Making every moment shine. Immersive and story-driven design.
With crafty motifs and dynamic emphasis, my approach to lighting design is all about enhancing existing intention and adding the finesse that truly captivates audiences. Disguising all the tricks and technical knowledge in seamless sequences for dramatic scenes all the way through to massive musical moments, my design creates unforgettable moments that wouldn’t be the same otherwise. Visual storytelling is an integral way to communicate with your audience, making moments impact longer and stronger. With critically acclaimed experience across theatre, dance, cabaret, and drag, I am excited to bring your next project to life!
Galleries
2026 - Cleopatra & Antony - Melbourne Shakespeare Company
2026 - Sweet Charity - Heirlume Productions
2026 - The Irreducible - Blank Space Productions
2026 - Bev and Myrt and the Scrolling of Doom - How Delightful Theatre
2026 - Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens - Heirlume Productions
2025 - The Breath of Kings - Burning House Theatre Company
2025 - Punk Rock - Lunatix Theatre
2025 - Close, But No Cigar - Silent Sky Collective
2024 - Metamorphosis - Haus of Coco
2024 - What's In The Woods? - Brymore Productions
2024 - The Wolves - Ad Astra
2023 - The Bed Party - PIP Theatre
2023 - BARRIERS - Theatre Punk Co.
2023 - The Tempest - QUT
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2026 | Lighting Designer | Patchwork Dreaming - Monash University & Melbourne Fringe, Dir. Elizabeth Walley
2026 | Lighting Designer | Horse Play - Theatre Punk Co. & Melbourne Fringe, Dir. Jordon Riley
2026 | Assistant Lighting Designer | Cleopatra & Antony - Melbourne Shakespeare Company, Dir. Sonya Suares & LD. Rob Sowinski
2026 | Associate Lighting Designer | Sweet Charity - Heirlume Productions & Chapel off Chapel, Dir. Madison Lee & LD. Ruben Laine
2026 | Lighting Designer | The Irreducible - Blank Space Productions & Theatre Works, Dir. Cohan
2026 | Lighting Designer | Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens - Heirlume Productions & Midsumma Festival, Dir. Jesse Matthews
2026 | Lighting Designer | Bev & Myrt and The Scrolling of Doom - How Delightful Theatre & Midsumma Festival, Dir. Cale Dennis
2025 | Lighting Designer | Breath of Kings - Burning House Theatre & Theatre Works, Dir. Robert Johnson
2025 | Lighting Designer | Punk Rock - Lunatix Theatre & Meat Market, Dir. Jay Wood
2025 | Lighting & Set Designer | Close, But No Cigar - Silent Sky Collective, Dir. Cale Dennis
2024 | Lighting Designer | Unseen Threads - Queensland University of Technology, Dir. Jonathan O’Brien
2024 | Lighting Designer | The Wolves - Ad Astra, Dir. Caitlin Hill
2024 | Festival Designer & Technician | The Backbone Festival (Including Metamorphosis & What’s In The Woods) - Backbone Youth Arts, Dir. Various
2023 | Festival Designer & Technician | The Toucan Club - PIP Theatre, Dir. Various
2023 | Lighting Designer | The Bed Party - PIP Theatre, Dir. Sophia Davidson-Gluyas
2023 | Lighting Designer | BARRIERS - Theatre Punk Co., Dir. Jason Damot
2023 | Production Designer | The Tempest - Queensland University of Technology, Dir. Dan Gough
2022 | Lighting Designer | The Violent Outburt That Drew Me To You - Underground Theatre Company, Dir. Keng Tan
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2025 | The Stage Buzzies - Best Comedic Play (Nominee) | Close, But No Cigar
2025 | Theatre Haus - Top Nominee for People’s Choice | Close, But No Cigar
2023 & 2024 | Queensland University of Technology - Dean’s Commendation for Academic Excellence | Various Productions
2023 | Theatre Haus - Top Nominee for People’s Choice | The Bed Party
2022 | Theatre Haus - Top Nominee for People’s Choice | The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You
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The Irreducible | Review by Heavy Magazine - “ The cool lighting design is the work of Cale Dennis, with Jason Sridher being the lighting technician.” | Read Full Review
Bev & Myrt and The Scrolling of Doom | Review by What’s The Show - “The sound and lighting design never missed a beat either, which is a testament to just how much work was put into this show by the entire cast and crew.” | Read Full Review
Breath of Kings | Review by Melbourne Observer - “Judicious use of light (Cale Dennis) and sound (Liam Sharpe) accentuates moments when needed.” | Read Full Review
Punk Rock | Review by The Theatre.au - “A shoutout must also go to the lighting design by Cale Dennis, it is not particularly complicated but brings the intensity during the appropriate moments.” | Read Full Review
Close, But No Cigar | Review by Stage Buzz Brisbane - “The lighting design was also worth a round of applause. White lights dominated, in keeping with the aesthetic, but there were dramatic red spotlights during the moments of accusation, and one absolutely brilliant lighting trick that made a section of the stage look like a window with venetian blinds – like you were peeking out of the shadowy detective’s office (or WE were peeking in). Add to that some effective blackouts and old-timey music pre-show, and the immersion was complete before a single line was spoken.” | Read Full Review
The Wolves | Review by Stage Door Podcast - “The effective use of blackouts and overall lighting design by Cale Dennis and Madelyne Leite enhanced key moments of the production very effectively. The dance scene photo stood out in particular, with flashes and pulses of visuals, paired with the girls posing with orange peels in their mouth.” | Read Full Review
The Wolves | Review by Blue Curtains Brisbane - “Cale Dennis’ lighting design is used to effect, especially in its black back into the imagery of respective character journeys and themes, including concluding fallout after an initially enigmatic ‘it’ happens before the final game.” | Read Full Review
The Wolves | Review by Backstreet Brisbane - “Cale Dennis’ lighting design was memorable, creating the impression of stadium lighting and also used to cut scenes and reveal character in a striking and impactful way.” | Read Full Review
The Bed Party | Review by Backstreet Brisbane - “Lighting design by Cale Dennis added dynamism and contributed to the authentic setting of an Australian sharehouse bedroom.” | Read Full Review