Stage Lighting
I enjoy nearly every aspect of the theatrical process and have discovered a love for light design. I have designed the lights exclusively for Centralia's Evergreen Playhouse since 2015 and helped bring in a new lighting system and LEDs over that next year to the facility. I have also worked with the local high school in balancing their aging fixtures to help tell the story the students are sharing as well as Centralia College and working in their black box space. Although I have no formal education in theatrical lighting, I have many years of experience both onstage and behind the scenes and credit others wiser than myself for teaching me everything I know about light design. I enjoy small, intimate spaces, and supplementing the story being told onstage with colors and light - I love to find the "magic" in every production and look for ways to bring it to the next level.
The following posts are a selection of some of my favorite lighting designs. For a full list of all of the shows I have designed, check out my lighting resume.
Let There Be Light
Next to Normal was my biggest project to date, with over 150 light cues. The small cast of six each had their own color scheme that was utilized when they were on stage. The brainwaves in the background were also programed to be in different colors, and “strobed” with parts of the rock songs. LED bars lit up the textured background and at one point, beat in time to the “heartbeat” with the music.
The show was canceled after one weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I was fortunate to rebuild this show for the remount of this production in February, 2022.
Singing for Scrooge
This theatrical company did the exact same show, Scrooge, the musical the Christmas prior, and one of the challenges was lighting it differently from before. The set was completely different with a revolving “clock”, and LED bars were installed underneath that were lit every time a ghost appeared or “magic” was happening. Fog was also utilized to accentuate the atmosphere.
Creating Magic in the Secret Garden
This musical retelling of the classic children’s story utilized a lot of zoning, as well as specific spotlights as seen here. “Hallways” were created using light as Mary and Archibald wandered the Manor, just missing each other as they passed in the darkness.
Photo Credits on the Stage Lighting Posts: Pete Caster, Aran Graham, Rebecca Lund, Danielle Kays, Carrina Stanton, Jared Wenzelburger