Jekyll and Hyde: A Story of Light and Dark
The set for Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical lent itself to a lot of creative opportunities for light design. The use of scaffolding and no flats or tall sets allowed me to hang lights on the actual metal parts of the set and use backlighting as a dramatic storytelling vehicle. Three Fresnel lights were hung under the scaffolding, and four more LED bars were placed on the upper landings. These were used to cast shadows on sheets in the first third of the show (the asylum and the brothel) before the sheets were taken down for the remainder of the performance. I also ran strips of LED tape under each of the four platforms, each independently controlled for color and intensity. These “glows” were used primarily to help convey the feeling or the character(s) that were on the stage at the time.
Colors were subtle; Jekyll had an almost pastel color pallete - especially with his lab as he created the potion. But whenever he became Hyde, reds and purples glowed under the platform and on the LEDs. Having these distinct colors helped the audience during the back and forth when Jekyll and Hyde have their “Confrontation” near the end of the show.
Having the backlighting opportunity under the scaffolding, paired with fog from two fog machines, gave me a chance to let the air itself tell the story with the lights. In “Murder, Murder”, I used backlights frequently to help hide the transitions between the murders and to give dramatic effect for the ensemble. For “Alive”, the backlights and fog introduced us to Hyde for the first time, along with the ensemble of Whispers (the physical embodiment of Hyde’s evil).
Jekyll and Hyde has been my most dramatic show (and biggest) to date. Just like Hyde, I embraced the darkness and the shadows, but also brought out the light of hope.
This production of Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical was performed at the Evergreen Playhouse in October, 2025. Photos by Danielle Kays, Arlo Phillips, and Otto Rabe.
