Sunday, December 5, 2010

Week 10 Lighting on Stage




I was fortunate enough to see two wonderful musicals this week. The first being a new musical titled Daddy Long Legs and the second was the National tour of Next to Normal. I did not intend to write my last blog on two stage productions, but having now taken this class my eyes have definitely been opened to how lighting works for the entire production and enhances the experience for the audience.

1st picture- Next to Normal:
I saw this show earlier this year on Broadway and did take notice to the lighting, but this time around I took more of an interest in it. I did not notice the first time how the colors used presented the mood of the characters. The colors I remember seeing were red, orange, blue, and purple. As you can see in the picture (1st picture) the lighting played an important role because there is no real scenery, so the lighting was a vital backdrop. Strobe lights and other "rockstar" lighting was used as well to represent the hallucinations the character, Diana has. These lighting effects also go with the rock style music.

2nd picture- Daddy Long Legs:
The lighting for this production was absolutely breathtaking. It played an extremely beneficial role, because there were no scene changes the lighting initiated when there was a change in time or place. One of my favorite things about this production was the use of lighting and visual design with writing. The dialogue mainly occurs through written letters, so when a new letter was written the writing appeared on the wall behind the actors. (I really wish I was able to find a photograph of this). This effect was also used to present a new month or year.


Because of this classI now appreciate not just the lighting aspect in performances, but also the overall design that goes into making a performance the best it can be. So, thank you for that Lonnie, and TAs. =]






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