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Sam Bessler

@sjblights

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feeling as fact, serious play, art in spite of
NYC based lighting designer
Resident LD @gwydiontheatrecompany
Nationals ‘25 Cohort @24hourplays
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Hey y’all, in conjunction with having my first ever headshots taken by the amazing @mayahlourdes, I wanted to take the opportunity to say a little bit about who I am and the work I do! I am Sam Bessler, and I am a California-born, Shanghai-raised, NYC based lighting designer, and an alumnus of Northwestern University. My work has three central tenets: ‘feeling as fact,’ ‘serious play,’ and ‘art in spite of.’ Feeling as fact responds to the idea that in theatre, we create worlds that have unique abilities to respond to the feelings of the characters in it. I believe that the feelings and emotional arcs of the characters ought to have just as much influence on the design as the facts of the world. I believe lighting ought to take advantage of its opportunity to shape a show’s emotional landscape. Serious play responds to the idea that theatre is built through collaboration. Though having visually beautiful product is important, the process of creation ought not be overlooked. I believe that making art is a privilege, and that taking the final product seriously is not mutually exclusive with having fun creating it. I believe in fostering an environment where all feel encouraged to explore ideas that may ultimately not stick just for the sake of trying it; I believe creativity is communal. Art in spite of responds to my belief that theatre is necessarily responsive to the context in which it is created, and that our work ought not be constrained by issues we encounter; rather, it ought to blossom in spite of these factors. Flexibility, quick-thinking and a willingness to take risks are paramount to working through difficult stretches of time, and what matters most is telling the best story one is able to. I am incredibly excited to continue developing my work as time goes on, and who’s to say how these tenets will manifest in time to come. Regardless, I hope that in the coming weeks, months, years and beyond, I will get to work with many of you and learn more about what drives the art that you create. Should you ever be in need of a designer, please do not hesitate to reach out, and if you’d just like to grab a coffee and chat, I would love that as well! by @sjblights
5
2 months ago
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The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare | September 2026 | The ShowBox Stage at The Battery Playscape, New York NY It was such a privilege to work with Stairwell Theatre on their revival production of The Comedy of Errors. This show was unique both in that it was my first time working on a realized Shakespeare show, but also it was my first time doing a production outside! The hope for this production was that, although my co-designer, the sun, would handle most of the work for the first chunk of the show, lighting would play a consistent role in punctuating much of the sound and fight elements; once the sun had set, however, we were allowed more creative freedom to explore deeper saturation as the world, concurrently, plunged deeper into chaos. Director: Sam Gibbs @samsamlordoftherings Producer, Choreographer: Jason “Fletcher” Christian Laws Production Stage Manager: Ashlyn Laning @ash.laning Music Director/Sound Designer: Matthew Gibbs Scenic Advisor: Charlotte Shi @charlotteshidesign Costume Designer: Karen Boyer @karenrboyer Sound Advisor: Jonathan Lynch Props Designer: BeNu Fight Choreographer: Daniel Light @daniel_w_light Photographer: Rebecca J Michelson, Emily Everett @rebeccajmichelson @overtlyemily by @sjblights
5
17 days ago
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A Dog’s House by Micah Schraft | May 2026 | The Greenhouse Theatre, Chicago IL A Dog’s House will always hold a special place in my heart because it was my final show in Chicago prior to moving back to NYC. Through the two couples in the show, the primary theme I focused on was the role of where love goes: where does love go when the thing it was invested in is lost; how does it grow; how does it decay? The primary betrayal of the show came after extensive decay and strain, and ultimately collapse, and I hoped to highlight this decay by building to progressively larger dips into darkness, culminating in a moment lit entirely by footlights and a lamp so as to highlight the isolation that the character who, arguably, commits the betrayal feels. Director: Carol Kelleher @carol.musa.kelleher Producer: Ego Death Theatre Collective @ego.death.theatre.collective Stage Manager: Madi Bacino @madi.bacino Scenic Designer: Nathan Stark @nathan.adams.stark Costume Designer: Amanda Hoople @ahoople Sound Designer: Jason Pavlovich @jaypavlo Props Designer: Alex Kulak @alex.kulak.9 Photographer: Sam Bessler by @sjblights
2
a month ago
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This video contains flashing lights This is the second of two of my digital renderings that I made for @kingmalamusic when I went to see her live! In continuing with the theme of the last song, this design similarly centered around two oppositional design ideas and how to tell a story through back-and-forth. martyr is a song that revolves around religious devotion gone too far, and I thought that manifesting the dichotomy by embracing religious symbols would be an effective way of telling the story I interpret KiNG MALA as telling through the piece. Programmed in eos and rendered in Augment3D, original model made by @max.gdo_ld. #lightingdesign #concertdesign #lighting by @sjblights
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3 months ago
