A lighting design process for a production of The Tempest by William Shakespeare

THESIS

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts

in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By

Justin John

Graduate Program in Theatre

The Ohio State University

2014

Master's Examination Committee:

Professor Mary Tarantino, Advisor

Associate Professor Kristine Kearney

Assistant Professor Kevin McClatchy

Copyright by

Justin John

2014

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Abstract

This thesis documents the design process for the production of The Tempest by

William Shakespeare. This play was produced in The Ohio State University’s Bowen

Theatre from October 10th through October 25th, 2013. The design concepts for the

production were developed in response to the director’s concept of a stage caught

between two forms. One form was of magic and the other of decay.

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Dedication

This document is dedicated to my advisor Mary Tarantino who put up with me for three

whole years.

iv

Vita

2007................................................................Hickman High School

2011................................................................B.A. in Drama, University of Arkansas

2011 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department

of Theatre, The Ohio State University

Designs for The Ohio State University

This Above All

Hamlet’s Fool

The Arabian Nights

aPOEtheosis

Hamlet’s Fool (London)

The Tempest

Fields of Study

Major Field: Theatre

v

Table of Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii

Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iiii

Vita ..................................................................................................................................... iv

List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi

List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii

Chapter 1: The Producing Situation ................................................................................... 1

Chapter 2: The Director’s Concept and Script Analysis ..................................................... 7

Chapter 3: Production Design Approach .......................................................................... 17

Chapter 4: The Process ..................................................................................................... 29

Chapter 5: Evaluation of the Design ................................................................................. 42

Refrences........................................................................................................................... 50

Research Image Citations ................................................................................................. 51

Appendix A Director’s Concept ....................................................................................... 53

Appendix B Production Paperwork .................................................................................. 59

Appendix C Costumes ...................................................................................................... 96

Appendix D Scenic Sketches and Drawings ................................................................... 107

Appendix E Lighting Production Photos ........................................................................ 110

Appendix F Budget ......................................................................................................... 115

Appendix G Design Drawings ........................................................................................ 117

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List of Tables

Table 1. Bowen Fixture Inventory.………………………………………………………..3

Table 2. Additional Available Inventory……………………………………………….…4

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List of Figures

Figure 3.1. Scenic Research Image ................................................................................. 17

Figure 3.2. Scenic Research Image .................................................................................. 18

Figure 3.3. Scenic Sketch................................................................................................. 19

Figure 3.4. Preliminary Island Research Image ............................................................... 23

Figure 3.5. Preliminary Island Research Image ............................................................... 24

Figure 3.6. Preliminary Palace Research Image .............................................................. 25

Figure 3.7. Preliminary Palace Research Image .............................................................. 25

Figure 4.1 Island Research Image .................................................................................... 30

Figure 4.2 Island Research Image .................................................................................... 30

Figure 4.3. Palace Research Image ................................................................................... 31

Figure 4.4. Palace Research Image ................................................................................... 31

Figure 4.5. Masque Research Image ................................................................................. 32

Figure 4.6. Masque Research Image ................................................................................. 32

Figure 4.7. Storm Research Image .................................................................................... 33

Figure 4.8. Passageway Research Image .......................................................................... 35

Figure 4.9. Passageway Research Image .......................................................................... 35

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Chapter 1: The Producing Situation

The Tempest was written by William Shakespeare in 1610 or 1611 and appeared

in the First Folio of 1623. It takes place in the course of one day on an island where

Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, was banished with his infant daughter about

Twelve years before the play starts. Prospero wrested the island from its previous owner,

Sycroax, the mother of Caliban. Throughout the play Caliban believes the island is

rightfully his and this belief is a source of conflict between Caliban and Prospero.

Prospero wrested the island from Caliban and Sycroax upon his arrival. Prospero then

banished Sycroax but keeps Caliban as an unwilling servant. Other characters arrive on

the island shipwrecked as a result of a storm conjured by Prospero. The characters

include Alonso, the king of Naples; Sebastian, his brother; Antonio, who is Prospero’s

brother; Ferdinand, the only son of Alonso; Gonzalo, who is Ferdinand’s honest old

councilor; Trinculo, the jester; and Stephano, the drunken butler.

