Page 16 Focus – The Journal of the Association of Lighting Designers – “More art, less tools…”

It’s been many months – though it could be said years – in the making. Twenty-two years,

in fact, Andy Murrell has been growing his hair into the long blonde ponytail the lighting industry has become so used to seeing.

Often with his head in a flight case or at a production desk, London-based Andy Murrell is a world-class production electrician, associate LD and lighting designer, programmer and general all-round hard worker.

Late last year after a discussion with friends in a bar in the US it was decided by committee that now was the time for a new look. Andy says he’s been growing his hair out since he was 18 much to the displeasure of his mother.

He’d been thinking about this for a while and when the idea of a sponsored charity and the option for the hair to be used to make a wig in Matthew Bourne’s productions arose, it meant the time was finally right.

Jenny Green of Great Leap Forward along with production manager Nick Mumford set up a Facebook event and Just Giving links for two charities people could donate to. The first is Light Relief, a charity we are all familiar with, established by and for the entertainment lighting industry, and the second is The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the charity that saves lives at sea.

The task of the chop itself fell to Moira O’Connell, head of wigs on Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, currently touring the UK (www.swanlaketour.com/tour-dates).

The chop, witnessed by Andy’s family and friends, took place on the Swan Lake set at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 1 May.

At the time of writing over 80 donations had come in and the total amount raised was just over £3,000, with more than £2,000 going to Light Relief.

If you would like to donate you still can by texting SNIP69 £10 to 70070 or on the Just Giving page – and don’t forget to Gift Aid if you can: http://bit.ly/StkBxd

LIGHT RELIEFAndy Murrell finally gets the chop, reports Claire Gilligan