Meet Cha See: Lighting Designer for Stage and Environment

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cha See and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cha, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The important lesson of solidarity, unity and community. Having these three elements made my pandemic and theatre life so much better. I remember my first year here in America eating a dollar ramen from the bodega and me and my best friend would check in on each other how the other one is surviving.

Looking back, I thought that is what community should look like. So I co- founded See Lighting Foundation. We have built a community of immigrant theatre artists trying to make change in the toxicity of the theatre industry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a lighting designer for stage and environment based in Brooklyn and born and raised in Manila, Philippines. I am a graduate of NYU Tisch and has been here since 2014.

Everyday for me is a learning experience I am always curious about everything. I am learning. As a lighting designer I feel like I am a detective finding clues in the story I am telling. I investigate stories visually and following the vision of a playwright and director and other collaborators. I enjoy theatre because I love the intimacy the lights can do to the actors and the spectators. My job is a collaborative. Every element on stage and off stage is important to me because it is what makes the entire painting on stage.

The Off- Broadway scene is fun and exciting and at same time we are not free from pay inequity and racial injustice. During the pandemic a lot of my immigrant friends moved cities and countries. We were hit so hard financially and as an artists who are not earning a lot- we do not have savings. I am currently in pre-productions to begin theatre again this June. My hope is that the theatre I am going back to will invest more with people and talents and not power and ticket sales.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ha! I have not been out for a loooong time. Definitely if a friend is visiting me here in Flatbush, Brooklyn- we will go for a walk in Prospect Park, have a vegetable cream cheese on a toasted egg bagel in Catskills Bagels and go for another walk to Kensington Dog Run with my doggy Duncan and then drive to Ample Hills for some baked/unbaked ice cream! yay! These are all COVID safe place by the way.

For dinner we are ordering from Monday Off (Thai Restaurant) in Coney Island Ave. I always order their watercress salad and chive pancakes and Kao Soy. All vegetarian stuff even though I am not vegetarian. haha

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to acknowledge and recognize my AAPI women community. I come from this community where we are always invisible. New York theatre scene is predominantly white male environment and taking a stand and practicing lighting design in the Off- Broadway community is most of the time a jungle of emotions for us women.

To all my sisters, let us continue fighting for our visibility.

Website: seelightingdesign.com

Instagram: @seethruuu

Other: seelightingfoundation.com

Image Credits
Monique Carboni, Photography by Maria Baranova