The Tempest opened in the Roy Bowen Theatre on October 10, 2013. The venue

is a 250-seat black box theatre, which is configured into a thrust. It is so named for Roy

Bowen, who was a teacher, director, scholar and friend of the university. The theatre was

dedicated on April 18, 1999. “Roy Bowen, a director at Stadium II (now Roy Bowen

Theatre) directed over 150 plays in his 60 year career. He was Head of Theatre from

1959 to 1968.”(Union) The 250 seats are in a stadium-style configuration and there are

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two voms (vomitoria) (which divide the seating in to a center, left, and right section). The

voms were used heavily throughout the production as entrances and exits. The aisle steps

of the risers were used as performance. The stage deck of the theatre is 18” above the

floor of the moat. The moat is a 3’-0” wide gap between the edge of the stage and the

bottom row of the seating sections, and serves as access for wheelchair seating. In The

Tempest actors passed through the moat frequently it was regularly used as an acting

area.

The theatre’s back wall is 80’-0” wide by 26’-9” tall and contains three doorways.

All three are 7’ -10” tall and are double doors; however the door that is center is 8’-0”

wide and the doors stage left and stage right are 6’-0” wide. The stage manager’s booth is

located in the downstage right corner of the theatre, and is mounted just below the wire

tension grid. This was not original to the space and was added in 1995(Tarantino). A

catwalk runs above and behind the seating sections on the downstage and the stage right

walls. There is a sound booth on the stage right wall and a live mix station on the high

down right corner of the stage right seating section.

The fixed lighting positions are all schedule-40 steel pipes located above a tension

grid that is 16’-0” above the semi-permanent decking that is normally used in Bowen and

17’-6” above the concrete floor of the theatre. The pipes are rigged between 0’-18” and

3’-0” above the grid. There are pipes that run stage left to stage right and pipes that run

upstage to downstage. There are also diagonal pipes in the corners of the space that run at

a 45° degree angle. The lighting system consists of 150 Colortran dimmers, 148 of which

are rated at 2.4Kw and two of them are rated at 6Kw. All the 2.4k dimmers, except for 24

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which are on boxes, have coiled cords that run approximately 20’-0”. The other 24

dimmers are in boxes of six with short pigtails, which are the extensions coming out of

the electrical conduit. The boxes have 50’-0” cables that are distrubuted at the four

corners of the tension grid. The two 6k dimmers have short pigtails and need special

cabling to be used properly. These dimmers are concentrated in four dimmer boxes

placed equally around the space with the majority of them over the semi-permanent stage

deck.

The software resources available to complete this design included AutoCAD

2013, Vectorworks 2013, Light wright5 and the Microsoft Office Suite. For The Tempest

I used an ETC GIO lighting console which at the time of the production was the latest in

the EOS family of consoles. In addition to software and consoles the budgets for this

production were $3500 for lighting, $2500 for costumes, $4000 for scenry, $1000 for

sound, and $2000 for props. The chart that follows is the available lighting inventory for

the Roy Bowen Theatre.

Amount Instrument Type Field Angle Beam Angle

4 ETC Source 4 26° 18°

44 ETC Source 4 36° 25°

6 ETC Source 4 50° 33°

33 6 x 12 Century (base up) 22.5° 12.5°

13 6 x 9 Altman (360Q) 37° 16°

16 6 x 12 Altman (360Q) 26° 11°

13 3½ x 8 Altman (3.5Q) 23° 21°

28 6" Fresnel (Altman) 59°b/a - 70°f/a 8.8°b/a - 16°f/a

28 ETC PARNels 23° - 43° 11° - 25°

4 10" Beam Projectors 8° - 32° 8° - 18°

8 14" Scoop 108° 70°

3 L and E Mini-Strips 40° 24°

Table 1. Bowen Fixture Inventory

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In addition to the Bowen Theatre lighting inventory, a stock of shared fixtures is

available for use, by way of a technical request submitted to the resident lighting

designer. See Appendix A for my technical request for The Tempest. Below is a table that

describes this available inventory. Due to the design requirements for The Tempest, I also

requested fixtures from Studio Theatre inventory. The stock inventory that was available

is as follows.

