Reviews & Articles
Tommy Schrider and Andrew Robinson in Battle of Blacks and the Dog, directed by Robert Woodruff at Yale Repertory Theatre; photo by Joan Marcus
Grantham Coleman in Hamlet, directed by Barry Edelstein at Old Globe; photo by Jim Cox
AS YOU LIKE IT, THE OLD GLOBE
“The atmospheric lighting by Stephen Strawbridge is ideal for both the romance and the harmless intrigue of perhaps Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy.”
“Lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge adds to the dreamy and romantic atmosphere.”
happy days, mark taper forum
“Lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge’s work is equally vibrant and vital.”
Stephen Louis Grush in Henry V, directed by Elizabeth Williamson; photo by T. Charles Erickson
HENRY V, HARTFORD STAGE COMPANY
“Smoke and fog add an air of mystery, and Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting is elusive and most effective.”
MADAME BUTTERFLY, LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY
“Here, lighting, designed by Stephen Strawbridge, played the main role, from dusk to dark to dawn, flowing from the famous humming chorus into the radiance of morning”
The cast of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kathleen Marshall; photo by Jim Cox
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, OLD GLOBE THEATRE
“the technical elements are magical (especially Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting)”
“the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre stage fairly drips with ripe foliage in the swoony lighting of Stephen Strawbridge, then brightens on cue for the languid days.”
FLYIN’ WEST, WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
“lighting by Stephen Strawbridge [adds] greatly to the show’s realism”
THE WHITE CARD, AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE/ARTSEMERSON
“Scenic design Riccardo Hernandez and lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge combine their talents to make the room appear sterile and startlingly bright.”
“Stephen Strawbridge's lighting adds to this effect, illuminating both the action and the audience. Part of the visceral, communal experience of attending The White Card is watching those across from you watch the play.”
NATIVE SON, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“Striking features of the show include Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting, a carefully calibrated mix of film noir, naturalism, and expressionism”
TURN ME LOOSE, WESTSIDE THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge's imaginative lighting making it effective as a nightclub, college auditorium, TV studio and personal space.”
“By keeping scenic accoutrements to a minimum, [set designer Christopher] Barreca ensures quick and easy scene changes, which are enhanced by Strawbridge's skillful lighting plot and Leon Rothenberg's arresting sound design.”
Nina Hellman in Pericles, directed by Trevor Nunn at Theatre for a New Audience; photo by Gerry Goodstein
PERICLES, THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
“by and large, it falls to Stephen Strawbridge's lighting to set the mood and reshape the space, which it does, fluently."
BROKEN GLASS, WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
"the lighting by Stephen Strawbridge [brings] the violence of Kristallnacht right into the Gellburgs’ bedroom."
LOVE AND MONEY, SIGNATURE THEATRE
"Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting fills the room with plenty of natural light with subtle shadings for interior hallways that receive less light."
Examiner
DROWNED, ALISON CHASE PERFORMANCE/APOGEE ARTS
"the realm of metaphor, create vast hypnotic landscapes. Lighting by Stephen Strawbridge in this, as well as the third and fourth portion of the program, sculpt the performers well, while simultaneously communicating with the story."
Marin Ireland in Marie Antointette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman at Soho Rep; photo by Sara Krulwich
MARIE ANTOINETTE, SOHO REP
“The other star of the production is the lighting, by designer Stephen Strawbridge, who fills a sparse set with tons of nuance.”
PROOF, MCCARTER THEATRE
"Stephen Strawbridge, the lighting designer, artfully employs side lighting to give a sculptural quality to the actors."
DOUBLE INDEMNITY, OLD GLOBE
“Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting is masterful. Film noir lurks in the shadows. Like Dracula, it deplores sunlight. Stark camera angles make the familiar strange. The overall look resembles a photographic negative, as if viewers have arrived at the Dark Side of the Force, or, as film after film insists, to a place that has been there since Eve bit the apple. Strawbridge lights some interior scenes too brightly — the hospital, for example. This may be deliberate, to heighten the doom-shrouded, Satanic mills atmosphere elsewhere. He reverses normal contrasts, making the dark dominant, and uses the famous striped “Venetian blind” effect in the Wilder movie.”
THE DINING ROOM, WESTPORT PLAYHOUSE
“Stephen Strawbridge's lighting complements the appropriate time of day, with bright dawns for early breakfasts through the rich oranges of a disappearing afternoon and to the grace of a room punctured by candlelight.”
Examiner
HAMLET, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge’s sublime lighting design”
“Stephen Strawbridge's skillful lighting”
“Stephen Strawbridge's earnest and threatening lighting”
Examiner
“Stephen Strawbridge's dramatic lighting”
WMNR Instant Encore
JANUARY JOINER, LONG WHARF THEATRE
“and Stephen Strawbridge's lighting seamlessly complement the action.”
MADAME BUTTERFLY, LA OPERA
“One should also mention the strong work of lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge, who turned every scene in the Japanese house on the hill into a painting.”
“lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge illumines the lovers’ marital bed with the constellations in a dazzlingly romantic expression of their passion.”
THE TRAIN DRIVER, SIGNATURE THEATRE
“Scorched by Stephen Strawbridge's merciless lighting”
“blasted landscape of refuse-strewn sand, illuminated by Stephen Strawbridge with sensitivity to the daily mutations of natural light”
“Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting makes one feel the passage of days within the play’s short running time”
“there's also sterling work from Stephen Strawbridge, whose lighting constantly reshapes the space as it delineates various times of day”
STRANGE INTERLUDE, SHAKESPEARE THEATRE, DC
“...allows Stephen Strawbridge's lighting design to set the emotional tone”
“Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting is subtle, yet unique. With every locale the walls of the set change color.”
