During the production process of this show, I served as Assistant LD, Associate LD, and eventually Head LD after an unexpected series of events resulted in the primary LD stepping away from the show post cue-to-cue. I was put in charge of taking the scraps of a design handed to me following the weekend and pulling together a final design in two nights. To add to complications, cast members were out with sicknesses days before opening and we lost power during a final dress rehearsal, losing us precious time. During the process for this show, I improved my programming skills under pressure, grew as a collaborative theatre designer alongside the show's star studded creative team, and was able to apply color theory and my understanding of photometry in a new space, in new ways.
Early plot
Example page of Channel Hookup
Process
My plot, due to time and budget constraints take a systems and specials hybrid approach, leaning on the existing rep plot of front light and top light as a backbone for the show, adding texture and angled systems to carve people off of the pale backdrop. Low cross light and breakups painted the upstage curtain and picked out patches of people and scenery out of dark moments. A sprinkling of special units picked out smaller action around the stage, for instance atop the platform and the loft area. String lights, onstage practicals, and a mounted fresnel spotlight added to the found-space aesthetic.
The guiding principles of this show were "less is more," and we wanted to capture the wonder and aesthetic of Technicolor being a new and stunning phenomenon (at the time). We wanted Kansas to be washed out and full of stark amber tones, experimenting with sodium vapor lights to give us that washed out feel, but ended up abandoning the idea due to impracticalities. We accomplished our goal by washing out Kansas in deep amber tones, reserving neutrals and any sort of definition for Marvel (later Oz), and the tornado sequence, which is bolstered by practical fans mounted in the set that fluttered the curtain chaotically. The events within the twister, along with other moments were accomplished with shadow play on muslin, manipulated onstage by the players. A model house suspended from the grid represented the house within the twister. When it touched down, we switched out of amber tones and into bright, colorful, and playful colors and looks to represent the feeling of being thrust into Technicolor. Munchkinland, throughout the show, is a playful and effervescent land speckled with color. Live projections onto a moonlike structure give the audience context, mainly displaying painted dioramas that give hints to setting. Other times, the camera is maneuvered live on stage by a crew member, showing actors' faces projected on the sphere in a warped manner, adding to the fever dream-like atmosphere of the show's events. Settings like the dark forest received a stark color and texture treatment adding to the aura of mystery and danger. Every moment needed to be stark and pungent, sometimes to an uncomfortable degree.
At my tech table