Amount Instrument type Field Angle Beam Angle Location

18 ETC Source 4 70° 70° 60° stock+order

3 ETC Source 4 90° 87° 79° stock+order

4 ETC Source 4 50° 50° 33° studio

16 ETC Source 4 36° 36° 25° studio

12 ETC Source 4 36°Luster + 36° 25° stock

Amount Instrument type Data Usage Location

2 High End Data Flash Uses 3-pin data stock

8 Rosco I-Cues ¤ Uses 4-pin data stock

8 Apollo EZ Iris Uses 4-pin data stock

1 DF-50 Hazer mineral water distribution stock

2 Unique-2 hazer mineral water distribution stock

1 Atomic strobe light Uses 3-pin or 5-pin data stock

Table 2. Additional available inventory

To help realize the design, two fellow graduate teaching associates (GTAs), the

lighting studio manager, and a team of undergraduate practicum students assisted with

the lighting installation. The main undergraduate labor pool comes from two classes. One

is Theatre 2000.06, a practicum lighting class, in which the students are required to

contribute 42 hours per semester to the lighting studio. The other class is a lab component

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of Theatre 3611, the Introduction to Lighting Design course, in which students are

required to contribute six hours to the lighting studio over the course of the semester.

Because of a shortage in the amount of students enrolled, the GTAs and the lighting

studio manager were the main labor force for this production.

Associate Professor and Theatre Department Chair Dan Gray served as producer

of The Tempest. The director was Cressida Brown, guest artist from The Royal

Shakespeare Company. The assistant director and movement coach was Robin Post. The

undergraduate production stage manager was Ryan Grant. The undergraduate assistant

stage managers were Emi Bungo and Danielle Stevens. Shane Cinal, a second year MFA

student, served as scenic designer. The production technical director and scenic studio

manager was Chad Mahan. Eve Nordyke was the sound designer. Marni Balint the

costume designer was a third year MFA scenic design emphasis student. Matt Hazard

was the lighting studio manager and a member of the professional staff. The lighting

GTAs were Chelsie McPhilimy and Andy Baker, who was also the production master

electrician.

Our first design meeting took place on March 25, 2013. At this meeting we

discussed director’s concept statement and began to examine initial design ideas.

Preliminary scenic and costume designs were due on May 6. The preliminary props list

was due on May 20, and the final costume and scenic designs were due on May 28. On

September 9, both the sound designer and lighting designers presented their preliminary

research along with a final props list. On September 23 the lighting plot was due. On the

same day the sound designer presented a plot and played some sound samples. September

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23, through September 27, along with September 29, the plot was hung and focused until

cue write on Monday night September 30. Technical rehearsals began on Monday

October 1; four technical rehearsals took place through October 4; three dress rehearsals

took place on October 5, 6, and 8. One preview performance took place on October 9.

Opening night was Thursday October 10. The show then performed over three weekends

closing on October 26, for a total of thirteen performances and 2,220 patrons.

The fundamental aspects of the production involved making use of the entire

theatre space. The director wanted to use the entire theatre as a canvas for Prospero to

conjure his magic and create the island. The audience should see the empty theatre as

Prospero’s world and as Shakespeare’s world.

