Featured Works
My Work
Lighting Design
James has worked across the UK as a lighting designer, and has recently become particularly experienced with designing efficient and effective lighting for rural touring and nontraditional spaces, as seen in his designs for LOOP (Theatre In Black, 2019) and Pepper & Honey (Notnow Collective, 2019-20).
In 2021, James was Assistant Lighting Designer for Ben Cracknell on Grease The Musical (UK Tour, directed by Nikolai Foster). 2022 has seen James working in collaboration with Ian Scott, as co-designers for Twopence To Cross The Mersey (UK tour, directed by Gareth Tudor-Price) and as Assistant Lighting Designer for Ian on Much Ado About Nothing (UK tour, directed by Robert Hastie).
Lighting Programming
James developed his Eos programming skills at Curve Theatre in Leicester, and has programmed for various designers including Jane Lalljee (Giraffes Can’t Dance, Curve/Rose Kingston/Simon Friend 2019-20) and Ben Cracknell (My Beautiful Launderette, Curve/Leeds Playhouse/Cheltenham Everyman/Belgrade Theatre 2019).
More recently, he has programmed By The Waters of Liverpool for designer Ian Scott, which James also relit on tour in 2020. In 2021, James programmed the world premiere of Into Battle for designer Alex Stafford, a team reunited in 2022 for Mugabe, My Dad, and Me.
About Me
James is a lighting designer and programmer based in Leicester, and working all over the UK, in theatres and in nontraditional performance spaces alike.
Having developed a love for theatre while at university studying a degree in archaeology and anthropology, James has so far enjoyed a career that has taken him from fringe theatre to the West End, and everywhere in between.
As a designer, James enjoys working on a wide range of projects, but is particularly interested in new writing and adaptations with a strong social motive. He is fascinated by the ability of light to tell stories and support narratives and seeks to investigate that relationship in all of his projects.
Current Projects
Relighting Death Drop: Back In The Habit on tour (LD Rory Beaton, produced by Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Tuck Shop), touring until April 2023
Lighting Designer for a script showcase of STAND by AJ Kásálí at Clapham Omnibus Theatre, October 2022
Relighting The Importance of Being Earnest on tour (LD Zoe Spurr, produced by English Touring Theatre), touring until November 2022.
Lighting Designer for Twopence To Cross The Mersey alongside co-designer Ian Scott (UK Tour 2022 produced by Pulse Records Ltd), on tour until November 2022.
Assistant Lighting Designer for Much Ado About Nothing (LD Ian Scott, produced by Sheffield Theatres and Ramps On The Moon), on tour until November 2022
James Stokes 