Garry John Spraggett

Garry John Spraggett
Theatre Lighting Designer
Garry began his career in lighting with the RSC when it was still based at the Aldwych Theatre London. During his 17 years with the RSC, he worked not only at the Aldwych but also travelled with the RSC on a wide selection of there No.1 national and European tours. Garry’s work covered a variety of productions, most notably many with his very good friend Terry Hands as Lighting Associate. Garry has also worked with most of the company’s directors over the years including Bill Alexander, Howard Davies, Adrian Noble and Trevor Nunn. With the RSC move from the Aldwych Theatre to The Barbican in London, Garry broadens his horizon to include setting up Early Stage’s the early evening platform performance of short plays on the main stage of the Barbican Theatre. If this was not enough Garry also set up and run the RSC Barbican backstage tours, with still working on productions such as Peter Pan, Les Miserables and Cyrano De Bergerac as well lighting for Mark Rylance famous pyjamas UK tour of Hamlet. At the same time Setting up Carrie with Terry Hands in Stratford and New York. The late eighties saw Garry working with Mark Rylance and Claire Van Kampen on the open-air lay line production of The Tempest as administrator and lighting the first Production on the new Globe Theatre site on the South Bank in London. Over the next few years, Garry moved to Devon but still working in theatre, Ghosts in Bradford, Plymouth and the Kings head london With with David Hunt. Garry over the years has lit over 100 productions and has worked all over the UK and Europe.
The Millennium saw Garry change direction slightly by moving front of house in theatres in the West End, as he wanted to move into producing. Over the Next five years working at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Her Majesty’s Theatre and The London Palladium as senior supervisor expanded his knowledge of theatre immensely by the move to FOH. Backstage and FOH are two totally different worlds. The move was without doubt one of the most rewarding experiences of my
personal and theatrical life. Meeting the public was and is a exhilarating performance of real life. One that I have lived for the last ten years at Sidmouth Golf Club in Devon. The curtin has now come down on that one so the stage is clear for the next one.