1. Page 16 Focus – The Journal of the Association of Lighting Designers – “More art, less tools…”
It’s been many months – though it could be
said years – in the making. Twenty-two years,
in fact, Andy Murrell has been growing his
hair into the long blonde ponytail the lighting
industry has become so used to seeing.
Often with his head in a flight case or at a
production desk, London-based Andy Murrell is
a world-class production electrician, associate
LD and lighting designer, programmer and
general all-round hard worker.
Late last year after a discussion with friends
in a bar in the US it was decided by committee
that now was the time for a new look. Andy says
he’s been growing his hair out since he was 18
much to the displeasure of his mother.
He’d been thinking about this for a while and
when the idea of a sponsored charity and the
option for the hair to be used to make a wig in
Matthew Bourne’s productions arose, it meant
the time was finally right.
Jenny Green of Great Leap Forward along
with production manager Nick Mumford set
up a Facebook event and Just Giving links
for two charities people could donate to. The
first is Light Relief, a charity we are all familiar
with, established by and for the entertainment
lighting industry, and the second is The Royal
National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the charity
that saves lives at sea.
The task of the chop itself fell to Moira
O’Connell, head of wigs on
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake,
currently touring the UK (www.
swanlaketour.com/tour-dates).
The chop, witnessed by Andy’s
family and friends, took place
on the Swan Lake set at the New
Wimbledon Theatre on 1 May.
At the time of writing over 80
donations had come in and the
total amount raised was just over
£3,000, with more than £2,000
going to Light Relief.
If you would like to donate you still can by
texting SNIP69 £10 to 70070 or on the Just
Giving page – and don’t forget to Gift Aid if you
can: http://bit.ly/StkBxd
LIGHT RELIEF
Andy Murrell finally gets the chop, reports Claire Gilligan