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Chapter 2: The Director’s Concept and Script Analysis

In comparison to other works of Shakespeare, The Tempest is a shorter play and

therefore the director, Cressida Brown, thought it would not need to be heavily edited to

keep, in her words, “magic, music, and playfulness”(Appendix A). Many of the edits the

director planned involved removing pieces of long speeches that the director felt were

repetitive in particular near the end of the play. Also the two minor characters, Adrian

and Francisco, were removed from this production.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and The Ohio State University have a

collaborative relationship that is now in its 5th

year. This relationship enables the

company to bring more of their work to the United States. This partnership also includes

the Young People’s Shakespeare (YPS) program, which is now called First Encounter, as

well as the Stand Up For Shakespeare program (SUFS). Some of the works that have

been part of the RSC-OSU collaboration and not a part of the aforementioned programs

were produced on the Scarlet and Gray Stage at The Park Avenue Armory in New York

City. On this stage As You Like It, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and The

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Winter's Tale were performed in repertory for 44 performances in 2011 (Garcia). This

stage was a replica of the RSC’s stage in the United Kingdom and was built in

collaboration with the Ohio State University.

At OSU an adaption of Othello was also produced in 2011. The Ohio State

University produced the play which was performed in the Roy Bowen Theatre. This show

was directed by Alison Bomber, an RSC member and a cast consisting of MFA actors.

The three main components of the First Encounter and the SUFS program are: 1)

do it on your feet, 2) see it live, and 3) start it earlier. As part of the “start it earlier” and

the “see it live” aspect, First Encounter productions have toured the Columbus

community and include: Hamlet in 2012, King Lear in 2013, and The Taming of the

Shrew in 2014. An extension of this program, although not officially a part of the

collaboration between OSU and the RSC, are productions produced as part of the theatre

department’s main season. Streamlined for young audiences these productions tour

approximately 25 central Ohio middle and high schools during the spring semester. These

productions have included: Macbeth in 2012, Twelfth Night in 2013, and As You Like It in

2014.

The Acting MFA class’ devised a work created and produced in 2012 titled This

Above All based upon the actors’ experiences with SFUS when they worked with

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Shakespeare in local schools. In this above all, the MFA actors sought to address some

of the issues they saw with the education system in the United States. Through this

process they were advised by a faculty supervisor. As the lighting designer for this

production, I was provided with some insight into this partnership. Scenes from different

Shakespearean plays were woven in to the story of this devised work. One such scene

included the storm scene from The Tempest. The work with This Above All helped me

gain understanding of the spirit of the production and the target audience for The

Tempest. The nature and spirit of the production was revealed to me and how to present a

story accessible to young audiences while not talking down to them was a large part of

the experience.

Like This Above All, the production of The Tempest at The Ohio State University

also needed to be an experience that would be easily manageable for children and young

adults. Middle school groups were scheduled to attend the production and therefore some

cuts to the script were required. The director wanted to use the theory that Prospero was

the director of the show and that he would be in control of the events within the play. The

Tempest was the last play Shakespeare wrote by himself and is considered his farewell to

theatre. Prospero is in control of the environment of the play just as Shakespeare is the

author creating the world of the script.

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In her concept the director stated her desire to create a purgatory-type world in

which the Roy Bowen Theatre would be transformed into a decrepit ghost of its former

glory. Her concept began with how she wanted to treat the space. She planned to use the

space to inspire the feel of the play. Everything the audience sees must look as if it was

derived from Prospero’s magic. The director also envisioned the entire theatre space as an

island. This is a place of culture and of mystery and magic. Simultaneously the space

needed to function as both a derelict theatre and a magical island. The only characters

that should be aware that the theatre is indeed a theatre are Ariel, Prospero, and Ariel’s

attendants. To everyone else it should appear as an island. In the director’s concept,

Brown goes on to state that some of the characters will need to have their gender

switched to afford both comedic and serious roles for the acting pool. This was due to a

mandatory casting of five female graduate students and four male graduate students.

Brown also cast six undergraduate students, three females and three males.

