G45 Productions presents...
Cloud 9
written by Caryl Churchill
directed by Cameron King
TheaterLab ~ New York, NY ~ July 2017
Lighting Designer and Stage Manager
This was my first production as a lighting designer. I was initially hired to work as the Stage Manager, but when the Lighting Designer quit last minute, I stepped up. This play follows a small cast of characters in two very distinct acts; act one takes place in colonial Africa, while act 2 takes place in the modern-day. In my design, I focused on separating the two through lighting, with act one being relatively colorless, while act two was much more saturated. The production took place in a challenging space, especially with the pole directly in the middle. The director and I embraced the architecture, opting to include it in the story and design. During performances, I ran the show from my laptop entirely in QLab - this included lighting, sound, and projection!
The Design Process
- Collaborated with the director and creative team to create an overall vision for the production
- Analyzed the script for themes and motifs that could be emphasized through lighting
- Utilized digital drafting drawings such as AutoCAD and VectorWorks to plan out where to hang lights and communicate that information with the installation crew
- Assembled a rental order from a lighting rental company, which included lighting fixtures, cabling, and insurance
- Hung and wired lighting equipment in the grids above the stage
- Focused lighting to various points on the stage to create back, side, top, and front illumination on the actors
- Programmed the lighting console to execute precisely timed cues that transitioned between lighting look
- As the stage manager, I ran rehearsals, was responsible for the cast and crew, and ultimately called the production - pressing the "GO" button whenever a lighting, sound, or production change occurred