SIMON
KELAITA

Simon Kelaita is a lighting designer based in Utrecht, working in theatre and live music. His approach is shaped by years on the road as a touring lighting technician and programmer—experience that taught him what light needs to do in a room, not just what it should look like.

As a musician himself, Simon brings a performer's sensibility to lighting design. He cues on musical moments, speaks rehearsal-room language, and understands the relationship between light, sound, and timing from the inside. This has made him a key collaborator on productions like Släpstick's The Roaring Twenties (extensive BeNeLux theatre tour, 100+ fixture rig, fly bar operations) and SPAfrica (Studio Julian Hetzel), where lighting needed to breathe with the performance.

His touring work has taken him to festivals including Santarcangelo (IT), SPRING (NL), Impulse (DE), Donau (AT), and venues across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and beyond. He spent four years programming and operating at ADE Pro, one of Europe's largest electronic music festivals. He works fluently with ETC Eos and grandMA2 systems.

Alongside lighting, Simon performs as a musician (baritone saxophone, ILPA—a psychedelic punk jazz band that plays in animal masks) and creates experimental video work. Both practices inform his approach to light: improvisational, textural, and rooted in the energy of live performance.