence in Student Design & Production: Lighting Design.”
Christina Martin
Christina J. Martin is finishing her final semester at San Diego State University pursuing an MFA in Lighting Design. Previous education includes a BFA in Design and Technology from Rockford University and a Digital Design Diploma from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Recent design credits include The Loneliest Girl in the World with Diversionary Theatre, Bliss with MOXIE Theatre, Miracle on 34th Street and Billy Elliot with San Diego Musical Theatre. She has also worked with the Timken Museum of Art and Nautilus Entertainment Design. She serves on the USITT Lighting Commission as Awards Co-Coordinator.
Mari-Riin Paavo
The first from Estonia to receive the LDI Student Sponsorship, Mari-Riin Paavo recently graduated cum laude from University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy for lighting design. Her lighting design credits include The Living Corpse, Stupid F*cking Bird, Alice in Wonderland, and The Game’s Afoot. She currently works as a lighting designer and technician at Ugala Theatre.
Aria Sivick
Aria Sivick worked with Syracuse University to create a dual major path that previously had not existed. She plans to graduate in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre design & technology as well as television, radio & film. Aria has worked on productions across Syracuse, Cap 21/Molloy College, and Northampton Community College Summer Theatre. Her recent projects include On the Town, La Traviata, The Seagull, and The Wizard of Oz.
Matt Steinberg
Entering his final year in undergraduate studies at Brown University, Matt Steinberg intends to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science. Through his pursuits in lighting design, Matt is actively exploring the intersections of stage design and computer science. His theatre experience includes working as a master electrician and lighting instructor at The Wheeler School, acting as an audio/visual system technician at Five OHM Productions, serving as a technical assistant for the Brown University Theatre Department and working on the lighting design staff at Buck’s Rock Performing & Creative Arts Camp. He has designed lighting for productions such as The Wizard of Oz and In the Heights.