PRG is launching a new conversation series celebrating the partnerships that power live entertainment. Each installment pairs a PRG team member with a creative partner to share their journey, lessons learned and behind-the-scenes stories.

Our first conversation brings together lighting and stage designer Adam Honoré and PRG Account Executive Josh Karp, friends and collaborators on more than 30 productions.

Based in New York since 2015, Honoré is the recipient of the 2024 Obie Award for Sustained Achievement in Lighting Design for his work on The Loney Few at Manhattan Class Company, Cats: The Jellicle Ball at Perelman PAC, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale at Classic Stage Company.

Karp, who graduated cum laude in Theatre from SUNY Geneseo, specializes in servicing theatrical projects at PRG. He continues to design as time allows, recent projects include Spring Awakening at Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC) and Matilda the Musical at Waterville Opera House in Maine.

PRG: How did you first get introduced to theatre and lighting design?

Adam: I'm originally from New Orleans, but after Katrina my family moved up to Dallas. At 11, I saw Little Shop of Horrors and rushed home to tell my mother, "I want to do that!". I was captivated but had no idea how to get involved. Then, when I got to high school, the theatre director needed some assistance on the technical side. He asked me to make some drawings of a train and a town square, which eventually became the set for The Music Man. At the time, I had no idea he was designing it!

Josh: Because I grew up not far from NYC, I was able to experience the magic of Broadway from an early age. In high school, I joined the stage crew and worked backstage at a community theatre for a whole $20 per show! Kevin Adams’ design for Spring Awakening was really what ignited the spark for me. Theatre had won me over, and I left any initial thoughts of becoming a teacher behind. Post-college, I interned at PRG in Secaucus, and that's when I realized there was an entire side of the industry I knew nothing about.

PRG: What helped you pave the way toward a career in theatre and lighting design?

Adam: At the University of Oklahoma, I lit a full three-hour Into the Woods – no cuts, just pure magic.

Later, lighting and projection designer Otto Driscoll, who was a frequent visiting professor, called me saying that he had just lost an assistant and asked if I could be in New York City the next Monday. I jumped at the chance!

PRG: Adam, are there shows that you're more inclined to design for, like musicals or plays?

Adam: People often think of me as a musical theatre guy, but it’s really half and half. Although even my plays tend to be very musical.

PRG: When did you two first meet?

Adam: I was designing the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Astoria Performing Arts Center and rented Lekos from Josh, who was at Altman Rentals then.

Josh: We emailed mostly those first couple years, but the first time we met in person was in 2018 – now Adam is one of my closest friends.

PRG: Tell us about your history working together.

Josh: Well, we’re now on show 33 together. We both started in low budget theatre -- Adam designing and me on the shop side. Once I moved over to PRG, we kept crossing paths and started teaming up. Now, it's not uncommon for me to hear about an upcoming project from Adam somewhere in the middle of sharing reels on Instagram.

Adam: Early on, I’d tell Josh, “I just need some of these instruments. And Josh would say “if you swap for these, I can get you more.”

PRG: How do you handle tight budgets?

Josh: Smaller companies are more upfront about their budgets, and Adam has a good sense of what amount of gear he can get for the money. So, with the small budgets, his requests were within the realm of possibility, substitutions were easier. It really was "you can't afford x but if you can take y instead, we can make it work ".

Adam: I know what the end-product wants to be and Josh knows all the parameters and features of the fixtures. He always asks the right questions – like “Do you need shutters?” Because that one feature can change the whole price point. We problem solve things together.

PRG: Can you describe your approach to recommending fixtures or alternatives?

Josh: I’m design-first rather than money-first. I like to understand how the equipment is being used so that I can recommend alternatives. The important things for me to know are usage and features. Within those parameters, I can come up with options. On Broadway, sometimes availability is more important than cost. If we have something available, we’ve got more wiggle room on price.

PRG: Tell us about your first big show together.

Adam: We did two congruent tours of Charlie Brown Christmas Live, which still tours to this day. I needed 100 of one fixture on a small budget and Josh was a huge help sourcing it, landing on Mac Auras. He also figured out our dance towers for those tours.

Josh: Oh my god, that was so long ago! At that point, we were investing in Auras for Broadway, so getting the approval to buy more wasn't too difficult. From what I remember, the bid process itself was straightforward.

PRG: What about memorable Broadway shows?

Adam: Chicken & Biscuits, one of the first new shows to open post-pandemic, in September 2021. American Buffalo was in the theatre (Circle in the Square) when everything shut down but they weren’t going to be ready to re-open until March, so we built the Chicken & Biscuits’ set on top of the American Buffalo set and used the lighting instruments that were already there, plus a few add-ons.

Josh: That reopening was wild, 28 shows opened on Broadway in under 12 weeks. It was a heavy lift for the shops; and the process of rehiring staff was really challenging. We supported every show as they powered back on to ensure it was show-ready after 17 months dark. Supporting American Buffalo and Chicken & Biscuits at the same time was a juggling act.

PRG: Tell us about your successes.

Adam: I cannot sing enough praise for the Purlie Victorious (Tony nominee for Best Revival of a Play) process. I went to Josh and said I need 400 pars and because I had this vision in my head of what the show would look like and how it had a very strong incandescent feel. And Josh just said “OK” I didn't have to think about anything, no crazy substitutions. It was fantastic.

Josh: When I saw the show I said, “I don't think you could fit anymore Pars in that theatre.” There were Pars on all the box booms, all the overheads, everywhere. And it was all impeccably focused.

The Loney Few is one that sticks out in my mind as well; first at the Geffen in LA and then at MCC in New York. Being able to see the LA version and then talk with Adam about what worked or what needed to change going into NY, I believed allowed Adam to achieve his vision for the show in the best way possible.

PRG: Overall, why does your collaboration work as well as it does?

Adam: Communication. With some shops, you wait a week for an email. With PRG I text Josh and Dolly (Alonso, PRG AE) and it just happens.

Josh: Adam texts me randomly saying “this show is coming. This is what I know. This is what I'm thinking.” Which is great because once I know the aesthetic he’s is going for, I can kind of build it out and start putting gear aside.

In designer-to-shop conversations, I want to hear the goal, not just the gear list. I still design and I have that designer brain– so when a designer asks me for something I respond right away by asking them, “What are you trying to achieve? “

Adam: Too often substitutions don’t match the design. So many shops don't get the nuance of theatrical lighting. What's great about Josh is that he still designs, and that makes a huge difference.

Josh: What makes my collaboration with Adam a success is the same thing that sets our Broadway team apart: our passion for, commitment to, and knowledge of the industry.

Adam’s recent projects include Oh Happy Day at The Public and Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont, both of which opened in October.