'Resilience" New Play Lighting Design

   The original play "Resilience" opened this weekend. I had the privilege of being the lighting designer for this new play. The show is based around the theme of sustainability and (naturally) resilience. Not only sustainability in our environment, but sustainability and resilience in our relationships as well. Relationships such as lovers, friends, brother/sister and even co-workers. 

   The play was adjudicated by two members of KCACTF (the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival) for consideration for entry into the annual region 7 KCACTF festival in Humbolt, CA. After the performance the cast/crew and design team sat down with the adjudicators and they gave us their impressions and thoughts about our work.




   Over all, they seemed to like the show. They really enjoyed the sustainability of relationships theme. They talked mostly about the acting, and the script, since it was a new piece, written by our director and workshopped by the cast. However, they did say about my lighting "it was really good"! They enjoyed most two scenes, both taking place in a mountain cabin. The first one taking place at sunset. I used two fresnel scrollers, two LED pars and a source four with a window gobo to create the effect of a sunset. The cues lasted a total of 8 minutes (the scene was about 8:30. The colors went from a orange-red, through deep red, to purple and blue. When our stage manager mentioned to the adjudicators during the session that that scene was set during a sunset, one said, "oh yeah, I defiantly got that".


   The other cabin scene they liked was set in the middle of the night. The characters are talking about how one of them is scared of the wildlife around them, then they talk about how she is scared of losing their relationship. To accent their discussion, and maintain the effect of night time in the woods, I created a moonlight through the trees effect; using six Source Four 26's and three different foliage break-up patterns from side booms. The only light on stage was from those six instruments. The patterns played on their faces through out the scene. This gave the scared character something to be scared of, and it made the whole scene feel like a midnight in the woods.


   KCACTF should be letting us know in the next couple weeks if we get to travel the show to Humbolt; and gain and the prestige of preforming the show (lights, set and all) and the region 7 conference in February! I'll keep you posted on that decision as I learn more.


Photos- top to bottom: 
The final rehearsal with the light board out in the house, coffee shop, act I.
The sunset scene in the cabin, act I. 
The midnight scene in the cabin, act II.


-Glenn