Blackouts

This Friday, my first show of the semester was performed. The show was produced for our workshop, a department wide tradition in which the various directing classes show their work. Each Friday there is a different set of directors, presenting scenes from different types of plays. This past Friday was for the second year grad students to produce a post modern scene. As part of my own course work, I did the light design for 70 Scenes of Halloween. In any production, with light design comes blackouts and with blackouts come hilarity.

Example 1: As a class we got together to hang the instruments for the scenes (there were actually two scenes) and to focus the lights where we wanted them. I was on the ground trying to focus the lights and decided to trade places with the other designer, Tyler. As I walked backstage it was completely dark, but it was not until I hit the door frame of the free-standing door unit that I realized anything was in my path. I was so surprised to find something in my way that in order to get a feel for the object I simply pushed the door open and hugged the frame. Impressively, I had managed to straddle the giant brace on the side that I should have tripped over before reaching the door itself. My friends in the catwalks had no idea what happened and were calling to me, but I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. They all thought I had crashed into something and broke my face! This was all good and well until my professor mentioned it in front of the whole cast during tech. Thanks, JoJo.

Example 2: Most directors want a true blackout for transitions, then realize that they need some sort of glow for the actors to see. The glow was even more necessary this time since the girl moving around during all the transitions was wearing a sheet as a "ghost". When we were adding the cues for the first time, I did not have time to add the glow to all of the blackouts before the run started and it was difficult to find the buttons quickly to fix the cues as they came. The poor girl with a sheet over her head kept crashing into the chairs and walking very confidently into the curtains. This was all good and well until my director told her, "Every bruise on your body is Sarah Chanis' fault." Thanks, Dan.

Overall the show was a success and the lights were fun. Thanks, friends!