About

Creative Machine Stage Lighting LLC

902 Hart St Apt 3R Brooklyn 11237 USA

917 293 8777

CMsl is established in 2017 in Bushwick Brooklyn by Ayumu Poe Saegusa.

Based on his over 20 years of experience in Tokyo and New York City, we provide various types of service in theater world.

Ayumu Poe Saegusa

~President

~Lighting Designer

~Production Manager

What is "POE"?

"Poe" is my stage name.

My name i was given from my parents is "Ayumu Saegusa. 三枝歩"

Ayumu = 歩

That Kanji "歩" means, "walking", "Progress" or "Step" . and that has several different type of pronunciations, "Ayumu", "Ayumi", "Ho" or "PO".

I know AYUMU SAEGUSA is not catchy sound for US people.

So, I transfer one of the procunciations "PO" into "POE" in honor of the name of the great US writer who is said to be the first person made his living solely through his writing.

Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa (lighting designer) started stage lighting design when he was a student at International Christian University as the president of the Lighting Committee. After graduating from the ICU, he worked as a sales manager at a school for social education. Although that experience was impressive and exciting, he decided to return to the theater industry and started his career as a professional lighting designer in Tokyo in 2000. He worked as a freelance designer and as an apprentice under a Master Lighting Designer, Shin Inokuchi, for two years.

He moved to NYC in 2005. He started an internship at HERE ARTS CENTER in Soho and became their resident lighting designer. He served his lighting design to Culture Mart (an annual festival of HERE’s resident artists) 2006-2023, and 20 full productions (including Looking At You by Kristin Martin and The Black History Museum by Zoey Martinson), and countless work in progress and showcases.

He also works as a freelance lighting designer for many kinds of shows, from the NY Fringe festival to the Lincoln Center and tours overseas and in the US. His credits include Skriker (Williams College 2016, MA) by Kameron Steel and Rite of Spring (White Light Festival at Lincoln Center 2014, NY) by Basil Twist. Philharmonic Orchestra of New York (Pony) season 2016-2018 (ROSE THEATER JAZZ At Lincoln Center 2016, NY).

He has extensive touring experiences all over the US, Europe, and South America, with shows he designed. He also works as a production manager between the USA and Japan. Notable clients include The Tokyo Metropolitan Theater Japan Society, NHK (Japan Broad Cast Corporation), FCI, Shochiku, Katsura Sunshine, and many others.

He received his green card because of his extraordinary lighting design ability in 2015