Here is a selection of lighting design press reviews:
..can be turned into nocturnal starscape panoramas by Ben Payne’s lighting, showing nights that are beautiful or sinister.
reviewsgate.com, Grapes of Wrath, 2010
Music, lighting, the Old Master stage picture, and of course the performances, all came together to marvellous effect, and sent us out shattered into the clear air of Colchester.
thepublicreviews.com, Grapes of Wrath, 2010
Ben Payne’s lighting shifts us between the hours and between the thousands of miles travelled by the migrant families fleeing the dustbowl states of America’s mid-West for the promised land with its orange groves of California in the 1930s. It includes a superb night sky.
What’s on Stage.com, Grapes of Wrath, 2010
The quality of this production is enhanced by a set designed by Maurice Rubens and lighting by Ben Payne.
David Green, EADT, Dangerous Obsession, 2010
The characters emerge out of a dark, brooding background, sombrely lit by Ben Payne.
Michael Billington The Guardian, Heldenplatz, 2010
…..where cold light slants in on precisely placed furnishings and crockery.
The Times, Heldenplatz, 2010
Cold light (designer: Ben Payne) pours onto a sparsely-set space through the isolated window that’s the main feature of Iona McLeish’s design
…latterly set in a park suggested by an ice-like, pond-shaped surface and a relative distantly glimpsed in a spot of light…
Reviews Gate, Heldenplatz, 2010
…The dream-like spaces are impressive, atmospherically lit, with sound and smoke adding to the filmic effect….
What’s on Stage, Depot, 2009
…on a beautifully lit lakeside house….
The Stage, Waters Edge, 2009
…subtle day and dusk lighting….
Spoonfed.co.uk, Waters Edge, 2009
…In the latkeside stillness, beautifully lit by Ben Payne everything that’s hidden gets drawn into the light.
London Theatre Blog, Waters Edge, 2009
…a stunning visual treat that would not be out of place in a major, big-budget theatre.
The Stage Newspaper, Aladdin, 2008
… and Ben Payne’s lighting brings Africa to the Oval House in a quite remarkable way.
UK Theatre Web, Yours Abundantly, 2008
…the English scenes set on a horizontal disc, in a different world from the tilted disc around, makes its own point. As does Ben Payne’s lighting, fading to leave the final words spoken in the dark.
Review’s Gate, Yours Abundantly, 2008
the set is moody, swathed in orange lighting evoking an ethnic African feel.
British Theatre Review, Yours Abundantly, 2008
….benefiting from Maurice Rubens well-designed set with its backdrop of a big sky fully exploited by lighting designer Ben Payne
East Anglian Daily Times, Murder Mistaken, 2008
…. the sets, the costumes and lighting all worked really well….
Staffordshire Newsletter, Jack and the Beanstalk 2008
….high praise for the fantastic costumes as does the lighting designer, Ben Payne, for bathing the stage in warm golden light for fairyland scenes.
….The scene set in the Pool of Beauty is also visually stunning. The courtroom scene in Gooseland itself, however, is striking.
Irish Times – Mother Goose, Dublin, December 2006
….with all the colour and flair of the festive season captured in a witty and engaging spectacle.
RTE- Mother Goose, Dublin, December 2006
The Pool where Mother Goose achieves her heart’s desire of youth and beauty (shades of H Rider Haggard’s She) was a real visual treat.
Irish Independent – Mother Goose, Dublin, December 2006
The company took charge of this momentum with professional ease, aided by a stylish set, wonderfully atmospheric lighting and a terrific orchestra.
Cambridge Evening News – Jekyll and Hyde, June 2006
Special mention should go to lighting designer Ben Payne, not least for his expertise in the brilliant silhouette scene.
The Stage Newspaper – Dames at Sea, August 2005
These summer productions are traditionally used to help a young designer begin a career with a reasonable budget in a major theatre – and Rosie Alabaster stepped upto the challenge with some stunning production design, aided by excellent lighting work from Ben Payne.
Cambridge Evening News – The Tempest, June 2005
Director David Warwick, set designer Maurice Rubens and lighting designer Ben Payne have combined to create a magnificent backdrop for the action.
East Anglian Daily Times – I’ll be back before Midnight, September 2001
The action takes place in the three rooms occupied by the old ladies and the magnificent set, designed by Maurice Rubens and lit by Ben Payne, add to an extremely enjoyable evening’s entertainment.
East Anglian Daily Times – The Old Ladies, June 2001
Shadows Are all the scenery play needs.
Eastern Daily Press – Murder in the Cathedral, March 2001