Date of Award

6-2017

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Theater and Dance

First Advisor

Robert Bovard

Language

English

Keywords

lighting design, theatrical design

Abstract

After establishing a concept and an internal image of the lighting environment for The Laramie Project came the process of creating a lighting plot, hanging and focusing the plot, and programming ques. This stage occupied the two weeks before the show opened, because before this point, the director had not solidified blocking choices or done run-thrus. The goal of this stage was to evaluate the resources available to me and the way that they could best be used to create the looks I wanted, followed by precise implementation of those resources. This process also involved collaborating with and responding to feedback from the director. A large demand on my design was to respond to the staging of this show. All theatrical design is informed by the performance space, and the theatre we used shaped The Laramie Project in several ways. It is a small black box theatre. The location of the lighting booth and the exit doors make a slightthrust configuration of the audience most space efficient. The stage designer (Charles Steckler, Professor, Union College) made a large wooden frame set that functioned as a walk-in closet, housing all of the costumes, props, and extra furniture that would be used in the show. This frame was only used to hold objects, it was not used as a performance space. This set was constructed and installed before rehearsals began, making it an influential visual image from early in my design process. The set pushed the upstage limit of the performance space downstage. To accommodate, the director used the full width of the space, from under the lighting booth to the stage left exit door. This made performance closer to the audience, creating more of an intimate relationship. It also put more physical separation between areas on stage, allowing a furniture or costume change on one side of the stage to not distract from the action on the opposite side of the stage.

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