Hugh Vanstone


Hugh Vanstone is one of the UK’s foremost lighting designers. He has lit more than 160 productions, working in all spheres of live performance lighting, as well as exhibitions and architectural projects. His career has taken him all over the world and his work has been recognised with many awards, including a Tony Award for his lighting of Matilda the Musical, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design in 1999, 2001 and 2004.
Hugh Vanstone is an associate artist at The Old Vic. In Matthew Warchus' inaugural season as Artistic Director, he will be lighting Future Conditional, The Master Builder, The Caretaker and Groundhog Day.

Career

Hugh Vanstone trained at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter.
He has designed lighting for numerous London productions, including Shrek! ; Ghost the Musical and Matilda the Musical ; The Wizard of Oz ; Spamalot ; The Red Lion, Royal Hunt of the Sun ; Desperately Seeking Susan ; Howard Katz and The Caretaker, both directed by Patrick Marber; Mouth To Mouth, directed by Ian Rickson ; The Graduate, directed by Terry Johnson ; Dr Dolittle and Antony and Cleopatra, both directed by Steven Pimlott; Orpheus Descending and The Lady In the Van, both directed by Nicholas Hytner; The Cherry Orchard directed by Trevor Nunn ; Juno and the Paycock directed by John Crowley ; Art,The Unexpected Man and The Winter’s Tale all directed by Matthew Warchus; Blast! ; Cyberjam ; and The Blue Room, directed by Sam Mendes.
He also designed Dance of the Vampires, directed by Roman Polanski in Vienna and the European tour starting in Berlin in 2006.
His opera productions have included Dialogues des Carmélites, Carmen both directed by Phyllida Lloyd; and The Bartered Bride, directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff.
His Broadway credits include: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ; Art ;The Blue Room ; Closer ; Follies ; Blast! ;The Unexpected Man ; The Graduate ; Uncle Vanya, Twelfth Night and Hamlet ; Life x 3 ; Bombay Dreams ; Spamalot ; Shrek the Musical ; A Steady Rain ; Mary Stuart ; Ghost the Musical and Matilda the Musical.
He has also designed lighting for plays in Los Angeles, Australia and elsewhere.

Awards

He has received three Olivier Awards for his work in London: for Pacific Overtures in 2004, for The Cherry Orchard and The Graduate in 2001, and for The Unexpected Man and The Blue Room in 1999.
Hugh was nominated for a Tony Award in 2005, 2009, 2012, and won a Tony Award for Matilda the Musical in 2013.

Personal life

Hugh Vanstone was born in Exeter. He lives in London with his partner George Stiles.