Early in his career, this Canadian-born designer supplemented his income from lighting local bands by working in catering. As the demand for his services as a LD grew, he stepped away from the kitchen — but even today, his passion for all things culinary remains as strong as ever.

This abiding interest in cooking is understandable when one looks at how Alex Mungal has approached his work designing some of the most memorable shows in recent years for artists like A Day To Remember, Disturbed, Motionless in White, Falling In Reverse, and others. Like a master chef, who takes disparate ingredients, and through the application of intense heat, transforms them into something greater than they would ever be on their own, Mungal works his own kind of alchemy to fuse various design elements into single (and very tasty!) productions.

Just as it is for chefs, the transforming agent in Mungal’s work is often heat from a controlled flame – or more precisely the pyro effects that he uses to lend a powerful, edgy effect to many of his designs. But pyro is not the only element in his shows, nor is it even the principal one. That honor belongs to a less tangible feature called “balance.”

In Mungal’s designs, the value of any effect, regardless of how conspicuous it may appear to be, lies in how it interacts with every other effect in a production. Lighting influences the role of pyro in his designs, just as pyro influences lighting, and both in turn influence every scenic piece, every geometric structure, every SFX, and all the other elements in a show. Place too much (or too little) emphasis on any one of these elements, and the look of the entire stage is thrown off balance

Taking time from his busy touring schedule, Mungal spoke to us about the powerful chemistry of fire and light.

You are rightfully known among other designers as a master at using pyro. What led you to make pyro such as big part of your design vision. How did you start with pyro?
“Haha – I appreciate those kind words. I wouldn’t say a master, but damn I do like fire. SFX is another tool for the show that helps bring a bit more intensity and really accent a point to the stage. I started by reading a lot because I’m a nerd. Understanding how it works, fuel types, how it operates, etc. I was a stagehand with IATSE Local 58 — shout out Toronto! I got to help build rigs as they came through the venues and see more in depth. Fast forward years, artist requested some SFX, and I happily obliged and knew vendor names of who to call from seeing their road cases roll through shows I worked at. Thanks to that, along with the guidance of pyrotechnicians and other colleagues, I was able to start implementing SFX into the shows more and more.”

What are the three things you would advise other designers to do before they begin using pyro?
“Truly understanding the safety aspect. Obviously, there are safety techs, emergency stops, and the fire department in place for a reason, but just think about things like…wind? proximity? And the sheer heat outputting from flames. Human safety is priority number one and of course gear/buildings. Plan with other departments of the show to help those SFX moments really shine. Let things trade-off and have a healthy back-and-forth discussion as effects take place. Pyro is not for everyone. Don’t just add FX for the sake of FX. Have fun and be creative, but also learn from the departments and see how you can push things and try something new, unique, or special.”

This leads us to our next question. Can you overuse pyro?
“Absolutely. I know I’ve done it for sure. Sometimes a show calls for over-the-top and extreme, sometimes simple rocks harder. Letting things breathe and be special moments is huge.”

A thing we always admired about your work, in addition to pyro, is how you always manage to create this nice blend of video and light. It seems that you never let video dominate lighting. Would you say lighting is always dominant over video in your designs?
“It’s all about that balance. The classic audio guy joke is that nobody goes home humming the light show. Lighting doesn’t have to dominate, it can have its moments, as can video, but it’s all about balancing a show experience and elevating the artist’s stage presence in a way that best represents their performance. Everything that’s not the artist on stage is an extension of that artist.”

In many of your designs, such as the one you did for Falling In Reverse’s recent Australian tour, you seem to arrange your lighting fixtures in clearly defined geometric patterns rather than having them spread more randomly across the stage. What role does geometry play in your designs?
“I like being able to play with the sheer magnitude of the stage and fill space accordingly. I love symmetry and being able to accent huge moments. Symmetrical geometry is a really cool tool in the workbox, and asymmetry is another. Playing with those with automation is a lot of fun because everything we do contributes in their own ways.”

You also use a lot of bold red and reddish colors in your work Do you ever go with cooler blues?
”Reds are in fitting songs that require red. In heavy metal, red can often be a go to for the ‘evil,’ or ‘pissed off’ stuff because of rage. I fit colors to the tone or theme of the song most of the time. It’s not quite that synesthesia thing for me, but there are feelings in music that direct a color scheme. So absolutely I use red, but I also use cooler tones in songs that ask for it.

