Wolfgang Göbbel was a giant in the world of lighting design. An artist who set the benchmark for modern lighting design, his work earned him acclaim worldwide. Wolfgang's work is so extensive, encompassing so many of the world's leading theatres, opera houses and festivals, and involving so many major theatre artists, that it is almost easier to list the places he has not worked. Terms such as legend and genius are overused but can rightly be used in relation to Wolfgang’s work. He worked with many great directors, Michael Boyd at the RSC, Keith Warner, Richard Jones, David Alden, Graham Vick all over the world and was most associated with David Fielding, Antony McDonald, and Walter Sutcliffe at The Grange.

Among his most important productions are The Second Mrs Kong and Katja Kabanova as well as Jenufa in Glyndebourne; Time and the Room and Happy End in Nottingham; Un ballo in maschera, La Wally and Mazeppa for Bregenz Festival; A Masked Ball and Ariodante at ENO; King Arthur at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris; Das Rheingold in Tokyo; Three Sisters, Triumph der Liebe and Hamlet at the Berliner Schaubühne; Carmen and Ariadne auf Naxos in Brussels; Die Dreigroschenoper and Titus Andronicus at Playhouse Cologne; Intimate Exchanges in Berlin; Samson et Dalila and Das Rheingold in Glasgow; Elektra in Essen; Bluebeard’s Castle in Mannheim; The Love for three Oranges in Stuttgart; The Cherry Orchard and Libussa at the Salzburg Festival; Der Ring des Nibelungen in Amsterdam.

Wolfgang loved working at The Grange. His first involvement was as lighting consultant during the design of the opera house. In his is first season in 2004 he lit La Cenerentola, The Enchantress and Wonderful Town; 2006 Thais, Le Nozze di Figaro; 2008 Rusalka; 2009 Eliogabalo, The Cunning Little Vixen and Norma; 2010 The Love for Three Oranges; 2011 Rusalka and Tristan und Isolde; 2018 Agrippina.

In 1997 he was nominated for the Lawrence Olivier Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Opera” (Best lighting design Tristan and Isolde at the ENO and Midsummer Marriage at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden). His production of Schnitzler`s Le chemin solitaire won the French award named Molière for “Best Production”. Paul Bunyan and Tristan und Isolde won the Olivier Award for “Best Production” and King Arthur and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg the Evening Standard Award.

He taught lighting design at the Theaterakademie August Everding in Munich.

Michael Moody | Chief Operations Officer