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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
IT must have been written in the stars from the get-go and the only ignition that lighting designer Mildred “Lighting Bae” Moyo needed was to follow her passion for lighting.
Such a move has led her to bask in glory as she moved to London last year to pursue a Master in Light and Performance at Rose Bruford College, a first of its kind as such a scholarship has never been conferred to anyone.
From humble beginnings in Bulawayo, Moyo has solidified her worth in the lighting design sector as the first person to get the internship programme.
Her exploits in facilitating virtual Lighting Design masterclasses during the lockdown in 2020 earned her respect and recognition from lighting designers Patrick Woodroffe, Paule Constable and Hansjorg Schmidt, programme director of Rose Bruford College’s MA Light in Performance course.
In an interview with this publication from the Royal Opera House, Moyo unpacked the history and perks of her historic academic programme.
“This internship scholarship that I was awarded was created for me. It was tailor-made for me as I’m the first recipient of this kind of programme. I met Hansjörg Schmidt, the programme director from Rose Bruford College who told me about their MA Lighting course and I said I’d love to come if I could raise the necessary funds to secure a visa.
“I wasn’t able to go in 2021, but last year, Rose Bruford College emailed me to say they were giving me a full scholarship in Patrick’s name to waive my fees. I wept for two days. So, then I had to raise £12,000 for my upkeep.
“Unknown to me, Patrick and Paule reached out to the industry and raised £5,000 towards my expenses. I just cried when they told me; nobody had ever believed in me before. So here I am, still trying to process it all,” she shared.
The dam burst when Moyo was offered the programme last year and annually, Rose Bruford College will be awarding the scholarship to other financially-constrained, but academically-gifted individuals from Africa to afford them a chance to study at the institution.
Last year, Moyo was Associate Lighting Designer on The Famous Five play and recently she got an offer for the role of Associate Lighting Designer on Dixon and Daughters where she will be working under the tutelage of a decorated lighting designer, Paule Constable.
Through the scholarship programme, Moyo has had the privilege to meet her hero, Patrick Woodroffe, and the pair will be working together soon.
Moyo is at the Royal Opera House where she is working with the senior production lighting manager Rob Marsh, something she enjoys a lot. – @eMKlass_49
Online Reporter