--- title: Donald Holder Reveals The Collaborative World Of Anastasia description: "Acclaimed Broadway Lighting Designer Donald Holder shares his collaborative experience bringing \"Anastasia\" to life on Broadway." image: https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Anastasia_Feature.jpg --- ![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Rosco/Images/page-top-bg.jpeg) [![NewSpectrumlogo](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/NewSpectrumlogo.png?width=320&height=150&name=NewSpectrumlogo.png)](https://spectrum.rosco.com) - [Home](https://spectrum.rosco.com/) - [About Spectrum](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products-3?hsLang=en) - [Featured Products](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products?hsLang=en) - [Rosco.com](https://us.rosco.com/en) Home About Spectrum Featured Products Rosco.com ![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Anastasia_Feature.jpg) # Donald Holder Reveals The Collaborative World Of Anastasia [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_don2.jpg?width=1081&height=268&name=Anastasia_don2.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_don2.jpg?hsLang=en)Don Holder has been a master lighting designer on Broadway as well as in the regional, Off-Broadway and television worlds. Credits range from *Otello* and *Two Boys* at the NY Metropolitan Opera, *Smash* on NBC, and numerous Broadway productions, including: *In Transit*, *Oslo* and *Lion King*. One of his latest endeavors is [*Anastasia*](http://www.anastasiabroadway.com/)at the Broadhurst Theatre. I got the chance to ask Don about the collaborative process in bringing this production to life on Broadway.   ## How might you describe your design process in relation to working with the other designers? Understanding intention is a principal driving force behind the design choices that I make. It’s imperative to study the visual research on file, along with storyboards, scenic renderings and model photos, costume sketches and swatches so I have a clear sense of the world of the play, and how I should approach the production from a conceptual, architectural, and visual perspective. My process with a scenic designer is typically more detailed because scenery and light occupy the same physical space, and internally illuminated scenery is almost a given in most productions today. I first met with \[[Set Designer - Alexander Dodge](http://www.alexanderdodgedesign.com/)\] to talk through the set design in detail, and I presented ideas/changes I wanted him to consider to better accommodate the lighting. I then met with \[[Director - Darko Tresnjak](http://darkotresnjak.com/)\] and we had a great conversation about his overall vision for the piece, followed by a walk-through of the storyboards for each scene where we discussed specific vocabulary ideas. [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_1.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_1.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_1.jpg?hsLang=en) In general, I found the process with Darko to be really satisfying – he expressed his point of view very clearly at the onset, but also placed a lot of trust in all the designers to come up with a first pass that he could then shape and refine with us. With costume designers, it is important that I study sketches, swatches and, if possible, the actual garments in progress.  I find this preparation to be crucial if I expect to make moment-by-moment lighting choices that will reveal the colors, layers and textures of the clothes as so carefully envisioned by the designer. The process for *Anastasia* was highly collaborative and supportive, and as a result, I think we all felt very invested in, and proud of, the end-results. ## What Rosco products did you use in your design for *Anastasia*? [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_2.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_2.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_2.jpg?hsLang=en)We're using a large complement of [Rosco templates](http://www.rosco.com/products/catalog/gobos) and [Roscolux color filters](http://www.rosco.com/product/roscolux), including Lux103 Tough Frost, which I find is quite useful as a diffuser for a variety of LED wash fixtures, including the ColorKinetics ColorBlast12. There are over 60 Colorblasts in use on *Anastasia*, all of which are fitted with a Roscolux 103 filters to soften and spread the beam. ## How did you approach *Anastasia* differently from past projects? *Anastasia* relies heavily on extremely detailed and semi-realistic backgrounds (rendered on high-resolution video screens) to define the sense of place, movement through time, change of seasons, weather, etc. A large part of my work involved analyzing the digital content and making lighting choices that unified the entire stage picture. Color-matching between light and video was crucial. \[[Projection Designer - Aaron Rhyne](http://aaronrhyne.com/)\] often had to shape his video environments so the color of the content matched the foreground. [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_3.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_3.