Shedding Some Light

I fell in love with lighting when I saw the touring production of the musical Once (lighting design by Natasha Katz) in . There was a moment where the two main characters were standing on an elevated platform above the rest of the set, in complete darkness, silhouetted from behind with a deep blue wash. The idea was that they were standing on top of a hill at night time, looking down on the town below them. There was no set to speak of, no music; just the two actors standing in the light. It was so subtle yet so powerful- I swear everyone in the audience was holding their breath.

Incredible lighting from Carnegie Mellon University's production of Spring Awakening
Lighting design by Dan Efros

Lighting is one of the most important factors in theatrical storytelling. First of all it lets the audience see what is happening on stage. It also gives context for time, place and season, as well as set the mood. In Once, the set was extremely minimalistic, which allowed for the lighting to establish the setting. In dance shows, most of the lighting comes from the side, highlighting and complementing the dancers' bodies. Lighting can also add color to a set.

As Master Electrician for Picnic, I was in charge of maintaining the lighting designer's artistic vision, programming the board, updating paperwork, fixing lights throughout the run and operating the board during shows. The lighting designer for the show, senior Liz Roth, was eager to teach me all of the tricks of the trade she had learned throughout her years at school. I learned a lot about the different types of fixtures used in the show and how to operate them. I also learned some really cool techniques for designing by observing Liz's work, such as dividing the stage like a grid and designating lights by segment.

My favorite part of Liz's design was what she called her "Hal Lights." Every time the character Hal came on stage, the intensity or color of this particular group of lights (group 120 in the programming) would change. She used 36° Source 4 LED fixtures with Apollo 3549 gobos, or templates. This created a tree-like breakup of light on the stage, adding texture to other lights being used. It was supposed to symbolize the way that Hal caused tensions to rise between the other characters.

Scenic design by Kenneth M. Ellis; Lighting design by Liz Roth
Though this particular cue is not used in the show, it is an intensified version of Liz's "Hal Lights"

Ever since seeing Once, one of the first things I notice in any show is the lighting. Though I love performing, I have had an incredible experience working on this show and am extremely excited to begin to delve further into another aspect of theatre that interests me. This is yet another tribute to ONU's incredible theatre program; I can almost guarantee that I get more hands on experience with equipment than any engineering or pharmacy major!

Until next time!

Kathryn