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I have lights designed for 4 shows (Twelfth Night, Failure: A Love Story, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon) and each production I have had the opportunity to better my skills at this design area. With each production I have either worked with a co-designer or worked with another lighting designer of a separate show (as our light plots needed to coexist).
Here is a basic light plot that we use for shows that have a basic set. We use this light plot as a base and we build on to fulfill the lighting needs of whatever show we are currently working on. We also revert back to this plot at the end of our productions.
Descendants: The Musical
Descendants: The Musical
The first show I lights designed for was a summer camp so my process was not very thorough. Nonetheless, I was able to get very comfortable with the light board during this time which was essential for my work in designing my first main stage show.
The Process:
The Process:
The process was difficult only because I had little help on what exactly to accomplish in order to create a successful design and ones that the student directors accepted. We had almost 2 months to do our own research, create designs, and create activities for the children who attended the summer camp. When we actually got to the summer camp, I used the light plot that we already had (as it worked for this production) and I taught the campers about the light board and the spotlights during the week. After camp was over, I stayed late with the directors where we wrote light cues and designed the show.
The directors wanted colorful, but very basic area lighting. When in Auradon, I had bright lights and used blue and yellow as the main colors. On the Isle of the Lost, the area lights were dimmed to represent the filthy, dark, and uncomfortable conditions of this area. I also used green for the villian kids and parents to highlight the decietful nature of their characters.
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night
The Process:
The Process:
Our set was two stories and also contained some platforms in house left and right. This was quiet a challenge especially because this was my first main production I designed for. We also set our production in the French Quarters in New Orleans during a time of pirates and mischief. On house right we had a jail cell for one of the characters so we had to separately light a 3 foot area while also lighting up the top of the platform simultaneously. We also used a scrim in the beginning of the show to hide the set so we had to carefully light up the front of the stage. Lastly, during our set build (which was 5 days before opening) the director wanted us to light up the doors/rooms leading inside the set. We built some stands for cyc lights and we had to record them into cues during a dress rehearsal.
The director wanted many, many colors to be used. There were several scenes where we got to take complete control and creative liberty over how the scene looked. The director also wanted to have an amazing reveal of the set so the first scene was done on the apron where we used a scrim to hide the set. We had to make sure that there was zero light backstage and we had to used LED pars to light the scrim so that the audience could only see what we wanted them to see.
Failure: A Love Story
Failure: A Love Story
This was the first production I got to design for completely by myself. On top of lights designing I also designed the props so I was constantly working.
The Process:
The Process:
The director, a fellow student, wanted each sister to have a a designated color. After communicating with the costume designer, I ensured that whenever the sister's story was highlighted, their color was mainly used in lighting up the set. Other than using our movers to hit specific spots, the general lighting areas were wide and covered the stage. For this show I also had to work with the lighting designer for a separate show which was interesting as we had to figure out a plot that worked for both of us.
One Man, Two Guvnors
One Man, Two Guvnors
This production has by far been the most difficult show I had to lights design for. Not only was I one of the lighting designers, I was also the stage manager and my co-lighitng designer was a first-time designer. The director also wanted this to be produced in a black box which I have also never dealt with before. This whole process was new and strenuous. However, this show taught me some of the most important skills and qualities of being an efficient lighting designer.
The Process:
The Process:
As stated, I had to balance the responsibility of teaching the lighting designer, lighting designing myself, and stage managing the whole company. The most difficult part was actually ensuring that every area was lit, which was a struggle because of where we could hang up lights and how many lights we had. Luckily we had a lot of movers that we could use to light up dark areas. The first couple days of tech week were rough because we had a lot of dark spots but, after the second day and coming into school early, we were able to officially start writing light cues. As this show is a commedia, we used many bright and fun colors which was super rewarding after struggling with the lighting areas.
The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon
The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon
This is the second production I got to design myself. Working with a student director and another designer who worked on lights for a show that was being produced simultaneously, I created a deisgn that was very colorful, interactive, and helped narrarate the stories created by the Grimm brothers.
The Process:
The Process:
This is the light plot that we collaborated on to fulfill the needs of both of our shows. Both of our shows did not have any special lighting needs which made it easier to create the light plot.
Furthermore, both productions used the same set and we flipped it around before every show. The set was a couple inches below the grid so we either had to remove all the lights in that area or overhang them.
The director wanted many colors to be used and many spots/movers to be included as well. I had to write 100+ light cues for a fairly short show and each light cue was intricate in itself. We were given two afternoons (6 hours) to write all of the light cues (on top of adding the rest of the technical elements we needed) which was not enough time so the director and I had to come in during school to finish writing the light cues. I also spent many hours after school and before the show working on my light cues, strenghtening how they looked and the mood they helped to convey.
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