San Francisco Chronicle

"Les Liaisons Dangereuses"

Lighting Designer Robert Cardana casts some telling shadows of his own, with a palette that moves from an intimate bedroom glow to the harsh glare of the sitting rooms.

Dallas Morning News

"Ballad of the Sad Cafe"

As often with the case with the Addison, Ballad is another small-scale argument for theater as design.  Robert Kruger's set, like his design for the recent Art of Dining, is meticulous and fascinating, and Robert Cardana's lighting is textured and exquisite...  

...In contrast, Kruger's set and Cardana's lighting are marvels of precision and naturalism.  With Ballad and the Art of Dining, Kruger has joined the ranks of Dallas' best set designers, he has recreated the front half of a backwoods general store complete with some of the backwoods.  There's most of a full sized tree inside the theater, and we sit in the gravel of the road in front of the store. Everything is distressed and dusty, and antique and rusted.  The thick southern atmosphere is particular evoked in scenes that are sometimes lit by a single, flickering oil lamp casting long shadows across the gravel and weathered wood.  

Dallas Observer

Thanks to Robert Cardana's lighting design, the set doesn't give up all its secrets at once but seems to change with each twist of the action...

The Daily Review

"The King and I"

Robert Cardana's spectacular lighting deserves special mention on its own.  ... Cardana has outdone himself with "The King and I" using greens, blues and myriad other colors throughout the show in addition to a lovely silhouetted dance scene. 

"Equus"

...Technical director Robert Cardana's interpreted the playwright's design instructions imaginatively: On his nocturnal sexual rides, Strang rides his horse (and the blinded horses later drive Strang) into a vortex created with well-calculated lighting and a suspended aluminum sculpture that actually improve on Shaffer's prescribed revolving stage.

Quotes and Feedback for Robert Cardana

From students:

"Thank you for making me a (team) leader for the load-in (at Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival) It was a great experience to be able to lead others and take charge. I didn't think I could do it. Your work ethic and ambition/effort really resonated with our department."

"You have been helpful beyond belief."

"Thank you seems too small of a meaning to truly convey how grateful I am for your help and patient understanding."

"I want to thank you for all your help with the show and guidance last year, you truly inspired me to go out and achieve new goals that I set for myself and work on my time management..."

(From another team leader) As overwhelming as it was, I was happy to take on such big responsibilities and really enjoyed it."

"You did so many things that you didn't have to do like drive our directing class to New York. That was very generous of you and I am very grateful."

"Thank you for pushing me to "get it done" by starting my website and finishing a project in 3 days. I would love to work with you again. You really did go above and beyond."

"Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this production and this semester. I'm not sure if words can describe how much we appreciate you, Bob. I hope to see you before you leave, and I'm certain Titus feels the same.
You have been an invaluable resource, and we will all miss you dearly. 
Thank you once again, for everything  

"I'm so grateful to have had the opportunities that we've had, to work together this year. Not only are you an unspeakably kind soul, you have an artistic vision unmatched by any I've seen so far. I can't thank you enough for your research, and dedication to my solo dance. You truly brought the piece to life.  I hope for the faculty's sake and the student's sake that you stick around or a long time.  Both you and your work are incredible."


From colleagues:

"When I am asked about Bob, I tend to start with "he goes above and beyond"… Bob has been a great collaborator and colleague because he cares about being a good colleague and he cares about how and what we are teaching students. He looks for opportunities to model best practices for students and to present them possibilities, but to then make sure that the students have the chance to make the decisions in their creative practices. He looks for opportunities to challenge students to think creatively and to applaud them when they make great choices.

"As a lighting designer, Bob brought great ideas to the table. For Neighborhood 3, we had the challenge of creating "the virtual reality of a video game or suburbia" for the production. Bob was incredibly creative in finding possible solutions. His proposal to include projections as an active part of the lighting design became an incredibly rich part of this video game/suburbia world. The respondents from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival loved that the production was "one complete design idea" and the lights and projects were a vital part of this unified world. (The production was selected to be performed this coming January at the regional festival.)

"You are fantastic to work with. You are very organized, punctual and communicate well. I feel that I always know what you want from me and what I can expect from you. I never hesitate to ask volunteers to work with you as I know you will treat them in a respectful manner. I don't feel that I do as much for you as you do for me. 


"Bob is great to work with. He is easy to get along with and a supportive collaborator. He came up with great ideas on his own and was also willing to respect and incorporate ideas of the designer or producer. He was very well organized, efficient and conscientious and his attention to detail and willingness to work long and hard showed how much he really cared about whatever he was creating... He is the kind of person who serves as an excellent role model for students, now only in terms of the skills and knowledge he possesses, but also in who he is."


Random Feed Back - Quotes

Omg! You are fantastic to work with. 

You are very fast at getting things done. If I worked with you daily I am not sure I could keep up with that speed but I think if I explained this that you would be willing to accommodate.

Great communicator
Easy to understand
Clear 
Optimistic & Positive
Idea Driven
Motivated
Good Team Captain but, not afraid of jumping in and doing the "dirty work" too

Sample Design Portfolio - Robert Cardana
Scenic Designer, Lighting Designer,
Technical Director               

     Robert Cardana            (406) 889-5290                bob@cardana.net