Drama 16 Stage Lighting

This photo is from a Huffington Post review of the 2015 Chichester Festival Theatre’s Guys and Dolls.

The theme is shadow; this photo from the number “Love Be a Lady” fits the shadow theme since shadows are used to emphasis the dark setting of this number: the sewer at night. This film uses shadow to create a pattern over the scene likely by way of a gobo.

Shadow strikes across the world in this photo. The darkness and shadows clash and are visible by the bright central white light. The light causes shadow and light patterned like the light went through prison bars or some similar bar structure in order to fall where and how it does in this photo. The lighting would fit Chicago’s cell block tango in certain parts, like when the innocent one speaks, since it has this dark feeling of imprisonment. The light has a mystery to it with its shadows and contrasting brightness. This mystery invites feelings of loneliness and thoughts of reflection since only shadows keep you company and the bright light is like that of a mirror reflecting a white wall in a lavatory. Shadow is a contrast and this photo contains that contrast though maybe not as starkly as a bright sun’s light causing shadows. The lighting here still has that stealthy and mysterious tone of shadow and the battle and yet symbiotic relationship between light and dark.

1)   2/21/11- 1:30 am- My Dorm Room at night.

2)   The light from a laptop shining on my roommates face at night and changing intensities.

3)   This lighting moment seemed like a given, considering I witness it every night but for some reason I never realized the interesting nature of this kind of light until now.  The light from the laptop shines on my roommates face just like when you sit around a campfire late at night and all you can see is the other people’s faces glowing in the blackness.  In this moment the light is white and it changed intensities constantly depending on what is on the screen.  It is a spooky kind of light nonetheless just like the campfire light.  The fact that it only glows on his face and nothing else is also a factor in the mysterious aspect of this light.  The changing intensities, similar to a strobe light at some points also creates a scary feeling because there are split seconds where everything goes dark and you never know what will light up next. (A sudden change of expression from happy to crazy)  This light is also very dynamic and creates really deep shadows.  These shadows in conjunction with everything else also contribute to the overall frightening sensation of this light.  It is amazing where you find some of the most fascinating light.

1) 2/12/11- around 8:30- Hockey Rink

2) Moon light shining through window into a completely dark rink.

3)  This lighting moment was one that caught me off guard because the way the light shined through the window was perfect and look as though it was done on purpose.  It felt cold and a little bit mysterious.  The light shined through a four pane, old window and it created long beams of light that looked similar to a spot light.  It was a bluish tint and the only light I could see.  The high angle of the light also gave it a strange look, as though it was looking down upon something and would have definitely cast long deep shadows that would conceal the features of an object.  It was a picture perfect light.