gerald KING

Lighting Designer

Bad Parent, No Child…, One Hour Photo

‬I am writing to wholeheartedly recommend Harika Xu for the position of Lighting‬ Designer. Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of working with‬ Harika on multiple occasions, and she has consistently proven herself to be an‬ invaluable member of our lighting teams.‬

‭ Harika is not only intensely focused but also an exceptional problem solver. Her‬ creativity and dedication shine through in every project she undertakes. I had‬ the unique opportunity to work alongside her on a theater play that was being‬ adapted into a film. Watching her develop lighting concepts was truly‬ inspiring—she brought a sense of magic and fascination to her designs. The final‬ result on camera was breathtaking, and both the directors and producers were‬ beyond impressed with her work.‬

‭ Harika’s talent, professionalism, and passion for her craft make her an‬ outstanding candidate for this role. I do not doubt that she will excel and bring‬ immense value to your team.‬‭ (April 2, 2025)

ERIKA babins

Manager, Theatre, Music & Film

Arts Umbrella

Director, Hadestown Teen Edition

Director, Tuck Everlasting

It is with unbridled enthusiasm that I recommend you hire Harika Xu as your lighting designer for your next project. I have had the utmost pleasure of working as the director on a project that Harika designed the lights for twice, Tuck Everlasting (April 2022) and Hadestown: Teen Edition (March 2025). In both instances her lighting design elevated the projects far beyond my expectations.

As a director, it is thrilling to work with designers who put so much care and detail into the project. For Hadestown in particular, I set her up with a daunting task as our set design and staging not only removed all the masking from the theatre, effectively increasing the playing, and light-able, space by 50%, I also utilized the audience aisles, and entrance alcove in from the lobby. Harika took it all in stride and in collaboration with our Theatre Manager devised clever and effective solutions for each challenge. Be it by pulling down the cyc lights (since we also used the cyc lights) to create footlights along the upstage wall for epic backlighting effects, or hanging an Astera wireless off the overhang in the lobby so that when the lobby door magically opens and characters enter and exit, the door is lit through from behind.

While highly skilled on her own, she created lighting looks in both Tuck Everlasting and Hadestown that made audience members gasp, Harika is also a masterful collaborator. She makes everyone look fantastic and allows her lighting decisions to highlight the work of the other designers in the room. For example, our mysterious Fates in Hadestown were in light grey and white costumes and she took full advantage by saturating their dresses with intense colour while lighting their faces so they can be seen while they sing.

Harika has set a high bar for herself that she consistently meets and our productions are all the richer for having her contribute her eye and technical abilities to them. She would be an asset to any production and I hope to work with her again soon. (March 21, 2025)

rOBERT GARDINER

Emeritus Professor

Department of Theatre and Film, The University of British Columbia

Lighting and Projection Design Advisor, Wives and Daughters

Ms. Xu completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of BC several years ago in design and production for theatre and has been designing lights and projections in Canada since then. I taught Ms. Xu in several courses and was her advisor for lighting projects she undertook while at UBC.

Harika was an outstanding student, among the top 5% of graduates during my 35 - year tenure. She's a highly disciplined worker, a talented designer, and a thoughtful and pleasant person. She's very well - organized, a good leader, and one of the most determined individuals I've ever encountered, successfully dealing with the many challenges arising from an arts career on two continents.

Her principal interests and accomplishments are in projection and lighting design. Her skills with software and equipment are outstanding, and I'm confident she has the drive, commitment, and talent to succeed at the highest professional levels. (March 15, 2025)

andy toth

Artistic Director, Theatre, Music, & Film

Arts Umbrella

Associate Music Director, Hadestown Teen Edition

Director, The SpongeBob Musical

Harika Xu, is a truly exceptional lighting designer whose talent, professionalism, and creativity were pivotal in our recent production of Hadestown, Teen Edition (Feb/Mar, 2025), and other projects over the past few years. Harika has consistently demonstrated extreme proficiency with colour, light and shadow, crafting visually stunning compositions that elevated our storytelling, without upstaging. Her keen and courageous eye for color, texture, movement, and timing has enhanced every moment on stage, co-creating deeply moving, immersive experiences for audiences, especially in our musicals. Technically, she has showed an advanced understanding of our ETC lighting system and integration with other technologies, analogue and digital.

Harika works subtly but boldly. Her time is spent quietly carving out the visual landscape and subtly redefining it as she winds through each step of her collaborative, creative process. She is clear and collaborative in her communication with directors, scenic designers, and stage management, warmly adapting their work to serve the production’s vision while offering valuable creative input and a staunch commitment to detail in the final product. Her results are respectful relationships and bold lightscapes that seem almost indistinguishable from the other work on the stage, as if it all was always meant to be.

Whether adjusting to last-minute scenic changes or troubleshooting complex transitions, Harika has always remained composed and solution-oriented. I wholeheartedly recommend Harika for any production requiring an outstanding lighting designer. Her courage, collaboration and creativity will absolutely elevate any project. (March 13, 2025)

john reilly

Production Manager

Theatre NorthWest

I have worked with Harika on a number of shows now at Theatre NorthWest and found her an absolute pleasure to work with.  She is deeply conscientious and detailed in her work, while remaining flexible to the Director and other Designers needs.  Her artistry is obvious while maintaining the fundamentals.  I would highly recommend Harika for any production that you have coming up.  We will be using her again. (March 12, 2025)