#23: Benjamin Cisterne on lighting Forever & Ever

“There’s not a lot of rules to it. There probably used to be rules, but people such as Graeme Murphy broke all of them. To me, a production is successful when it’s highly finessed. With Forever & Ever, every single person was putting in the extra time to get it laser sharp.

“I’ve been working with the choreographer Antony Hamilton for years and our early works together were pretty rock and roll, whereas Sydney Dance Company dancers are unbelievably tight. Watching them perform is kind of like watching a film. Sometimes it’s right on the edge of tipping over into being a shiny car, of being too perfect, and that’s what keeps things electrifying.”

Antony Hamilton’s ‘Forever & Ever’. Photo by Pedro Greig.

Antony Hamilton’s ‘Forever & Ever’. Photo by Pedro Greig.

Antony Hamilton won Best Choreography in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production for Forever & Ever at The Helpmann Awards in 2019. Read about his choreographic process here.

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