Drama 16 Stage Lighting

1.) 3/14/11- 12:40 ish – NAB Dressing Room

2.) Natural light coming in from the window of the dressing room after make up class

3.) I was the last person to leave class and so had to turn off all the mirror lights, and it was really interesting because after I did so, the natural light that had been filling the room unnoticed looked so calm and peaceful. It was a huge distinction, a transition from the bright mirror lights that accompanied the boisterous class to a more subdued and serene light in the now empty space.

Lightning

Courtesy of Lightning Prevention Systems, Inc. (http://www.lpsnet.com/images/lightning/lightning_tree2.jpg)

POWER

Lightning to me is immediately evocative of power, and not just for what it does, but for what it looks like. In this particular photo, the contrast with everything around it is what creates the feeling of power. The bolt is enormous and blindingly bright, immediately drawing focus and inspiring awe. In addition to the brightness, the unearthly purple-pink tint to the light makes it seem otherworldly. The light conveys power, and its presence makes everything around it look tiny and powerless by comparison.

1.) 3/17/11- 2:30 ish- Quad outside Lowe

2.) Sun casting shadows of tree branches onto the grass

3.) Standing outside of Lowe looking at the quad I had the coolest lighting moment, or rather lack of lighting moment! The angle of the sun coming down on the barren trees was such that the grass looked painted, the shadows didn’t look like shadows but rather that they were a part of the grass itself! Almost like a stained glass window… or should I say a stained grass window! Ok cheesy, but it was still really cool to see the trees perfectly depicted on the grass.

1.) Thursday Mar. 24th 2011, 12:00 A.M. Spiegel Theatre.

2.) A performer backlit in silhouette by the Alpha Psi gobo.

3.) In between acts during Cabaret the Alpha Psi Omega gobo illuminates the back wall of the Spiegel. After an act finished, the lights blacked out but for some reason the gobo came up immediately. The shift was sudden and very startling. The large Greek letters in white against the black wall were very powerful-looking, and there was enough light to provide the backlight necessary to put the actress still onstage in silhouette. It made her immediately imposing, which was unfortunate, considering the fact that she had just finished performing. It was a visceral experience.

1.) Wednesday Mar. 23 2011, 9:05 P.M. Outside Emily Lowe Hall.

2.) Light reflecting off the falling snow.

3.) It was nighttime, made even darker by the thunderclouds that were overhead, when I got out of my thesis team meeting. When we stepped outside, what limited light there was was reflecting off of the large snowflakes, making them the only clearly illuminated thing on the quad. The result was a blinding effect, a kind of white-out, in which it took me a long time to focus on the rest of my surroundings. The movement of the snowflakes was disorienting. Also, the orange-tinted street lights provided an orange fill light, making the snow look unnatural. The whole scene made me feel anxious.