The director further called for a “clever design [that] would present the Roy

Bowen as a derelict and disused theatre. Lights would flicker on the rig, scaffolding

would loom above, discarded costumes would sag from broken rails and old props would

litter the auditorium.” She goes on to say that the “discarded objects around the space will

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be brought to life during the storytelling and the young audience will observe and

experience the magic of theatre being crafted in front of them.”(Appendix A)

The general look of the play needed to be a loose metaphor for how the theatre is

an island of the arts and promises a place where magic can exist as a respite from the dull

normal life of the real world. The director wanted a play-within-a-play scenario

encouraging pre-teen and young adult audiences’ participation in the production, by

applauding for or booing certain characters. The audience should also be involved in the

Masque scene in the end of Act IV. Brown stated that children will be brought on stage

during the Masque to dance with the actors and possibly play found instruments such as

derelict paint buckets and pots and pans.

The director wanted “Miranda, Caliban, Ariel and Prospero in his magic mantle to

look like ghosts of the theatre and be completely distinct from the modern dressed court

that washes up on their island.”(Appendix A) She wanted Ariel’s appearance to be the

only one that changed much, and the director wanted Ariel’s to change drastically every

time she appeared. Ariel should take the role of all those “that work in a functioning

theatre; a cleaner, a lighting technician, a designer, a stage manager, and as an usher.”

(Appendix A) Ariel’s attendants should be a ghostly chorus of ushers melting in and out

of the space, manipulating it as they do so.

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All this manipulating and audience interaction culminates with the Masque. The

director wanted ornate costumes with an operatic feel. “Think Beyoncé [at the] Super-

Bowl dramatic!”(Appendix A) Lavish performances and sound would engulf the stage.

The audience would interact with the production throughout and should feel as if they

were also conjured by Prospero.

The audience should at times feel they were transported to a courtroom. The

director wanted to set up a condition where the audience could cast judgment on the

performance. She wanted a cynical nature to ooze over the show. The epilogue it should

be as if Prospero is asking the audience to free him with applause. The audience should

feel as if they are judging whether or not he deserves to be set free. They would, with

their applause, create a tempest similar to the one at the top of the play. This mirroring

represents and suggests an important theme of the play. The theatre is where the magic

still exists in the world. The audience is the catalyst of that magic.

The Tempest takes place in various locations on an island in the Mediterranean. In

this production, the island was a metaphor for a bastion of arts and creativity. This notion

helped direct the design team in their research. There must exist a plurality between

theatre and island. The design must reinforce this layering.

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Due to the timeless nature of the script, it could be set in any historical period or

place. The titles “Duke of Milan” and “King of Naples” suggested that this is a play set in

the Renaissance at the height of Italian culture, which is concurrent with the time the

show was written. What is most important about the time frame of this piece is the

sequence of events for the characters and their relationships to each other.

The main character of the show is Prospero, who is the rightful Duke of Milan.

His brother Antonio, with the help of the King of Naples, deposed him twelve years

earlier, before the central events of the play take place. Lord Gonzalo, now an advisor to

the king of Naples, helped Prospero and his daughter Miranda escape Italy. Ferdinand is

the son of Alonso who is the king of Naples. Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda upon

first seeing her on the island. Sebastian is Alonso’s brother and along with Antonio

attempts to kill Gonzalo and Alonso in order to take power for himself. Trinculo and

Stephano are the servants of the noblemen. Trinculo is a jester and Stephano is a butler.

Stephano manages to save his stash of wine from the shipwreck and becomes

drunk following the initial storm. He and Trinculo, along with Caliban, who is one of

Prospero’s servants, try to overthrow Prospero and take control of the island. Prospero’s

main servant is Ariel who is also his spirit helper in conjuring magic. Prospero is a

sorcerer and uses Ariel as a messenger and a demi-god helper.

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In this production, the gender of some of the characters needed to be swapped in

order to accommodate the casting requirements. Earlier in the director’s concept Brown

says: “In terms of supporting the OSU ensemble, at the moment we imagine Ariel,

Antonio (Antonia), Stephano (Stephana) and Prospero (Prospera) would become women.

