(PHOTO CREDIT: In the Heights summer ’22 La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts TAKE Creative – Header photo)

Written by Patrick Chavis

If you’ve found yourself at a local production at Cypress College, LA Mirada Theater of the Performing Arts, or the Geffen in Westwood — to name a few venues — then you’ve probably been exposed, pun intended, to Donny Jackson’s light artistry. Jackson is SoCal native who grew up in Torrance, CA. He earned a degree from UCLA and trained under Tony-winning designer Neil Jampolis. Jackson has lit theatrical stages in the SoCal area for over a decade. He has also mentored many emerging Lighting Designers and theater professionals as a teacher at Cypress College.

Intro:

My first exposure to Donny’s work was during a production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights at the LA Miranda Theater for the Performing Arts in 2022. You can check out my review here. It was such an inspired production of the material. The stylized lighting took every single scene to the next level. After production, I was not only stunned by how I much I really enjoyed it. But it was also one of those rare times as a critic when I was blown away and gave the production one of the few 10/10s I’ve ever given.

Gorgeous! (PHOTO CREDIT: In the Heights summer ’22 La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts TAKE Creative – Header photo)

I have no regrets about the rating. It was a masterpiece, and Jackson’s lighting was pivotal in that process. There’s a sequence in the show, particularly the dancing, that is colorful and alive, yet so clear. Jackson won the OCR Award for Best Lighting that year and, throughout his career, has received recognition for Stagescene LA, an NAACP award, and multiple Broadway World awards, all at age 42.

College Theatre and on:

Besides his work at Cypress College as the Theatre Department Chair, he is also head of Technical Theatre & Design. He’s still very active in the professional theatre space. At the time of the interview, he was working on August Wilson’s beloved play, Gem of the Ocean, at the Long Beach Playhouse. Luckily, we were able to find some time to chat over Zoom about lighting, theatre, and the local scene.

“Let me tell you, I didn’t think I would be teaching until right around now, right around [42]. I did not expect it at 29,” said Jackson. 

Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 from fall ’24 by Francis Gacad. Cypress College Theatre

Jackson explained that while he had always planned to go into teaching at some point, starting in his late 20s was not part of the plan.  There was a part-time position. The original teacher was vacating the position, so Jackson took over and taught the lighting class for four years.

“After my first or second time doing it (teaching lighting), I asked if they would ever need someone to teach an intro to theater. And at some point, I did all three sections of intro to theater [in] one semester. So I was doing lighting in the fall, and then I was doing all the intro classes in the spring.

As the intro class is the main class most people usually take. Jackson began getting to know the students on campus quite well, particularly those interested in theatre. The previous Technical Theatre & Design teacher, Barbara Meyer, was retiring, and Jackson applied for the position and has served in it ever since.

photo of Into the Woods from fall ’25 by Ryella Zar. Cypress College Theatre

Thoughts on College Performances:

Jackson explained that lighting for the college audience required a different approach.

“I’m lighting for an audience that has never been to the theater and is initially resistant to it.”

He explained that it’s a mixed bag more than usual at these college performances, and if they’re bored, they probably aren’t coming back. For this reason, he insisted that he tries to enhance things more than he might at a professional gig.

“We did 12 Angry jurors, and that’s pretty much a lights up, lights down. I told the director, we might want to think about enhancing some of these flashback moments that they’re talking about and really playing those up.”

Jackson made a very good point that family culture and the affordability of theater are barriers to getting people interested in theater. As a first touchpoint for many people. They want to make the experience as entertaining as possible to create future theatre patrons. He explained that they do two shows a semester, and that’s their chance to make an impact. If they don’t make an impact, the audience member most likely doesn’t come back. He believes it’s an unfair challenge because theatre is multifaceted. There are many types of theatre, and it can sometimes take multiple visits to figure out what you enjoy.

Jackson was very passionate and vocal during the call about the impact colleges have on the future of theatre.

“Most of the theater in this country is in the schools,” said Jackson.

Gem of the Ocean (winter ’26 by Mike Hardy) Long Beach Playhouse

Importance of the Contemporary:

He believes in looking at what young people are creating now and asking the important questions. What are they doing with it? What are they interested in? Jackson has no problem with revivals and is a fan. He did emphasize the importance of enabling students to create in the now, rather than being held too firmly to the past. He explained that the plays in the theatre canon weren’t considered classics when they were first performed. Jackson used examples such as Death of a Salesman, an Arthur Miller play, and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, both contemporary works that were added to the theatre canon.

“We need to look at the contemporary work and say, what are the current conversations? I think I know what they are. But what are the current conversations? And what is it they want to talk about, because that’s what’s going to keep it [Theatre] alive.”

In 2026, Jackson worked on Gem of the Ocean at the Long Beach Playhouse and finished a very successful run of the Fairview at the award-winning Rogue Machine Theatre on Melrose.  You can follow Jackson on his personal web page and on the www.CypressCollegeTheatre.com