Almost, Maine has been a lighting dream of mine for quite some time. I really wanted to figure out how to make the Aurora Borealis come to practical life without using projections. This took a bit of trial and error to create this look. I originally wanted something more “billowy” with fabric, but was having difficulty making that happen with our low ceilings and other lights in the way. Instead, I got a DMX-controlled laser and bundled fiber optics at each laser eye before separating the strands. We played with different settings on the laser to get the different colors going through the strands.

The director for Murder on the Orient Express had a unique problem set design for this production; how to showcase several different compartments on a train? With a creative set design of folding walls and an upstage hallway, we were able to use light to help the audience understand each of the different areas. For the three sleeping compartments, we used zone lighting to separate each space and light each compartment when it was active. We also were able to light the hallway which then spilled into the compartments to create some sense of realism. The main area of the train that was used for large groups was lit brightly. For the final reveal of the mystery, we used solo spots to light each moment and then ended in a dramatic backlit tableau.

“Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” has two casts - a present and a past - and several times both eras were on stage at the same time. To help the audience follow the “Then” and “Now”, the teens were bathed in colors whenever their scene was happening, and the adults were in a stark light.

The look in 1984 was stark and white for the Ministry of Truth and for Room 101 - but warmth was utilized when the scene shifted to the interior of O'Brien's home - to show the difference between what the Ministry offered their underlings vs. what they offered those in the inner party. A solo spot was the only light for the scenes in Room 101, showing Winston alone and emphasizing shadows.

Barefoot in the Park was a single, interior set, so we used LEDs on the sky to help set the time of day. As the play progressed, the sky would reflect the mood of the characters - becoming dark and purple for when Paul and Corie were fighting and then moving to bright pink and red when they realized that they could indeed walk barefoot in the park.

Area zones were again utilized for this fast-paced courtroom drama. As a minimalist set was used, the lights in A Few Good Men helped tell the audience where on the stage the action was happening as well as the location in the story (Kaffee's office was lit in browns, greens, and blues, to give the feeling of florescent lights, whereas Jessup's was lit in red, orange, and yellow as his office was in the heat of Cuba).

Deathtrap was another interior set, but with a view to the outside patio where we could again play with the time of day reflected through the window. A lightening storm was also created during the climax of the show with minimal lighting.

Laura Ingalls Wilder: Voice of the Prairie was a fast-paced telling of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life and with simple roll-away sets, we again had to use light to convey location and time of day. Blues were used during the snow storm and moody lighting for the times inside the cabin.

A Christmas Carol used zones to help the audience know the scenes and the locations. No colors, just a general wash but lit in a way to keep it dark and mysterious. Special effects (pyrotechnics) were used in the fireplace and LEDs in Marley's cloak to give him that other-worldly and ghostly look.