Leading Light with…Jason Taylor – Part Two

Journey’s End on Broadway earned Jason a Tony nomination.

During his early career, Regent’s Park offered Jason a good platform to work around. He states: “It was three shows during the summer so offered me a good base for the year. I also kept going back to Nottingham to do their Christmas production so made sure I had a handful of shows that kept me ticking over”. Following his work at Regent’s Park, it seems that Jason’s reputation began to slowly grow. He recalls: “I met a director called David Grindley who I would go on to work with extensively. Looking back, my first real big break came with him and Journey’s End”. Journey’s End is the now classic play by R.C.Sherriff which first premiered in London in 1928. Jason was brought on board as the lighting designer for the 2006 West End revival. He states: “The show initially entered the Harold Pinter Theatre and from there it literally just took off. We were only supposed to do eight weeks yet it received such a great reception that it extended. It then moved to the Duke of York’s before embarking on a UK tour. It then went back into The Playhouse in the West End before another tour and then into The Ambassadors!” As if a mini-tour of the West End wasn’t enough, this would only mark the beginning of the show’s journey…

Pygmalion on Broadway.

Having been watched by an American producer in London, they decided to take the show and transfer it onto Broadway. Jason recalls: “We discovered the show was going to run at the Belasco Theatre. This was my first Broadway show and it was a brilliant experience. We were fortunate as it was the same creative team as London, which included director David Grindley, sound designer Gregory Clarke and set designer Jonathan Fensom. We were all at similar stages of our career and all got on really well as mates”. But was taking a show to Broadway not a daunting prospect for Jason? Apparently not: “We knew the show and were confident in what we could do with it. As in London, it was really well received and nominated for a string of Tony Awards; including Best Lighting Design”.

Similar to Regent’s Park, it would appear that Journey’s End would open more doors for Jason – yet now at the other side of the pond. He states: “We were asked by an American producer who had seen Journey’s End to go back and work on a revival of Pygmalion. It starred Homeland actress Claire Danes as Eliza”. While it was essentially the same team working on Pygmalion, this is where the similarities to Journey’s End finish. He states: “Whereas Journey’s End was well received but didn’t sell very well (probably because of its very dark subject matter), Pygmalion had terrible reviews but packed the place out every night!”. He adds: “I remember a review in the New York Times for Journey’s End that had a whole paragraph dedicated to the lighting, including a quote which stated: ‘Jason Taylor’s lighting beautifully summons the requisite claustrophobia’. Conversely, one review from Pygmalion kindly said: ‘Lighting Designer Jason Taylor thinks he’s still stuck in the WW1 bunker’. Safe to say you remember your bad reviews!”.

The Empire at the Royal Court which was a personal highlight for Jason. 

And while his career was flourishing on Broadway, Jason was making similar waves back in the UK. He states: “Following Journey’s End, things just took off. At one point, I had three shows in the West End, one at the Old Vic and one on Broadway. The problem is you think this is how it’s going to be forever – and it really isn’t!” That said, Jason does possess a series of extremely impressive credits, ranging from The Boys from Syracuse, again directed by Judi Dench, Our Boys at the Duchess Theatre, an American tour of Sweet Sorrow and The Empire at the Royal Court to name but a few. He adds: “I made some great contacts early on and it just built from there, year on year. It’s been a healthy mix of commercial work, venues such as the Royal Exchange, Hampstead, along with other new writing theatres. Ultimately, unless you have a huge show bringing in royalties, you need to keep working and find sources of income – so I like to mix it up!”. Having lit such a wide range of work, I can’t help but ask Jason what his favourite type of show to work on is. He has a clear answer: there isn’t one: “When I was at the Royal Exchange, I wasn’t entirely sure as to what type of work to light early on. I spoke to the Deputy LX and they gave me some great advice: just light anything. This is particularly important when you’re just starting out. I genuinely believe this is something I embodied and perpetuated throughout my career. Obviously you can’t say yes to everything but you need to keep your options open”.

How the Other Half Loves in the West End which Jason lit last year.

Along with this open approach to his work, Jason also reiterates how important it is to ensure that contacts are not only established but sustained. He states: “I remember having a drink with Peter Mumford about ten years ago (you can read Peter’s Leading Light here). He was good friends with Gregory Clarke, the sound designer on Journey’s End. All three of us were stood round, chattTheing about what we were doing and Peter said he’d just been offered The Rivals with Peter Hall in Bath, which was also going into the Haymarket in the West End. Sadly, he wasn’t available but I mentioned that I was. Peter suggested I dropped Peter Hall a line to make him aware I was interested and available. I thought this was a bit cheeky but Peter was insistent I just do it. I followed his advice and Peter replied asking me to meet him for a coffee. I did and he offered me the job there and then. This was particularly special as it was one of my career highlights. It had the most stunning set design by Simon Higlett and it was a pleasure to light”.

As with all of the Leading Lights I speak to, my final question to Jason is what advice does he have for the next generation? He has a couple of tips: “Personality is the most important aspect to being a lighting designer. You need to get the rig right, and obviously light the piece but you then have to work with other creatives and deploy as much diplomacy as possible. It’s important to remember to put your take and style on a show yet also remember that you’re part of something bigger and a large part is taking on board everyone’s opinion. It’s easier on some shows than it is on others but when you do work on that brilliant production where it’s a joyous collaboration (similar to Journey’s End) then you realise that it’s all worth it”. Jason’s pragmatic approach to lighting is also reflected in his other advice for young designers: “Ultimately, you just need to go out and get on with it. Take the plunge and become freelance. I do think it’s a lot harder than it was and there seems to be more LDs than ever now. However, it’s something you just need to do”.

On that decisive note, Jason has to run back to the Garrick to work on the final tech of Gangsta Granny. He is only in London for a few days before returning to his native Lancashire where he now lives with his wife and three children. It is at this point when he offers his final words of wisdom: “I actually think one of the most important things for lighting designers is to strike a work/life balance. For me, I obviously love lighting shows but I equally love spending time with my family. There’s been times in the past where I’ve turned down big jobs so I can spend time with them. It’s important that you recognise what’s important to you personally. I made a conscious decision to have that balance and have never regretted it once”. And as I look over Jason’s credits and career one last time, it’s certainly obvious that this approach has worked very well for him.

Photos courtesy of Alastair Muir, Jason Taylor, Joan Marcus, Nobby Clark and Sara Krulwich.