Declan Randall

Declan’s professional design career spans more than 23 years and in that time he has designed more than 500 productions covering all genres of live entertainment. He has designed for Theatre, Dance (both classical and contemporary), Opera, Musicals, Live Music, Site-specific works, Corporate Events and product launches, Film, Television, Fashion shows, Music videos and Architecture where he specialises in boutique hotels and resorts as well as museums and themed attractions. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Declan began his career as a production electrician at the Jo’burg Theatre before moving on to join the Market Theatre in Johannesburg as Head of Lighting and over the years also became Resident Lighting Designer. Declan left the Market Theatre to start his freelance career as a lighting designer and over the years also served as Resident Lighting Designer for the State Theatre Dance Company, The Black Ties Ensemble, Opera Africa and Jozi Dance Company. In addition to his work as a designer, he also worked as Technical Director and Production Manager for the Dance Umbrella for five years where he was fortunate enough to collaborate with some of the world’s top dance companies. Alongside his work in theatre and live entertainment Declan also completed numerous architectural lighting design projects where he specialised in bespoke lighting solutions for retail stores, boutique hotels and beach resorts in Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius as well as several museums and themed attractions including the SAB World of Beer, Maropeng Cradle of Humankind and Freedom Park. Declan’s company CONGO BLUE DESIGN grew to be a well- respected design studio.

In 2000 Declan won a scholarship to attend BLMC (Broadway Lighting Master Class) in New York and this inspired him to create a similar event in South Africa. In 2001 Declan hosted SLMC (Stage Lighting Master Class) the only two-day masterclass of its kind talking about the art and craft of stage lighting. SLMC was hosted again in 2004, 2007 and 2012 and over the years more than 400 people have attended the sessions. Since moving to the UK in 2009 Declan has been busy re- establishing himself as a designer and his work has been seen at Wexford Opera Festival, Birmingham Dance Xchange, in London’s West End, Wales Millenium Centre as well as numerous regional theatre houses. In addition to his design work he also works as a Production Manager for the Afrovibes Festival which tours Holland and the UK. Declan also works as a programmer and console trainer for ETC and works as a sessional lecturer at several colleges and universities around the UK. Declan is passionate about theatre and design and loves working with new creative teams and strives to always find bespoke design solutions for each new project, drawing on his wealth of varied experience to achieve this. Declan enjoys photography, rollercoasters, restoring vintage film projectors and the occasional gingerbread latte.