How Lighting Designer Jack Knowles Transformed Sunset Blvd.'s Minimalist Space

Jack Knowles previously designed the lighting for the 2021 Broadway revival of Caroline, or Change as well as last year's staging of Peter Morgan's Patriots, but his work for the current revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Blvd. marks a milestone for the U.K. designer.

On May 1, Knowles picked up his first Tony nomination for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his work on Jamie Lloyd's stripped-down production, which earned a total of seven 2025 Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical. Knowles, whose remarkable lighting adds immeasurably to the black-and-white minimalist design, also scored an Olivier Award for his work on the London staging of the Nicole Scherzinger-led production.

The morning of the 2025 Tony nominations, Knowles said, "I feel so thrilled and honored to be nominated. Being able to explore the role lighting can play in storytelling in this way was truly a dream, the design for Sunset Blvd. is grounded on a foundation of precision and detail that demands a huge amount from all involved, and I feel truly grateful for having such a dedicated team with me on the show—cast, creatives, crew, and producers. To be recognized for all of this really is a true joy."

In the West End, Knowles' design credits also include Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Best of Enemies, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as well as the National Theatre productions of London Tide, Top Girls, Beginning, and Barber Shop Chronicles, and the Royal Shakespeare Company stagings of the Hamlet and Venice Preserved. He has also designed productions for the Donmar Warehouse, Almeida Theatre, Royal Exchange Manchester, Deutsches SchauSpielHaus Hamburg, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, and beyond.

In the interview below for the �뵺�� series How Did I Get Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre—Knowles explains why the lighting possibilities for Sunset were endless and why hobbies outside the theatre world are vital for continued creativity.

Where did you train/study?
Jack Knowles: I studied lighting design at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
At school, I was very fortunate to have brilliant teachers for my A Levels in art, drama, and German. They all delved into my interests and were able to incorporate within their own subjects—from studying plays in German to exploring installations within art lessons. In particular, one of my drama teachers, Zoe Shepherd, who was a former West End actress—she made theatre feel viable and exciting whilst retaining a real-world honesty about what it could entail. At the same time, she helped me to explore and delve into my own creativity at a time I was still discovering what lighting design was.

What were some of the challenges of designing the lights for this stripped-down version of Sunset?
What the challenge was, in the context specifically for Sunset, I find hard to pin down. I guess the biggest challenges for this production came from the stripped-back aesthetic having such a huge range of possibilities. The open space, dominated by the large screen and swaths of darkness, invites lighting into it with such open arms, these possibilities were endless. The challenge then was to ensure that the lighting design had a cohesive language and concept, which would allow it to have a clarity in the storytelling and the emotions it needed to convey.

The exposed nature of the space and the production demanded an exacting level of precision and detail to every single design choice, which, in turn, ensured the utmost level of clarity within the storytelling. This also presented the challenge of how to invoke and create the impression of something when there is nothing there, allowing the audience to tap into their own imagination—but still support the journeys the characters are progressing down. Being able to frame and transform an inky black space with an object that is not physical was a really exciting challenge to overcome, and allowed me to delve deep into the psychology of the characters and what each one is going through in the story.

Simultaneously having to light for the camera and the stage picture had its challenges, but I found by treating them as part of the same thing, they were able to work in harmony together. The detail required to get the camera shots looking as they should reflected into the looks onstage, creating cohesion between the two.

Lighting-wise, is there one moment or scene in Sunset that you are particularly proud of? Why is that moment a standout?
This is one of the hardest things to pick out. To me, the piece and the lighting design works as one continuous sequence starting at the moment the audience enters into the auditorium. I’m particularly proud of the way in which this inky black space is transformed through light and the visceral reactions it is able to invoke. Being able to achieve so much whilst keeping to a strict cohesive language within the lighting is something I’m incredibly proud of and also found to be highly rewarding. Seeing Nicole surrounded by the swirling smoke and haze bathed in an-all consuming light as Norma Desmond delves deep into her mind of the world she longs for [during "As If We Never Said Goodbye"] will always give me butterflies in my stomach.

What does it mean to you to have received a Tony nomination for your work on this production?
It is an incredible honor to have received a Tony nomination for my work on Sunset. Being recognized for a design that interrogates the way in which lighting can contribute to the storytelling makes it even more rewarding. I’m so thankful for all the hard work and dedication that went into the creation of this design from all involved, and, importantly, to the team at the theatre ensuring the precision and detail is maintained at every single performance. Knowing that this is being recognized, too, fills me with joy.

If you could leave one design from any show other than Sunset in a time capsule as representative of your work, which would you choose?
I feel incredibly privileged to have had a very varied career working on a wide range of productions, which have all allowed me to explore and develop my own creative style. Two shows that I think are representative of my work�� The Skriker by Caryl Churchill at Manchester Royal Exchange has numerous moments that demanded creative solutions to important moments of storytelling. London Tide at the National Theatre had the lighting working seamlessly with the scenic design to create abstract spaces that held the story together through emotions of the characters with bold theatricality.

What do you consider your big break?
I think there’s two lines to my big break. I consider [Simon Stephens'] Carmen Disruption at the Almeida Theatre in London [in 2015] to be one of my big breaks. It was my first collaboration with Mike Longhurst, who also directed Caroline, or Change—which went on to become my Broadway debut at Studio 54. Carmen Disruption gave me a huge opportunity to flex my creativity; it was a bold theatrical production, which really encompassed my style of work, and was at the most prominent theatre in London I’d worked in. It’s another show I’d like to put into the time capsule, too, please!

What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
Find a hobby or interest that will encourage you to interact with people outside of the industry and will allow you to switch your mind to somewhere else. Theatre can become all consuming far too easily, and it’s very easy to be sucked into the theatre bubble with your mind constantly thinking about the projects you are working on, making it hard to confront challenges with a clear head. Spending time interacting with people from outside our industry is a great way of distracting and allowing for ideas to come a fresh. I find a lot of my design ideas come when I’m either cycling or swimming, when I’m having to concentrate enough to distract me from constantly thinking about my current projects. My big escape from theatre is playing water polo—am so grateful to have a club to play with that can accommodate the varied nature of theatre. Having the commitments outside of theatre allows me to stop theatre being all-consuming, as well as remind myself of my own love for it.

What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
When making a show, everyone is focused on solving problems and making the work the best it can be. That means there will be a million different things to do with your work that are fantastic which are not being commented on because the focus is always on how to improve, clarify, or finesse a moment. Never let this stop you trying something out even if you are not 100 percent convinced—if you never try, you’ll never know.

In such difficult times in this country and around the world, how do you think theatre can play a positive role, either for yourself and/or the community at large?
Theatre is, at its heart, a form of storytelling. Having access to stories from across the world is one of the best ways we can learn and discover different cultures and explore lives that are different to our own. Having access to these stories can only help us to discover the positives of living in such a diverse world. The more ways we can access these the better.

What is your proudest achievement as a designer?
My proudest achievement is being able to forge a career out of doing something I truly love doing, with friends and colleagues who continue to inspire me with their own work. And ultimately being recognized for doing so.