A bright future: Associate Artist Jane Lalljee shines a light on Calendar Girls 

Lighting designer Jane Lalljee is responsible for creating the visual world of the production, using light, colour and atmosphere to guide audiences through one of Britain’s best-loved stories. 

“People generally don’t think about lighting,” Jane laughs. “If you don’t notice it, that’s probably a good thing. If people notice the lighting, it’s often because something isn’t quite right.” 

Far more than simply illuminating the stage, Jane’s work helps tell the story. 

“You create atmosphere. You use colour to show whether we’re inside or outside, patterns to suggest windows or different locations, and you can focus the audience’s attention exactly where it needs to be.” 

For Calendar Girls, that subtle storytelling was particularly important. 

“People might expect a musical to be full of flashing lights and big effects, but that’s not what this show is. It’s much more understated, and I really enjoy that.” 

Her favourite moment comes during one of the show’s most emotional scenes. 

“I call it the heavenly pathway. It’s a really beautiful moment and probably my favourite in the whole production because the lighting becomes part of the storytelling.” 

The production also marks another significant achievement in Jane’s career. 

Recently announced as an Associate Artist at Stephen Joseph Theatre, where Calendar Girls the Musical began its tour, Jane describes the recognition as “an honour” and a reflection of the relationship she has built with the theatre over a number of productions. 

Originally trained as a stage manager, Jane spent two decades working backstage before deciding to specialise in lighting design in 2018. 

“I always loved the lighting side of theatre. Once I decided to focus on it, I realised I loved concentrating on making one element of a production the very best it could be.” 

Calendar Girls also presents one of the biggest technical challenges in theatre: performing in the round. 

Unlike traditional stages, where lighting can mainly come from the front, productions in the round require performers to be lit from every angle while still creating intimate, focused moments. 

“It’s much harder in the round,” Jane explains. “You’re lighting from all directions, so breaking the stage into smaller sections and creating those intimate moments becomes a real creative challenge.” 

Having previously worked at Theatre by the Lake on productions including One Man Two Guvnors, Larkrise to Candleford and returning later this year for A Christmas Carol, Jane says the venue itself continues to inspire her. 

“We spend a lot of time inside a dark theatre, but walking to work beside Derwentwater is incredible. The light over the lake is really inspirational.” 

As a lighting designer, she admits she now sees the natural world differently. 

“When sunlight breaks through the clouds, I look at it and think, ‘I’d love to recreate that on stage.'” 

For audiences, that means every shaft of sunlight, every warm glow and every poignant shadow has been carefully crafted to help tell the remarkable story of Calendar Girls the Musical. 

Credit: Interviewed by Rachel Kearns from Theatre by the Lake

Calendar Girls the Musical runs at Theatre by the Lake from Thursday 6 August – Saturday 5 September 2026.

Tickets are available now at:
Calendar Girls the musical | Theatre by the Lake, Keswick – Theatre by the Lake