Kyle Schneider is currently a Senior Lighting Technician at The Sydney Opera House as well as being a freelance Lighting Designer and Stage Manager. He has worked on hundreds of different shows whilst working professionally in the live performance industry over the last five years. His recent highlights include: Lighting Designer; Noel – A Christmas Concert (Saint Stella Presents), Death of a Salesman (Bundaberg Players Incorporated) , Priscilla – Queen of the Desert (BPI), Failure To Launch (That Production Company), Both Sides Now (SSP), Music of the Night (SSP), Mamma Mia (BPI), Stage Management; Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols as ASM (The Little Red Co.), Failure to Launch as Stage Manager (TPC) and Back to the 80s as Stage Manager (BPI), Creative and Technical Director; Noel – A Christmas Concert (SSP), Both Sides Now (SSP) and Music of the Night (SSP). As well as working in theatre, he also dabbles in photography and performing as a Drag Queen.
Kyle Schneider. Image: Kyle Schneider.
1. How would you best describe your artistic practice?
As a lighting designer, it's my job to help the director and the creative team portray the mood, time and place, atmosphere and mainly to transport the audience into the world that has been created. For me, it’s having a good understanding of the text and being able to also understand the vision of the director and design team. At the same time, it is being able to build trust with the creative team enough where you can put your own flair on it and make it yours. As a Stage Manager, it is making sure that everything happens, when it is supposed to happen with the right people without anyone knowing any different. It is such an acquired and hard skill, but over the last few years I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing stage managers and have learnt a lot of amazing tips from them. At the end of the day, be prepared for anything.
2. What’s your first memory of engaging with the arts?
My first memory of engaging in the arts would have to be going to the local theatre (The Moncrieff Entertainment Centre (Which I have just finished working at) and seeing the end of year somewhat Christmas based performance usually performed by (don’t @ me if I am wrong) Fame Theatre Company… this is going back to like 2003ish so I could be wrong. We went a few years in a row, and it was always so special and fun. I remember on year it was set in a Rocketship of some sort and at the time, 5-year-old Kyle thought that was the best thing ever. Another memory that also pops into mind is watching The Sound of Music with my Nana on VHS, it was one of my favourite movies when I was young, I even begged my mum to buy it on VHS for me just so I was able to watch it at home as well.
3. What motivates you to create?
Seeing theatre, surrounding myself with art, listening to music. It is the creative things that motivate me to create. I think as artists, we work by seeing something, getting inspired by it and then getting the motivation to create something. Everything is inspired by something at the end of the day.
4. Can you describe your ideal working environment?
A usually dark box, could be rounded, etc. that has aircon and lots of seats in it with some fun technology… oh wait…
Noel presented at the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre. Image: Kyle Schneider.
5. How do you manage work-life balance as an artist?
I feel like I am the worst person to answer this question, because I sometimes feel that there isn’t balance. I love what I do so much that sometimes it is my life, it consumes me, and I just want to put everything I have into that certain project. Whenever I do have a few days off, I do really switch off, I don’t answer work calls, emails, etc. I just have me time, spend that time with my family and friends, doing the things I love… which sometimes will involve going to a theatre…
6. Who is an artist that inspires you and why?
I can’t pinpoint just one artist because there’s too many. I have met so many amazing people, especially in the last year or so and they all inspire me in different ways. They inspire the work ethic I have, the way I approach a task, the way I design lights, the way I stage manage. We are so lucky in QLD (and Australia) to have some amazing artists that people are sleeping on, there are some companies doing some amazing things and I think it’s time that these people and companies get more recognition (and get more funding…)
7. Do you have a bucket list project / role or collaboration and can you tell us what it is?
Nothing specific, but I would love to be the original lighting designer for a big musical production, especially a new Australian work. I recently (2019 recently…) saw Fangirls by Yve Blake and holy wow. I want to work with her on a project. It made my brain explode and then repair itself enough to know that it’s the kind of shows I want to be doing lighting design on, or stage managing, I wouldn’t say no to either… (I also wouldn’t say no to something like Muriel’s Wedding The Musical – it has to be one of my all time favourite musicals!)
8. Can you describe your ideal collaborator?
My ideal collaborator would be someone who shares the same artistic style as me. It would be someone who I am able to get along with well, even if we disagree on something, we will be able to move on from that. It would be someone who is giving and not selfish, I think the best pieces of theatre come from people who are all working for the greater good of the team and the project and not for themselves. It would be someone who is willing to help out wherever they need too and make sure that everyone is pulling their weight.
Failure to Launch by Liam Lowth. Image: Kyle Schneider.
9. What is something you have created or a process you have been a part of that you are most proud of?
There are so many, but one that really comes to the forefront of my mind would be Failure to Launch. FTL will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first show I was involved in where I was able to be the original lighting designer for. We developed, rehearsed, teched and performed the show all within two weeks, which to me, is still crazy. I was really proud of the overall team for this show because we all worked really hard together, everyone was willing to help everyone else and it just made it so much easier as a process. I still don’t know how we did it, but I would go back and do it again any day, the team was literally a dream.
10. What are you working on right now, if anything?
I am not currently working on anything, I have a few small lighting design projects maybe coming up, but for the moment I am focusing on my new job at The Sydney Opera House. I have only been in Sydney for a short time, so I am going to find my feet and then go from there!
If you are or know of an artist that might like to feature in our Spotlight: 10 Questions series please send us an email to hello@thatproductioncompany.com.au.
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