Eric Ludacer Finds Balance with Cirque Du Soleil

Eric Ludacer (BFA, lighting design – 1998) was looking for balance in his career, and a way to stay in one place for a while when he learned that Cirque Du Soleil was gearing up to produce Love, their newest aerial performance, currently running at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  In Love, Cirque du Soleil celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles through the timeless, master recordings at Abbey Road Studios and the innovative performances of a cast of 60 international artists.

“I put in an application, went through a phone interview and was called back and asked how quickly I could get out to Las Vegas!  Well I packed up my wife and our stuff and two weeks later I was in Las Vegas to start my job as fulltime lead lighting technician.”  From there Ludacer worked his way up to his current position as the department head of projections.
Ludacer started his career with Cirque Du Soleil back in 2005 as an on-call follow spot operator for La Nouba in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World.  Six months earlier he had just finished working for an international tour of the musical 42nd Street, so he was ready for this next big move.

Ludacer notes that his experience at UNCSA was absolutely the most important part of preparing him for employment and his current position. “Besides working long enough hours and learning to sleep standing up, it taught me not to be afraid of anything, and to continually strive to better my craft by accepting any and all challenges.” Ludacer explains that learning to dissect problems, think logically, and adapt were specific skills developed in him by his professors here at UNCSA.  He also notes that “the prestige of graduating from UNCSA” coupled with the “network of alumni already in the business” continually contributes to his ongoing success.

In his current position, Ludacer manages a department of four crew members, running and maintaining every aspect of the projection system, which includes budgeting and purchasing of equipment, performing show cues, and daily equipment maintenance.  When asked what the best part of his current job is, Ludacer stated, “I would say that it is the challenge of doing my best to recreate the designer’s original intent night in, and night out.  I am also very lucky to work with some of the best technicians in the world, as well as listen to the Beatles music every night.  What more could you ask for?”

Love has been slated as a residence show, which means it could run for several years.  This could certainly enable Ludacer to find the balance he was striving for and the opportunity to “stay in one place for a while”.