Many of your designs are really bold, aggressive works. Do you, or have you ever done more subtle, gentle designs?
I come from theatre initially, so I learned how to light characters and scenic in creative and subtle ways to set moods and reflect those performances. I love subtle, gentle designs when I work with artists with that type of show.”

How do you get inspired at the start of a project? Where do your great ideas come from?
“They come from all over! I’m a big film nerd, so I’ll pull things out of movies and TV shows a lot. We did a Motionless in White run designed based on a Star Trek spaceship, the 2024 Falling in Reverse rig was based on Gladiator and the coliseum structure. With Disturbed’ s 2023/24 automation rig we had lots of opportunity and had looks from Donkey Kong, Jurassic Park, The Mummy, So, it’s really all over the place. I see something, it sticks in my brain, and then it just happens and everyone on my team has an “ohhhhhhhh now I see it” moment and then bully me shortly after.”

Do you ever procrastinate at the start of a project?
“I get creative blocks for sure, but I’ve got a number of colleagues and teammates I love bouncing ideas off of and just collaborating brain children to get through it. It’s great getting outside perspectives, if not directly from the artist, and vibing with my friends coming up with cool stuff. I find a ton of inspiration from my friends and coworkers riffing on ideas that we get to see come to life.”

You’ve lit some great bands. If you could go back in time is there a band from the past who you wish you could have lit?
“Oh man. That’s tough to say. There’s so many bands I grew up watching and they’re core memories for me as inspiration. Family Christmas outings to see Bryan Hartley’s TSO shows, Cosmo Wilson’s classics, they’re a part of both history and modern lighting, so honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. I couldn’t pick an artist. Rush? Nah – I see Howard killed it, like I could never.”

Is there a type of lighting fixtures that you see as being the most indispensable tool in your tool kit?
“A great profile covers a lot of ground. Depends on the tour, depends on the rig, but I’ve always got some kind of profile to light the artist as the most important piece. Job Number One is to light the talent. It doesn’t have to be front light, but somehow light the talent. The people paid to see the band, not your lights – your lights are just a fun bonus. One thing I’ll riff on really quick, is the modern social media world we live in demands lighting the artist for TikTok and Instagram in addition to the live audience. So whichever kind of light does that is what I would define as indispensable.”

Do you ever change or tweak a design in mid-tour?
“I am always tweaking things, editing, improving. I really value my team’s input as well, often times I’ll consult with crew chiefs and techs to hear if there’s a better or more appropriate way to build things and especially tour them. I’m honored to have some phenomenal crew that supports these shows, and I love hearing their feedback on things they bring up.”

What are the best and worst things about being a lighting designer?
“The best thing, is being able to create cool shows with my friends and colleagues. The gasp across crowds when cool things happen is always exciting, but really, it’s just creating with other creatives and visionaries then seeing it come to life. Worst things? Probably just being away from home and loved ones. My gig demands a lot of time and travel, so I learned to appreciate every second I get at home from this.”

How and why did you become a lighting designer?
“Accidental discovery. Played in a few smaller hardcore bands growing up, definitely didn’t pay, so I started doing FOH audio — then got bored, got my drumming out with lighting, fell in love with it then went full send. Found a way to create shows like the ones I grew up watching, then carved my own path and had some really cool support and opportunities eventually.”

If you didn’t become a lighting designer, what do you think you would have done?
“Food. In my early days touring, between tours to put money back in the account, I cooked at several restaurants and eventually ran a small catering business. When touring got more serious it got put on the back burner and ended up going away. But anyone who’s toured with me in the past few years knows I’ll break out a grill sometimes for post-show smash burgers — and that goes crazy.

What is the one thing you want people to know about you as a lighting designer?
“I’m very fragile, your Reddit posts hurt my feelings. Nah I’m kidding. I think instead of just being about me, I’d rather turn to younger/newer people getting into this industry. I came from a small town in Ontario Canada, I had to navigate work visas, green cards, eventually moving my life to the US. I worked in film, theatre, corporate events, churches, and fumbled my way through to find what I love doing. It doesn’t come overnight, it takes time – and you are never be done learning and growing. Take critiques and feedback into heavy consideration, and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice from people a little farther along than you. You don’t have all the answers.”