This gender swapping is a much fairer way than doubling of allocating parts amongst the

ensemble – allowing for an equal number of comic and serious roles amongst them – and

also provides more clarity. Lastly, Sebastian would merge with Antonio/a as one part so

he would soliloquize and ask the audience whether to kill Alonso.” (Appendix A) A

significant amount of text was cut from Act V, mostly for brevity’s sake. The boatswain’s

lines were cut.

There are three groups of characters. The first group is the Islanders,

consisting of Miranda, Ariel, and Caliban. This group sees the island as an island and not

a theatre or something else. The second group is the Foreigners, who are shipwrecked on

the island in various locations as a result of the violent storm Prospero conjures in Act I

Scene I. They consist of the royalty and their attendants. These people are lost and

confused and worried the rest of their party is dead. They are separated from each other

as per Prospero’s design. Prospero separates Ferdinand from the rest so Ariel can lead

Miranda to him. This is done so that the pair may fall in love. Other foreigners consist of

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Alonso, Gonzalo, Antonio, and Sebastian. These four are led at the whim of Ariel and her

servants. Alonso and company are consumed with the fear the rest of their party is dead.

Alonso blames himself for Ferdinand’s supposed death. Antonio and Sebastian’s true

natures are revealed to the audience in Act II Scene I when Ariel puts Alonso and

Gonzalo to sleep. Antonio and Sebastian plot to kill Alonso and Gonzalo in order for

Antonio to take the throne for himself. Luckily, Ariel wakes them just in time. Also

separated are the Noblemen’s servants who consist of the drunk and the jester; Stephano

and Trinculo. They form an unlikely alliance with Caliban to overthrow Prospero for

control of the island. The last group of characters is Prospero, Ariel and her attendants.

Prospero sees the island as malleable and in this production it is an empty theatre on

which he will manipulate his cast of characters on his command with Ariel’s help.

In early lighting design ideas, I considered lighting each of the groups differently:

for example, for the scenes where Prospero in his own world, I imagined a cold color

palette that evoked a feeling of distance from the action with crisply textured tone. I

envisioned a warmer color palette and softer patterns with steeper angle light for the

Islander’s scenes. The storm was the subject of great conversation among the design team

in the early stages of directionality and controlled lightning coordinated with sound. This

scene needed to be overwhelming and start abruptly, jolting the audience.

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The concept of lighting each group differently informed the early design ideas.

This is a play about the magic of theatre and the possibilities it provides. It explores the

choice of forgiveness over revenge which may be the nobler choice but may be more

painful. The scenic design was created was in response to these themes of magic,

possibility, and forgiveness. Rigidly defined spaces that were also neutral in tone and

manner in order to become any space required by the play. The same space would need to

be represented as island and theatre, sand and steel. Like the inner conflict in Prospero’s

mind the theatre space would be torn from one world to another reminding the audience

of the dichotomy of man’s struggle with his own conscious.

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Chapter 3: Production and Design Approach

The overall design developed fairly early in the process. Even before the first

production meeting, the director decided the creative team should treat the Bowen

Theatre as a found space and the costume designer and the director decided the Masque

was most likely going to be Elizabethan in theme (as in Elizabeth the First, ruler of

England from 1558-1603). This was a reflection of the desire to tie this production to

Shakespeare’s life and his retirement from theatre following The Tempest’s initial

performances.

Figure 3.1 Scenic Research Image

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Figure 3.2 Scenic Research Image

The scenic design research contained images of large open spaces. Some of the

images were very evocative in terms of lighting and informed the direction of how the

scenery would best be sculpted. The sceneic designer and I talked often about what we

wanted the space to feel like. The atmosphere of an abandoned sugar plantation or empty

forgotten warehouse was the look we were going for. We talked about how we should

have an open space that was generally symmetrical, yet still provide for different

locations through the use of dynamic lighting and flexibility in acting levels. We wanted

to separate the groups of characters through both these means. Clarifying the separation

of characters on stage was important from the first meeting. The director stated that the

production was going to have multiple characters inhabiting spaces very close to one

another. The different groups would be on stage concurrently and the characters may or

may not be aware of each other’s presence.

