Brown University Theater Department presents...
The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise
written by Toshiki Okada
directed by Kym Moore
Brown University ~ Leeds Theater ~ April 2019
Associate Lighting Designer
This experimental piece discusses life, death, travel, love, technology, and more through direct conversation with the audience. As the play progresses, the audience dives deeper into the unconscious of an individual, played by the nine-person cast. Lighting for this production sought to display everyday places such as an office, subway, or classroom but in an abstract dreamlike manner. The circuit board gobo/pattern appeared often throughout the performance to show humankind's reliance on technology; a theme that comes to fruition at the end of the play.
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
- 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
- Trained the Stage Manager and Light Board Operator on when to trigger the lighting cue given a specific moment in the script or actor motion