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_3.jpg?hsLang=en) I often saw references to lighting details I had introduced suddenly appear in Aaron’s backgrounds: it could be as simple as moonlight etching a balustrade with the same angle and color of light seen in the foreground, or searchlights appearing in the Paris skyline at the exact moment of a moving light fly-in during the climax of a big musical finish. Those moments, where we discovered fun ways to work in concert, were definitely the most satisfying. ## What is your favorite collaborative experience from your past productions? It’s hard to choose my absolute favorite collaboration, but I think [*Movin’ Out*](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/movin-out-11031), the Twyla Tharp, Billy Joel dance-theatre piece would certainly be at the top of my list. Twyla developed a dense and quite moving narrative without the benefit of text, and the storytelling was accomplished through virtuosic dance, the iconic music and lyrics of Billy Joel (with a live band playing on a bridge above the performers) and an ever-changing visual landscape. Working with Twyla and the [Set Designer Santo Loquasto](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/santo-loquasto-25069), we developed a frame for the piece that relied heavily on light to reveal the dance, tell the story and create the architecture for each scene. [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_4.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_4.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/2002-bway_movin_out_001-web.jpg?hsLang=en)*Original Broadway cast of "Movin' Out" performing the opening number* The collaboration and conversation between Twyla, Santo and I was literally non-stop, during the many weeks of preproduction, through the tech and preview periods in both Chicago and New York. The final product really was a perfect marriage between all the disciplines, the visual approach was exciting, muscular and innovative, and the emotional impact of the piece was quite palpable. Without a doubt *Movin’ Out* still stands as one of the highlights of my career. ## What Don Holder’s *Anastasia* Collaborators Have To Say [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_5.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_5.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_5.jpg?hsLang=en) "*Anastasia* is my first collaboration with Don Holder. The first of many, I hope. I knew from the quality of his questions and observations, as he watched the first run-through, that the production was in great hands. After that, it was a haiku collaboration. There is no need to micromanage when working with a master." – Darko Tresnjak [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_6.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Anastasia_6.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Anastasia_6.jpg?hsLang=en) “During tech on Broadway I was asked a number of times if a costume was ‘new’ - different from the Hartford Stage production because it looked fresher and sparklier somehow... that was all Don Holder's doing.”   – [Linda Cho, Costume Designer](http://www.lindacho.com/416329/home/) The best way to see the collaborative work of Donald Holder and the entire *Anastasia* design team is to [book tickets to the show](http://www.anastasiabroadway.com/) – running now at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Susan Hamburger September 01, 2017 [Questions?](mailto:spectrum@rosco.com) [Entertainment Lighting](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/entertainment-lighting) ## About Susan Hamburger ### Related post [A Modern Twist Using Metallic Gold Paint](https://spectrum.rosco.com/a-modern-twist-using-metallic-gold-paint?hsLang=en) [Manufacturing Ramshackle and Distressing "Fences"](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2016/08/distressing-fences?hsLang=en) [An Ode To Paynes Grey – A Scenic Artist’s Love For Off Broadway Paint](https://spectrum.rosco.com/an-ode-to-paynes-grey-one-artists-love-of-off-broadway-paint?hsLang=en) [Monet-Inspired Masterpieces Make Their Move in "The Mikado"](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2015/06/monet-inspired-masterpieces-make-their-move-in-the-mikado?hsLang=en) ### Receive Email Alerts About New Spectrum Blog Posts! ### Categories [Architecture](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/architecture) [Dance](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/dance) [Entertainment Lighting](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/entertainment-lighting) [Film, Television and Broadcast](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/film-television-and-broadcast) [Photography](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/photography) [Rosco - The Company](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/rosco-the-company) [Scenic and Staging](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/scenic-and-staging) © 2022 Rosco Spectrum - [Home](https://spectrum.rosco.com/) - [About Spectrum](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products-3?hsLang=en) - [Featured Products](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products?hsLang=en) - [Rosco.com](https://us.rosco.com/en) - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Susan Hamburger", "url" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/author/guest_susanhamburger" }, "dateModified" : "2023-08-11T15:19:31.168Z", "datePublished" : "2017-09-01T15:45:04.000Z", "headline" : "Donald Holder Reveals The Collaborative World Of Anastasia", "image" : [ "https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Anastasia_Feature.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2017/09/donald-holder-collaborative-world-of-anastasia", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/ROSCO_WAL_H_RGB.png" }, "name" : "Rosco Laboratories" } } ```