Interview: Lighting designer Bethany Gupwell talks about working with young talent at NYMT, London

In the second part of our series of interviews about London’s National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT), we talk to Bethany Gupwell about her work as lighting designer for Catastrophe Bay. The musical was the second production of NYMT’s three-part 2024 summer season and transported the audience to a fictional place populated by exotic characters from around the world. As with the other two musicals – Into the Woods and Our House – this production was realised entirely with young, non-professional performers aged between 11 and 23. In the interview, Bethany talks about the particular challenges of working with a young, inexperienced team and wonders how young people can be persuaded to work in theatre and the live industry.

Bethany, how do NYMT productions differ from your other jobs as a lighting designer?

Bethany Gupwell: Most professional productions prioritise the outcome and how best to tell the story. Of course, this is always a crucial part of any show, but with a show where education is a priority, it’s also about soft skills, the most important takeaway becomes giving young people the opportunity to get an insight into what we do and understand how a production of this kind works rather than the artistic outcome.

©HarryElletson

What impact does NYMT have on the careers of young talents?

Bethany Gupwell: I hope that NYMT’s productions inspire young people to see what it’s like to work in our industry. That’s why we try to create a sort of learning environment within a high-quality production. We want to give young people a glimpse into what’s involved in making a professional performance; I am particularly interested in giving the NYTM Members an insight into the roles that are not as visible in Theatre.

“We have to take special care to promote talented young people and keep them in the industry.”
Bethany Gupwell, Lighting Designer

©HarryElletson

How do you pass on your experience and knowledge to young people?

Bethany Gupwell: I try to follow in the footsteps of the people who trained and shaped me. I was very lucky to be supported by some influential people at a young age, who encouraged my excitement and honed my skills. I studied lighting and design, it’s true, but I believe the in-kind support I was given outside of university was just as important. That’s why I am interested in projects such as this one, in order to try to pass on my knowledge similarly.

©HarryElletson

How do you rate the promotion of young people in theatre and the live industry in general?

Bethany Gupwell: I think we are on the right track, but there is still a lot to do. Through projects like this, we can help inspire interest in the Theatre industry at an early age. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done to ensure that the industry becomes as diverse as possible.

“How can we make our industry a sustainable place for a broad number and diverse range of people, not just a specific group of people?”
Bethany Gupwell, Lighting Designer

©HarryElletson

How can we reach out to young people in schools? How can we convince people from all backgrounds that the theatre is a place where they can feel comfortable and express themselves? Alongside this, it is important to think how we can keep people in the industry. Student numbers are high, but there is also a high drop-out rate after graduation, as it often takes quite a while to establish yourself in the industry. “We have to take special care to promote talented young people and keep them in the industry.”

©HarryElletson

How do you view the distribution of men and women in the theatre industry?

Bethany Gupwell: There are currently roughly as many women studying Lighting Design as men. However, this is not yet reflected in practice; the drop-out rate is very high, particularly among women working freelance. Less than 15% of the UK Lighting Designers registered on ‘The Association for Lighting Production and Design’s directory’ are women. We have to ask ourselves how we can make our industry a sustainable place for a broad number and diverse range of people, not just a specific group of people.