Meet Benjamin Stanton — Lighting designer for ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ on Broadway

Benjamin Stanton. Photo Courtesy of Benjamin Stanton.

Benjamin Stanton, lighting designer for “Maybe Happy Ending” on Broadway chatted about his latest endeavors.

How was your experience doing the lighting design for “Maybe Happy Ending”?

Designing the lights for “Maybe Happy Ending” was incredibly challenging and wonderfully rewarding. 

When I first saw the set design renderings, the thin lines of light and geometric shapes Dane was exploring in the set immediately reminded of the visual artists James Turrell and Dan Flavin, and it was exciting to think about how I could use their work as inspiration for the lighting.

The beautiful moving scenery and the immersive video design left us with very few places to locate our lighting fixtures, so we had to make the most of the positions we had. 

We discovered that the white boxes in the set took light and color beautifully, and we leaned into a bold, saturate palette to help create the futuristic world needed for this story.  

What did this show teach you about yourself?

Every new show teaches me something.  Becoming a good lighting designer and collaborator is a cumulative process that never really ends. 

It’s like a yoga practice.  Each show is another step in the process and my taste and techniques are always evolving. 

During this process I was mostly reminded of how lucky we were to be working on this beautiful material – material that it completely original – and that we were making a visual world unlike anything I’d ever seen before.  

How did it feel to earn four Tony nominations?

It’s always an incredible honor to have my work singled out in that way.  It’s particularly meaningful to me because, as a parent of two young children, and with a partner that is also a Broadway designer, we make a lot of sacrifices as a family to be able to do this work full time. 

It’s also wonderful to go and celebrate everyone else’s incredible work, and be reminded of how talented and generous the Broadway community is.     

What do your plans for the future include?

For free-lance designers the future is always a bit of a mystery, but there are a few musicals I’m attached to that I’m really excited about, and should be happening in the next year or so. 

We’re bringing our production of Good Night Oscar starring Sean Hayes to the West End for a limited run this summer, and we’re launching the first national tour of The Notebook musical in September.  

Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?

One of the things that I think defines me as a designer is my history as a musician.  I actually went to undergrad on a music scholarship, and although I didn’t end up pursuing that career, I think there’s a strong musical/lyrical sensibility that can be felt in my work. 

What is your advice for people that wish to go into the entertainment business?

I think, particularly for aspiring designers, finding a mentor is really important.  If you’re lucky (like I was) that could be a wonderful teacher or professor, but in theater design there are also opportunities to work as an assistant to designers you look up to. 

It’s a good way to pay your rent while continuing to learn through observation and collaboration. 

I would also say be brave!  Say yes!  Remember that being a free-lance designer is a little bit like running a small business.

You need to push yourself and find ways of distinguishing yourself from others, while also remembering that generosity and good will are really equally important.  

What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)

I have been very lucky to have had many experiences in my career when I look around a room, or a table and I have pinch myself because I realize that I’m surrounded by some of the most talented and brilliant artists in the world, working on something that will only exist once we’ve made it.

I love the beginnings of projects, and the process of finding the perfect way to present new work to the world.  It’s in these moments when I feel most grateful for what I get to do for a living and I think this feels like success to me.  

What would you like to tell our readers about “Maybe Happy Ending”? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)

“Maybe Happy Ending” is a musical about what it means to be human and what it means to love against all odds, and I think we need stories like this now more than ever.