Graham Walne


Graham Walne is a prolific British born theatre consultant, lighting designer, author, and lecturer who has worked in Europe, the USA and Australia where he has lived since 1998.

Early years

Walne was born in Lancashire UK in 1947. His love of theatre was stimulated at an early age by attendances at Blackpool’s ornate Victorian Tower Circus where the circus ring magically filled with water, fountains and mermaids. He attended Accrington Grammar School where his aim to become a stage designer was indulged by having his own scene workshop. During this time his large-scale models of the London Palladium Theatre came to the attention of the theatre management which encouraged him to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art as a stage manager before employing him as an electrician at the famous variety theatre. The productions on which Walne worked involved major international stars and were televised live on “The London Palladium Show”, a successor to “Sunday Night At The London Palladium”

Career

After the London Palladium Walne was employed as Assistant Technical Supervisor by international lighting manufacturer Rank Strand, before becoming Sales Manager to Theatre Projects Services. Walne had been undertaking free-lance work during these years as a lighting designer and he went fully freelance in 1975.
He has been the project leader, or a leading partner, in over 100 theatre consultancy projects of all types and scales, 40 of them in Western Australia. Notable projects include:
Western Australia:
He has designed the lighting for over 500 productions worldwide, notable work includes:
Walne has written over 100 articles for theatre technical publications in the USA, Europe and Australia and the following books:
In 1987 he co-founded and chaired for ten years the Arts and Entertainment Technical Training Initiative, the first body in the UK to deliver National Vocational Qualifications for backstage personnel. The later aetti restructured and delivered the first BTEC qualifications for stage technicians.
He has given numerous Masterclasses on lighting and sound in Europe, the USA and Australia where he still lectures at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Additionally he wrote and presented what was considered the first video on stage lighting.
He was made a Fellow of the Gordon Reid Foundation in 1997.
In 1999 Walne brought together five other theatre consultants working in Western Australia and together they founded the Institute of Independent Arts Consultants, he was appointed the Institute’s first chairman.
He is a member of the Association of Lighting Designers, and of the Association of British Theatre Technicians.