The Bursary is awarded annually to a student or recent graduate who has demonstrated strong, imaginative and creative lighting designs. It is organised by the Association of Lighting Designers, a professional body representing lighting designers in the live performance industry.
Northen was both a former Chairman and President of the ALD and the first credited lighting designer in the UK.
Each year an award of £500 is presented to a young lighting designer who has shown excellence in the field of lighting design. The project must be a performance-based lighting design in or out of the college environment. Two runner-up prizes of £250 each are also presented: an ETC sponsored award, and the ALD-sponsored Francis Reid Award.
£500 Michael Northen Bursary
The Michael Northen Bursary of £500 went to Max Narula, a student at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, who also picked up a year's premium membership to Stage Jobs Pro and a copy of Michael Northen's autobiography. The judges commented: "This was an extremely impressive and comprehensive submission, ticking all the boxes, and more! Simply, Max's passion and skills were at the forefront throughout his entry. He displayed a great work ethic, demonstrating a good solid CV, with clear professional development and progression throughout his studies."
£250 ETC Award for runner up
This was awarded to Jack Weir, also a student at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. The judges said: "Jack submitted a particularly impressive and concise entry, with great images and notation, and demonstrated an impressive realisation of his work. The entry really did take the judges on a journey into his development, and gave us a great insight into his own processes behind each of his submitted designs."
"It was particularly Jack's concise approach and passion that stood out to the panel. Through his clear paperwork and lighting plans, alongside great imagery, Jack clearly demonstrated a clean and particularly stylistic approach."
£250 Francis Reid Award for runner up
This was awarded to Oliver Bush, a student at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The judges said:
"Oliver submitted a particular smart and slick presentation, and gave us a clear insight into his own design process and working practices. Through his use of images and his clear annotation throughout, Oliver gave the judges a particularly descriptive breakdown of his own design choices and how these impacted on the process as a whole. Oliver's reflective approach particularly impressed - displaying his desire to learn, develop and improve throughout."
Taking part in the Michael Northen Bursary brings the student's work to the attention of the experienced lighting designers and other industry professionals on the judging panel. All the winning portfolios were available to view on the ALD stand.
The award was established in 2000 after Michael received an MBE for his contribution to theatre and lighting design. His work on The Mousetrap can still be seen in the West End today.
The Mousetrap Foundation, a theatre education charity dedicated to providing opportunities for young people to attend West End productions, administers the Bursary fund.
