Certification

A new bill was just passed this morning in Texas. It was supposed to address permanent installations, but the wording, being too broad, has involved theatrical lighting designers. The bill has the potential to be interpreted so that all lighting designers, permanent or temporary, need to have a certain level of certification. (While it is a little unclear to me thus far how much certification, it seems to be an electrician or architect license.)

The original intent of the bill was to require interior designers and other lighting professionals that design permanent installations to be certified. The law currently requires them to have their drawings looked over prior to final approval by an architect or engineer. This could be a costly step for home and business owners when the extra pair of eyes is required in the process. Having a certified person design is an interesting step, and while I feel it isn’t necessary, I can see where the Texas legislature is coming from.

In another brilliant lawyer minded move however, they have cast the net too wide and caught up a series of professionals that could cause loss of jobs, not only for lighting designers, but for other theatrical professionals. What could happen to already stretched thin budgets when you have to pay for certified designers for each production? Just because you don’t give credit to a light designer in the program, doesn’t mean someone wasn’t responsible for the lighting. Now do we run into legal issues every time we have to alter light plots? This could begin the dawn of permanent repertory plots in smaller venues that can’t afford to pay for the redesign. That might be blowing it out of proportion just a tad, but I do fear the ripple effect of other states using the same language. As budgets are eaten up by higher personnel costs, the shows and companies could start to go under, which is always the fear when major costs are thrown at smaller professional and community theaters.

I don’t live in Texas, so my voice will not be of great help. If anyone in Texas is out there, please contact your governor and tell him to veto this bill. (Like I said before, it passed this morning [5/27/09]) Have them change the language of the bill to cover only the permanent installations and to leave the temporary lighting exempt. And those of us in New York can hope they don’t follow Texas in the wording of this bill, and if they do, please be prepared to make the necessary calls!