Clare Roche, Master Electrician, Brightens Lifeline With New Lights!

Lifeline is excited to welcome back Clare Roche for another season as Lifeline’s master electrician.   Clare hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and became interested in theater in high school while watching it from the orchestra pit.  As a violin player, Clare always played for the high school musicals.  When her school produced Man of La Mancha, it turned out there was no violin part.  When Clare heard the production needed a light board operator, she volunteered for the job and the rest — as they say — is history.  Clare graduated from Loyola University with a Theatre degree and first came to Lifeline as the stage manager for the Fall 2010 production of The 13 Clocks. She assumed the role of master electrician later that season with Hunger and How to Survive a Fairy Tale.  In addition to working at Lifeline, Clare is part-time faculty at Loyola University’s Theatre Department, where she serves as the Lighting and Sound Supervisor.  She also works as production manager for 500 Clown and as production manager for sound designer Mikhail Fiksel.

Clare recently alerted us to a super-affordable lighting upgrade opportunity through her connection to Loyola University.  Loyola is in the process of opening two new theaters and with that overhaul, Clare  secured 35 lights and 36 circuits for Lifeline that Loyola has replaced with new equipment.  The equipment  is a welcome replacement for our 1960’s era lighting instruments.

Some of the Lifeline lights that have been replaced are still in good working order but just not right for Lifeline.  These working lights will not go to waste, thanks also to Clare, who has identified homes for them.  Two of Lifeline’s storytellers and former interns, Jessica Wright Buha and Tiffany Keane, are producing new work in small spaces and these lights will serve them well.

Our thanks to Clare and Loyola for making possible an improvement we never would have been able to afford.  And our double thanks that she saw a way to pay it forward and send our best old lights on to younger companies.

Clare is a woman of many talents, a tenacious problem-solver, a thoughtful collaborator and a perpetual sunny spirit.  We are lucky to have her on the Lifeline team.

Artistic Director