About John Bishop
International Lighting Designer for opera, ballet, musicals & theatre
An International career in Lighting Design
I am a very experienced international theatre lighting designer, working across opera, ballet, musicals and drama.
Since beginning my freelance career in 1988, I have created original lighting designs for more than 250 productions, collaborating with leading opera companies, theatres and creative teams throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the USA and beyond.
Training and early career
After gaining early practical experience working in local theatres, I trained in scenic, costume and lighting design at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. During my studies, I received the Fred Adams Award for Outstanding Contribution and Achievement in Drama and the 1982 Amoco Bursary to Welsh National Opera.
On completion of my formal studies, I joined Welsh National Opera as an Assistant Stage Electrician, quickly progressing to Deputy Chief Electrician and later Chief Electrician for national tours including The Threepenny Opera, Così fan tutte, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro.
After four years with Welsh National Opera, I began my freelance career by recreating the original lighting designs for several national tours of major musicals includingThe Rocky Horror Show and Opera North’s landmark production of Showboat.
Selected career highlights
My freelance lighting design work includes acclaimed productions for companies and theatres across Europe and further afield, including Der Ring des Nibelungen, Der Fliegend Holländer and Jenufa for Den Norske Opera; Die Meistersinger for Wiener Staatsoper, The Great Gatsby for Semperoper Dresden; Notorious for Göteborg Opera; Hänsel und Gretel and Boris Godunov for Oper Frankfurt; Tannhäuser for Opéra national du Rhin and in Tokyo; The Marriage of Figaro for the Polish National Opera; Ernani for English National Opera; Simon Boccanegra for Opera Philadelphia; Elektra for San Francisco Opera and Siegfried in Beijing.
I have also designed extensively for Opera North, Den Norske Opera, Opera Zuid, Welsh National Opera and the Buxton Festival, as well as beautiful productions in Valencia, Muscat, São Paulo, Madrid and Athens. The Past Shows archive page provides a growing record of this work.
Beyond theatre
I was trained by Vari*Lite Europe many years ago in the use and operation of automated moving lighting equipment, touring Europe with Eric Clapton, Tina Turner and Toto. I also worked on recordings of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra.
My wider technical and production work included the design and costing of the first ever Cardiff Summer Festival 1990 and, through the production company, Totalshow, the supply of the complete technical services for the festival.
Professional memberships
I am a Professional Member of the Association for Lighting Production and Design, and of the Society of British Theatre Designers.
Planning a production?
For lighting design enquiries and to check my availability, please get in touch.