Meet Rebecca Hairston | Lighting Designer & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Rebecca, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

I watched my parents sacrifice their dreams in order to provide for my siblings and me. I saw how unhappy they were in their careers and I didn’t want that for myself. I was a very creative child and I loved to escape into my imagination.

As I grew up I made my education and life choices based on if it would lead to adventure, creative expression, and joy. I was determined to do something imaginative with my life, and I was determined to find the happiness that seemed to elude my parents.

I had some exposure to theatre when I was in high school and being involved in the arts lit a fire within me that led me to New York. Which motivated me to get an education in theatrical design, and to work in varying genres of live performance. I really felt that I had found my passion once I was designing and working backstage in theatre and dance in NYC.

I started touring in 2009 and have never looked back. Eventually moving to Los Angeles for a more balanced lifestyle, my partner and I created our touring production company, Hairston Touring Productions, where I continue to design and tour in several roles. I have founded a company I am proud of and I get to collaborate with inspiring artists while bringing my own imagination and nuance to a production. It is one of the greatest joys of my life that I get to use my creativity to be a part of the magic that is live performance.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My company is Hairston Touring Productions. We are a design firm and production company offering touring artists Lighting Design and Creative Direction that are specific to their artistic signature and their tour concepts; as well as offering Audio Engineering, Tour Management, and Stage Management services.

HTP is made up of myself and my life and business partner, Bryan Hairston. We both have backgrounds in a multitude of backstage roles, and each have just under 20 years of experience in live performances. One of our greatest assets is the different approaches we take to design.  Initially, I let my imagination run wild, researching inspiration and finding ways to layer in influence, and then edit. Bryan approaches creative projects like a sculptor, chipping away until the only thing left is what serves the art. It means our clients can get exactly the kind of design they want, and it makes for a fantastic collaborative product, where clients can get the best of both worlds.

Coming out of covid, we are looking to grow our company, to work with new artists and clients, and provide jobs to other professionals. We continue to bring high levels of creativity, organization, and professionalism to all of our work, while making sure that it is enjoyable to be on the road and creating a safe touring environment for everyone no matter what their background is.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

There is so much to love and do in Los Angeles!

Venice Beach, Zuma Beach, Point Dume, Griffith Park, Elysian Park, and Los Angeles State Historic Park are my favorite places to be out and enjoying nature.

Redcat has some of the best avant garde theater in LA. Their programming has been incredible for decades. The Hollywood Bowl is the best place to see artists that don’t necessitate a ton of production. And the Forum has amazing acoustical treatments and has arena scale production.

 MOCA, MOCA Geffen, The Broad, LACMA, and Griffith Observatory are my favorite places for finding inspiration. Griffith Observatory puts out telescopes on the lawn with docents as long as it’s a clear night.

Road tips to Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Ojai, San Diego, Temecula, and 1000 Steps Beach clear my head.

I love to eat. My favs are Jitlada, Luv2Eat, El Coyote, Terroni, L’antica, Din Tai Fung, and the taco truck on Western & Sunset in the parking lot of WSS. I love a rooftop brunch at Mama Shelter or E.P. & L.P.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Steve Bailey changed the trajectory of my life. He saw raw potential in me that I didn’t even know existed. He taught me all the elements of lighting that were harder for me to grasp. He pushed me. He was patient beyond expectations. He gave me the space to mess up, and he corrected me every time I made a mistake. He was meticulous and expected me to be also. Most importantly he taught me to trust myself.

David Kissel taught me so much about the qualities of light; and showed me how to affect subtleness and refine my design. He also taught me a lot about color theory, the nuance of tones and mixing colors with light. This is where I learned that Lighting Design is really just painting with light.

Michael Hairston taught me how to put it all together. He taught me the way to build a show once I had chosen my tools. He taught me how important timing, transitions, and execution were and that really transitions are what separates a great design from a good design.

Beverly Emmons and Judith Daitsman showed me that it was possible to be a woman and be an incredible Designer, and a woman in a position of power within the backstage hierarchy. These women are giants in the field, incredibly talented, and commanded the stage. It opened my eyes to the possibilities for myself, and that if I wanted it, I too could be great.

Website: https://www.hairstontouringproductions.com/

Instagram: @hairstontouringproductions

Image Credits
Rachel Palumbo Bryan Hairston Austin Collins