We had the good fortune of connecting with Ian Carney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
I actually have two favorite quotes. “Wherever you go in the world you wear your countries flag on your back” – Greg Norman. This really hit home for me as our company Lightwire Theater began traveling internationally in 2010. We have had the opportunity to travel extensively in Asia, Europe, South America and the UAE. Besides the joy of sharing our art with the world we also realized the opportunity to be an ambassador for our country.

The second quote is “There is nothing more less chic that an excuse”- Isaac Mizrahi. I think there is no explanation needed for this quote!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Our art is a combination of dance, puppetry and technology. We tell full length stories wordlessly to a family audience. What makes us different would have to be the fact that the show uses a technology called EL wire which glows in the dark. Each character is a complicated maze of switches and dimmers which we build, then operate onstage ourselves, no computers involved. I am most excited that we have gotten to travel the world to affect people from so many countries that don’t speak English. Our ballet background made it so that we never used words in the telling of our stories, this means nothing is in the way. Language, much more than ideology, is the main thing that separates us as humans. We all understand the language of dance. I got to where I am today with a combination of hard work, a unique idea, and luck. Remember luck is when preparation meets opportunity. If I had not met Twyla Tharp in 2002 exactly when she was about to produce the hit Broadway show Movin Out, I would not have met Corbin Popp and we would have never founded Lightwire Theater. Thin threads or “luck” hold all this hard work and “talent” together.

One main lesson that I learned early on in our company was that no matter how cool you look, you have to tell a great story. Being pretty only gets you 5 minutes of an audience’s attention, after that you need substance. Because our puppets and costumes tend to be visually stimulating this is a trap that could be easy to fall into.

Lightwire Theater is homegrown. We produce everything in house that we can. We do the photography, video promos, costuming, puppetry, writing, choreography, set design and tech. I am very proud of this and want our audiences to know when they see our shows, they see something really made by us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New Orleans is a city with a rich history, beautiful architecture, fantastic food, amazing music and art. I like to take my visitors to the French Quater to eat at one of the many fabulous restaurants:
The Napoleon House or The Carousel Bar for drinks. Acme or Felix’s Oyster bar for oysters. Any one of the Brennan’s restaurants for dinner. Cafe Du Mode for Cafe Au Lait and Beignets.
For Music either Preservation Hall or many of the venues on Frenchman St.
I send them on a Streetcar ride uptown on St Charles St to see the oak lined streets and stately homes.
Then I like to get them outside the city to see the plantations and perhaps a swamp tour.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my wife Eleanor Carney. Eleanor saw through all the mess of making our puppets in the living room of our tiny apt in NYC. She somehow was on board with wearing 20 lbs. of costume and glowing in the dark from previously being a ballerina. She became the co-writer of all our shows and an amazing executive director. Secondly, I want to thank the other couple who began and founded Lightwire Theater 12 years ago. Corbin and Whitney Popp who I met from dancing in the Broadway show Movin’ Out. The four of us were the seed, the beginning and the start. Money had not polluted the process yet. We only did it because we loved the art and the creation of something new. That is a very special moment in any companies’ evolution. After our first show they had twins and Corbin became a successful dentist with his own practice. He still is an important influence in my life and to Lightwire Theater.

Website: Lightwiretheater.com

Instagram: Lightwire Theater

Facebook: Lightwire Theater

Youtube: Lightwire Theater

Image Credits
Ian Carney Eleanor Carney I certify that we have the rights for all photos

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