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Figure 3.3 Scenic Sketch

The final scenery created was defined with a “U” shape of catwalks facing the

center audience section about 9’-0” off the stage floor. The stage left side included a

steep ramp. The original drawings had no ramp and an escape catwalk going off stage

right with ladders down the sides of the “U” at two places. They were placed mid-stage

left and mid-stage right. The ramp was quickly added in order for the actors to easily

transition from the top of the catwalks to the main stage level without a break in the

action.

The escape catwalk was later removed at the first rehearsal and the ladders were

relocated to the upstage right and left corners of the catwalks, as noted in Appendix D.

They were shifted because the ladders were initially interfering with sight lines. I was

curious how much of the auditorium Brown wanted to use for acting areas and how

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dynamic they would need to be because the scenic designer had already created a huge

stage area for performance. Brown said that she would have to find out how much of the

stage she was using during rehearsal, but said that she would want to use as much as

possible. I planned to set aside enough lighting fixtures so I would be able to light these

areas. She also mentioned using the audience seating sections and aisle steps for action

including some seats for Ariel and her attendants at the top of the show.

The set also contained a giant beam in the middle of the stage that was made to

look like it had broken through the stage floor when it fell from above. This was intended

to be climbed upon by actors and used as a central piece in the show. A significant

amount of blocking took place on or with the beam. This was a bold choice because of

inherent sightline issues when there is a large scenic element in a thrust space; however it

was used in a dynamic fashion and it added intrigue to the piece.

There were also sight line issues due to the scenic catwalks. If the scenic catwalks

were installed in certain positions they could block potential lighting instrument

locations. The sight line issues were concerning because the audience members located in

the stage right section wouldn’t be able to see the actors on the catwalk above them or

much of the upstage catwalk playing area. The audience stage right also had trouble

seeing actors on the top of the large central beam.

Design development continued over the summer break. I was in favor of moving

the catwalks as far off stage as possible so I would not compromise my lighting angles.

Because of where they were originally drawn, the scenic catwalk would be directly in the

path of the instruments I had designed for the primary playing space. In the original

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position, I would have to place too many lights on the catwalks to effectively cover the

space. This would block audience sightlines to the actors performing in the scenic

catwalks. My advisor worried the audience’s view would be severely hampered by the

catwalks (especially stage right, and stage left before it was revised into a stage left ramp)

and brought this issue to the attention of the design team, suggesting the catwalks needed

to be over the main part of the stage. A compromise was reached and the catwalk stage

right was placed over the off stage side of the moat which was far better for

accommodating my lighting scheme than if it was closer on stage. This also afforded the

audience members a clearer view of the playing space.

The costume design divided the characters into three main groups consisting of

the islanders, the noblemen, and the comic characters. The noblemen were defined by

business attire and formal wear. Alonso, Gonzalo, Antonio, and Sebastian were all

dressed as slick businessmen. Gonzalo comments on how impeccable their clothes

remain following the storm and shipwreck and it is apparent they are made with great

care and skill. They look rich. They appear out of place on a desert island or an

abandoned theater and the costumes reinforce, if not propel, that idea. Ferdinand is also

part of this group; while his dress is formal, he is a younger man and is clad somewhat

more casually than the others. He is without a jacket and rolls up his sleeves at times.

The second group of characters was the Islanders. They are all distinct according

to their backgrounds. Ariel and her attendants are the ushers and spirits of the island.

Their base costume is an usher’s uniform in which they actually perform taking tickets

and seating the audience members before the performance. Caliban was an old, decrepit

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anthropomorphized statue that lives under the stage. He was dirty and surly. There are

patches of worn graffiti on his body. At one time you could tell he was dressed as well as

the noblemen but he is now covered in dust and dirt. Prospero and Miranda complete the

group of islanders. In the beginning they are mangy and looked as if they may become

like Caliban, forgotten and destroyed. Miranda however received a new gown towards

the end when she and Ferdinand are married.