THE BLOOD KNOT, SIGNATURE THEATRE
“as Stephen Strawbridge's lighting, which was previously quite muted, takes on a harsher, all-seeing glare.”
“meticulously lit by Stephen Strawbridge”
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, LONG WHARF THEATRE
“Strawbridge's lighting is fluid and effective.”
KRAPPS LAST TAPE, LONG WHARF THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge's lighting design befits Beckett's purposes, with a bright overhead lamp illuminating the table (as commented upon by the Krapp of 30 years ago) and its increasingly dark and portentious surroundings. Dennehy's Krapp acknowledges his frequent presence--and perhaps comfort--in the darkness of life in a clever way, by losing himself in the dark and extending his banana and his boot into the contrasting brightness.”
Examiner
RIGOLETTO, DALLAS OPERA
“imaginative lighting by Stephen Strawbridge”
Examiner
BLACK TIE, PRIMARY STAGES
“Stephen Strawbridge’s too-bright lighting captures perfectly the lack of mood of the tourist class hotel.”
Theatre Scene
HAPPY DAYS, WESTPORT PLAYHOUSE
“Most effective are the rock formations: sandy colored boulders, that under Stephen Strawbridge's subtle lighting, take on almost face-like imagery. In the play's final moments, as Winnie closes her eyes, her head morphs into another rock atop the infinite pile. Inspired.”
Behind the Curtain
SHIPWRECKED, PRIMARY STAGES
“Stephen Strawbridge's extremely fluent lighting”
Lighting and Sound America
“and the lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge are equally instrumental in helping to clearly define the myriad characters”
COMING HOME, LONG WHARF THEATRE
“Lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge complements and enhances the experience”
Broadway.TV
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“While the design provides for a climactic fire and the home’s final diminishment (assisted by Stephen Strawbridge’s lighting)…"
“nicely lighted to reveal her changing emotions by designer Stephen Strawbridge”
DEATH OF A SALESMAN, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“...aided by Stephen Strawbridge's haunting lighting”
PASSION PLAY, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“the pine panels of the floor and walls are surmounted only by a strip of sky, aglow with Stephen Strawbridge’s masterly lighting.”
THE EVILDOERS, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“Riccardo Hernandez’s glass and steel set combines with Stephen Strawbridge’s stark lighting design to create a world that can flip instantly from cool sophistication to chilling nightmare.”
THE GLORIOUS ONES, LINCOLN CENTER THEATRE
“even as Stephen Strawbridge's lighting makes sure we don't miss any of the rousing ribaldry”
Democracy in America, directed by Travis Preston at Yale Repertory Theatre
Democracy in America, directed by Travis Preston at Yale Repertory Theatre
DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“the cast crisscrosses the stage in blazing light of Stephen Strawbridge”
BENS ADMONITION, PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge's darkish lighting creates a complete universe in which the drama unfolds.”
MONKEY AND THE BONE DEMON, PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
“whimsical lighting by Stephen Strawbridge.”
Nevada Events and Reviews
WARM HEART, PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge's lighting shifted in intensity according to the characters' shifting passions.”
THE BRASS RING, PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE/2002 CULTURAL OLYMPIAD
“The atmospheric lighting was by Stephen Strawbridge”
“it is attractively lit by Stephen Strawbridge, especially when he's scattering golden Italian sunlight across the stage, or imitating the footlights of another era.”
Lighting and Sound America
A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY, PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS
“Stephen Strawbridge's clarifying lighting”
“Sher and lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge highlight these breakouts in a sharp yellow gleam, minimizing what could otherwise be a source of confusion.”
BERNARDA ALBA, LINCOLN CENTER THEATRE
“...and Stephen Strawbridge's gorgeous lighting providing the perfect stark, solemn environment for the show”
The New York Theatre Experience
“Barecca's spare, eye-grabbing setting is lit with superb skill by Stephen Strawbridge; one moment the white upstage wall is an edifice of glaring white light; a moment later the stage is populated by shadows. Their work combines to suggest the savage heat of Andalusian sunlight and the stifling interiors of rural houses.”
Lighting and Sound America
“Stephen Strawbridge's sometimes blazing lighting”
“Stephen Strawbridge's chiaroscuro lighting design”
“the expressive, shadowy patterns of Stephen Strawbridge's lighting that command the most admiration and attention.”
“Stephen Strawbridge's harsh lights are crucial enough to become an eleventh character.”
“Stephen Strawbridge does exceptional work with his lighting design.”
MADAME BUTTERFLY, SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
“Lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge adds to the production's beauty and drama. One particularly memorable scene involves the changing sky as Cio-Cio-San stays up all night awaiting Pinkerton, whose anchored ship is seen in profile.”
DIRTY TRICKS, PUBLIC THEATRE
“It is lit with skill and sensitivity by Stephen Strawbridge.”
Lighting and Sound America
YOU NEVER CAN TELL, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE
“Stephen Strawbridge's crystalline lighting almost makes you smell the salt air and feel the breeze from the water.”
ORFEO ED EURYDICE, NEW YORK CITY OPERA
“The shadowy lighting by Stephen Strawbridge is effective: against a brightly lit screen, the dancers' bodies seem unearthly, radiant and eerily androgynous.”
AHAB’S WIFE, SNUG HARBOR CULTURAL ASSOCIATION
“also owes much to Stephen Strawbridge's lighting”
AN UNCERTAIN HOUR, MARTHA CLARKE, SERIOUS FUN FESTIVAL
“...its acid-dawn lighting (by Stephen Strawbridge)”
A PERFECT GANESH, MAHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
“...and the poetic lighting of Stephen Strawbridge.”