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This video contains flashing lights Little bit of a break from my usual stuff here, but this is the first of two of my digital renderings that I made for @kingmalamusic when I went to see her live! So much of the music in these two songs is rooted in what almost sounds like a fight between two different motifs, and so I wanted to bring that contrast alive in the choices I decided to make. ODE TO A BLACK HOLE specifically is about loving something that is actively destroying you, so it was important to me that I have two primary motifs that were alluring for different reasons; one more soft and serene, one more brutal and sharp. I’ll post the rendering for the second song, martyr, soon :) Programmed in eos and rendered in Augment3D, original model made by @max.gdo_ld. #lightingdesing #concertdesign #lighting by @sjblights
1
3 months ago
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BEEF: Madonna x Gaga by Casey Weisman | March 2026 | Shanley Pavillion, Evanston IL This show will was a first and a last. It was my first time ever missing a day of tech on account of an unexpected visit to the ER (all is well now), and the last student theatre show I ever designed at Northwestern; thus, it was also my last time ever transforming this shack into something magical, and boy was this one magical. Attached are a few clips of the lighting from this imaginary Madonna and Lady Gaga concert wherein they quash their real world beef, hopefully leaving audiences feeling as though they got an exclusive up-close-and-personal experience with the stars. Director: Owen Polley @owenpolley Producer: Casper Wong @casper.m.wong Choreographer: Myah Shelton @myah_shelton Stage Managers: Claire Sueyoshi, Harrison Whitfill @claire.sushi @huhaisen5 Music Directors: Casey Weisman, Brandon Baade @caseyw834 @brandonb3165 Scenic Designer: Jameson Zachery @jamesonzachery Costume Designer: Mengzhen Markland @mengzhen.317 Wig, Hair and Makeup Designer: Ella Barnes @ellabarnessss Sound Designer: AJ Klein @ajjjjj_k Props Designer: Jacky Maya @jacky._.maya Photographers: Dora Zuo, Sam Bessler @dora.thephotographer by @sjblights
5
3 months ago
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The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky, translated by Grayson Kennedy | February 2026 | The Chopin, Chicago IL. For how much of one show can one singular backlight stay on? The entire show! In constructing this world, we explored how to create a feeling of constant oppression, and using a constant beam combined with haze to obscure what lay beyond the only way out was ultimately what we settled on. Director: Danny Kapinos Producer: Gwydion Theatre Company @gwydiontheatrecompany Stage Manager: Katie Espinoza @dramallama66 Scenic Designer: Hayley Wallenfeldt @hew_scenic Costume Designer: Cindy Moon @cindymoon_costumedesign Sound Designer: Rick Reid Photographer: Sam Bessler by @sjblights
2
4 months ago
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Time Mee-Owchine | January 2026 | Shanley Pavillion, Evanston IL What do you get when you combine a rock show with sketch comedy and improv? A mBack to The Future’ themed Mee-Ow show! Such a fun final Mee-Ow to do, and as always, such a privilege to work with all of my collaborators to turn this shack into an underground disco :) Directors: Spencer Thomas, Ainslie Wilson Producers: Tallulah Sarig, Lara Weissmann Assistant Lighting Designers: Michelle Wang, Sophia Yen Music Directors: Nayan Khambhla, Yara Nasr Stage Manager: Leia Levine Scenic Designer: Jordin Amoah Sound Designer: JJ Jernberg-Johnson Sound Engineer: Michelle Nartey Props Designer: Jenna Saltzman, Tairan Song Photographer: Sam Bessler by @sjblights
5
6 months ago
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Days of Rage by Steven Levenson | November 2025 | The Greenhouse Theatre, Chicago IL Director: Carol Kelleher @carol.kelleher.actor Producer: Ego Death Theatre Collective @ego.death.theatre.collective Stage Manager: Maggie Sullivan @maggie.sullie Scenic Designer: Jon Yawn @jawn_yon Costume Designer: Amanda Hoople @ahoople Sound Designer: Jason Pavlovich @jaypavlo Props Designer: Alex Kulak @alex.kulak.9 Photographer: Sam Bessler by @sjblights
2
10 months ago
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Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl | October 2025 | Shanley Pavillion, Evanston IL Director: Tomi Fawehinmi @tfawe06 Assistant Director and Costume Designer: Mengzhen Markland @mengzhen.317 Producer: Claude Wei Zhang @claude_w_z Associate Lighting Designer: Abby Pierson @abbylila811 Stage Manager: Ryan Samii @ryan.samii Scenic Designer: Gabi Bernstein Sound Designer: Will Boyle @will._.boyle Props Designer: Nora Hubert Hair and Makeup Designer: Quinn Kennedy @quinnedy_21 Intimacy Coordinators: Lily Ramras, Casper Wong @lilyramras @casper.m.wong Photographer: Joss Broward, Sam Bessler @jossbroward by @sjblights
6
a year ago
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Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller | September 2025 | Greenhouse Theatre Center, Chicago IL “Sam Bessler’s lighting beautifully synchronizes with the play’s emotional landscape.” @chicago_reader “Lighting designer Sam Bessler makes the stage dynamic…separating and exposing the different rooms of the Loman home with crafty light cues.” @thirdcoastreview Director: Scott Westerman @westerman.scott Assistant Director: Justice Ford @justicejford Producer: Gwydion Theatre Company Stage Manager: Katie Espinoza @dramallama66 Scenic Designer: Catalina Niño Costume Designer: Cindy Moon @cindymoon_costumedesign Sound Designer: Tommy Thams @tommythams1 Intimacy Coordinator: Merry Marshall @merry.g.marshall Fight Choreographer: Quinton Walker @quintonwchicago Photographer:  Sam Bessler by @sjblights
3
a year ago
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My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe | July 2025 | Interlakes Summer Theatre, Meredith NH Director: Kelsey Robins Producer: Kristen Wettstein Choreographer: Brionna Trilling Music Director: F. Wade Russo Stage Manager: Will Farris Scenic Designer: Peter Kallok Costume Designer: Patty Hibert Sound Designer: Miles Ahlstrom Props Designer: Bee LaClair Photographer: DapperDimples by @sjblights
2
a year ago
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