cracked Forge Theatre, November 2016
Lighting and Video Designer Morgan Moroney
Taking Alfred Hitchcock to the stage, Cracked was an adaptation of three silent films - The Lodger, Sabotage and The 39 Steps in a three-act dinner theatre/cabaret style experience. Audience were seated amongst a series of platforms and skeletal structures punctuated with concentrated lighting to fluidly create the multitude of locations.
ABOUT
Morgan Moroney (he/him) is a multidisciplinary designer, originally from the land of the Kaurna people and currently working on Bidjigal and Gadigal land. He has a particular passion for experimentation with integrated-media live performance. A graduate of NIDA, Morgan combines his passions for storytelling and technology to collaborate on distinctive and innovative works.
In 2021, Morgan received the APDG Emerging Designer for Live Performance Award for his design on Ghosts dir. Priscilla Jackman (NIDA 2020). He was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award in Best Independent Lighting Design for Significant Other dir. Hayden Tonazzi (New Theatre). In 2022, he was awarded an inaugural NIDA X grant to support the development of Collapsible – a new work exploring Motion Capture technologies in a live performance space.
Morgan’s 2022 collaborations include The Barber of Seville dir. Priscilla Jackman (Opera Australia) and Jali by Oliver Twist as Lighting Designer;
A Letter for Molly dir. Ursula Yovich and Unqualified 2: Still Unqualified dir. Janine Watson (Ensemble) as Video Designer; Cleansed dir. Dino Dimitradis (state of unrest) as co-Lighting Designer. He joined the The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour (Opera Australia) as Assistant Lighting Designer.
Other recent project highlights include the Australian premiere production of Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill (GWB Entertainment) as Assistant Video Designer, The Construct (Circus Monoxide & Quiet Riot) as Lighting Designer. His Associate Lighting Design credits include the world premiere of
This Bitter Earth (New Theatre), King of Pigs (Critical Stages). His Video Associate & Realiser credits include Ernani (Opera Australia & Teatro Alla Scala) and Claudel (Tinderbox Productions). Additional credits include Everybody (Cross Pollinate) as Lighting Designer, and audio-visual installation noise at Articulate Project Space as co-Designer & Producer.

Image: Clare Edmondson
AWARDS & MEDIA
WINNER: APDG Emerging Designer for Live Performance Award (Ghosts dir. Priscilla Jackman, 2020)- Australian Production Design Guild (Facebook) & National Institute of Dramatic Art
NOMINATION: Sydney Theatre Awards, Best Independent Lighting Design (Significant Other dir. Hayden Tonazzi, 2021)
Conjuring the intangible: Reflections on process from a Lighting Designer - ADSR Zine, March 2022
Lighting and Video Designer's Future Shines Bright - Department for the Arts & National Institute of Dramatic Art
SELECTED PROJECTS
Upcoming
co-Lighting Designer | Cleansed dir. Dino Dimitriadis | Maximillian Brown & Redline, Old Fitz Theatre
Lighting Designer | The Barber of Seville dir. Priscilla Jackman | Opera Australia | National Tour 2022
Associate Lighting Designer | Maureen: Harbinger of Death dir. Nell Ranney | Rising Festival
co-Deviser & Designer | Collapsible | Rising Festival
COVID-affected
Video Designer | Qween Lear dir. Lucas Jervies | Adam Lowe Group | Horden Pavillion
Lighting and Video Designer | Dreams of a Frozen Continent | Brand X, The Flying Nun
2022
Video Designer | A Letter for Molly dir. Ursula Yovich | Ensemble
Video Designer | Unqualified 2: Still Unqualified dir. Janine Watson | Ensemble
Set/Lighting Designer | Jali dir. Oliver Twist | Seymour Centre, Reginald Theatre & national tour
Associate Lighting Designer | King of Pigs dir. Blazey Best | Critical Stages Touring
Assistant Lighting Designer | The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour | Opera Australia
2021
Assistant Video Designer | Jagged Little Pill AU | GWB Entertainment | Theatre Royal
Lighting Designer | Significant Other dir. Hayden Tonazzi | New Theatre
Lighting Designer | The Construct dir. Zebastian Hunter | Circus Monoxide & Quiet Riot | IPAC, Bruce Gordon Theatre
Lighting Designer | Cool Pool Party 2: Graduation (workshop showing) | ban shakespeare | NIDA, Studio Theatre
Lighting Designer | The Twins dir. Terence Serio & Sarah Butler | Shark Island Institute | Seymour Centre, Reginald Theatre & national tour
Lighting Associate/Realiser | Othello dir. Damien Ryan | Sport for Jove | Seymour Centre, York Theatre & Riverside Theatre
Lighting Associate/Realiser | The Tempest dir. Damien Ryan | Sport for Jove | Seymour Centre, York Theatre & Riverside Theatre
co-Video Designer | Outdated dir. Mark Kilmurry | Ensemble
Video Realiser/Programmer | Claudel dir. Wendy Beckett chor. Meryl Tankard | Tinderbox | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse
Video Realiser/Programmer | Ernani dir. Sven-Eric Bechtolf | Opera Australia & Teatro Alla Scala | Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre
2020
Lighting/Video Designer | Ghosts dir. Priscilla Jackman | NIDA | Reg Grundy Studio
Lighting/Video Designer | ANTIGONICK dir. Zoë Hollyoak | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting Designer | And Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens... dir. Liam McIlwain | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting Designer | The Cat dir. Amelia Burke | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting Designer | On My Own dir. Zoë Hollyoak (music video)| NIDA & Triple J
Lighting Designer | Everybody dir. Gabriel Fancourt | Cross Pollinate & bAKEHOUSE | King's Cross Theatre
Lighting Designer | Pit dir. Mikala Westall | sandpaperplane | Old 505 Theatre
Video Designer | Talkback dir. Elise Wilson | sandpaperplane | Blue Room Theatre
Lighting/Surtitle Designer | DavidDavis@ dir. Andrew McInnes (staged workshop) | Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Music Workshop
Project Manager/Creative Producer | Ghost Lights dir. Katy Alexander (transmedia) | NIDA | Parade Theatre & online
co-Designer/Producer | noise (audiovisual installation) | Articulate Project Space
2019
Lighting Designer | FAUST dir. Sam Trotman | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting Designer | A Respectable Wedding dir. Tait De Lorenzo | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting Designer | Inhabit (movement installation) | NIDA | Studio Theatre Subsage
Video Designer | Marat/Sade dir. Gavin Robins & John Bashford | NIDA | Studio Theatre
Video Designer | håmlet - a newer australian play | ban shakespeare | Bondi Pavilion Theatre & here we are @ AGNSW
Associate Lighting Designer | This Bitter Earth dir. Riley Spadaro | New Theatre
co-Designer | Ophelia (video installation) | NIDA | Parade Theatre Sound Stage
2018 - preceding
Video Associate | Ex Machina dir. Finn Caldwell | NIDA | Space Theatre
Lighting/Video Designer | Hell Hath No Fury (Antigone + Machinal) | Forge Theatre
Lighting/Video Designer | Echoes of the Mask | Forge Theatre (Adelaide Fringe)