Lighting Design in Devised Work.

摘要

As a lighting designer working in the business of theater it is quite rare to be asked to weigh in on the plot, specifically the story elements and script, of a typical production. I was given this opportunity during my final production at UCSD, the show Movers and Shakers. This piece, produced by Holum-Stein Productions, was given to us as a work in progress, with a loose plot for the second half of the show roughly outlined but with none of the normal trappings one usually finds in a script for a production of this size. Elements were missing like lines of dialogue, time of day and so forth. This production was what has been called a devised show, meaning that the actors, designers, and director are invited to take on the role of not only being interpretive artists, as in a typical production, but also as generative artists, having a direct hand in the way the story would play out. This role led to some interesting challenges over the course of the production.;Throughout the process of Movers and Shakers, from design meetings to technical rehearsals, I was consistently called upon to have an opinion about other areas that are not traditionally under the purview of a lighting designer. Throughout this process, I was challenged as I had never been before, causing me to learn and grow as an artist in unique and interesting ways that will have a direct effect on my work as I transition into the professional world.