A CARMARTHENSHIRE lighting designer is celebrating 30 years in the industry with a production in Pembrokeshire.

Ceri James, from Llanarthney, is celebrating 30 years of working as a freelance lighting designer. His extensive career has seen him visit various places across the UK and further afield.

Ceri graduated from RWCMD Cardiff in 1990 and he moved to California to study and work for the University of Southern California.

He then returned to the UK and has designed for more than 20 productions by the Sherman Theatre Company, and has designed lighting for Theatre Centre, Dalier Sylw, Theatr Clwyd, Theatr na n’Og, Salisbury Playhouse, Unicorn Theatre, Haymarket Theatre Leicester, The Royal Derngate Northampton, New Theatre Stoke, Theatr Bara Caws and Wales Theatre Company.

He is also a founding member of Mappa Mundi Theatre and has designed more than 20 of their productions.

Ceri said: “I worked extensively in Cardiff as a lighting designer, production manager and producer from 1992-2012 including Cardiff Millennium Celebrations, and Cardiff’s first Big Weekend. During this period, I was a founding member of Mappa Mundi Theatre producing over 20 productions.”

Alongside this, he has spent the last 10 years working for the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven and will be working on their autumn production of Private Lives. He has also worked with the theatre’s new artistic director Chelsey Gillard before.

“I first worked with Chelsey Gillard in 2018 as a lighting designer for Blue at Chapter Arts Centre and now five years later we are back working together on a terrific comedy drama and it’s just great.”

Ceri works with the latest 3D visualisations, where he makes his work digitally and it allows him to share ideas remotely.

Chelsey said: “Ceri’s work is so detailed, always adding to the storytelling of the production and ensuring the focus is where we need it to be onstage. I’m looking forward to working with Ceri again, I admire his work so much and we already have a shared taste. Private Lives is going to be a brilliant spectacle and we can’t wait for you to see it.”

This October, Ceri will have designed four productions around Wales, including the Torch’s Private Lives and the tour of the Torch’s original production Carwyn which was produced by Bale & Thomas. He will be the lighting designer for Sherman Theatre’s Christmas shows of Hansel & Gretel and Peter Pan.