The third group of characters was the comics. The comics are the servants to the

noblemen. While the comics’ costumes follow the same formal theme, they are over the

top and very flamboyant. For example Stephano (changed to Stephana), the butler, wears

a tattered dress that suggests she may be more tavern wench than noble butler, and

Trinculo wore an ostentatious suit, large curly wig and goofy epaulettes on his shoulders.

Miranda’s Act I Scene I costume was crafted to look like the drop that hung

upstage. She blended into the seascape almost entirely and only appeared when she spoke

her first line. The dress she wore was treated with the same paints that were used on the

drop, when she moved away there was a blank spot left in the drop where her body was.

It was as if she was becoming part of the island like Caliban.

There were several questions I had to answer when I was approaching the lighting

design. The first was how to light the massive amount of cubic space that will be

occupied by the actors? The second question I asked was in what way do I manifest these

worlds and keep them separate yet unified? Furthermore, how do these worlds interact

with each other and in what ways can they coexist in the same scene and area of the

stage?

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In order to accomplish a lighting design that provided for a multi-use nature of the

stage, I, after consulting with the director, developed three worlds in which the play

would exist. The first world is the island itself, as experienced by the nobles and conjured

by Prospero and Ariel and their magic. This world should be warm and sun-bleached; a

true Mediterranean paradise. I pictured a sea side resort or the islands of Greece (Figure

3.4). I imagined the island should be bathed in light like the Arc de Triomphe is

represented. (Figure 3.5)

Figure 3.4 Preliminary Island Research Image

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Figure 3.5 Preliminary Island Research Image

The second world consists of the palace and serves as a canvas for Prospero and

Ariel. I imagined it as a ruined palace, (a ruined theatre with, as the director said, the

“Prospero as stage manager” motif). Prospero’s mind palace is cold and stark. I

envisioned that cool lighting hues here would be prevalent; I thought that it should appear

deep and shadowy but uniform in color and gusto. (Figure 3.6) The tatters of ripped

fabric and the shabbiness of the space should be clear and shaped with side lighting or

high back lighting. The rust on the back wall should be muted but still visible to the

audience. I feel like this space is wet and damp. It should look as though there is a film of

crud on the set. Like a humid summer day before it rains. (Figure 3.7)

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Figure 3.6 Preliminary Palace Research Image

Figure 3.7 Preliminary Palace Research Image

26

The third world should be indicative of the corridors of the island; the shortcuts

Prospero and Ariel have carved so they and the spirits can move quickly through the

island to create trouble for the different groups of nobles and retreat back to the palace.

This place is a shadowy world with a hidden web of maintenance tunnels. This place

should have disparate and uneven lighting. The audience should get the feeling these

passageways are known only by Prospero, Ariel, and Ariel’s attendants. From these

places, Prospero, Ariel, and the spirits observe the nobles and manipulate the nobles’

lives from these places as well.

The three lighting worlds will achieve the director’s vision of a stage transformed

at will by Prospero. This will give the characters somewhere to be, even if just

existentially. The actors will know they are on the island, or in a corridor, or wandering

and lost based on the lighting. For example, when Alonzo first enters with his group of

nobles and starts wandering around the space into odd places, he may go from the island

world where he is rooted, and stagger off into the hidden web of tunnels further losing his

bearings.

The lighting integrates with scenery to establish a sense of place. The director

Cressida Brown, the scenic designer Shane Cinal, and I agreed to specific spots on the

catwalks and elsewhere as places where the spirits would be revealed in light.

Occasionally they would usher some of the noble group through these areas to confuse

them or cause them to miss meeting the other nobles. We also established that with light I

would conceal or reveal certain objects or performers in scenes where multiple groups

were present on stage but not aware of each other. For example, during pre-show I

27

disguised Miranda in light as she sat up stage in plain sight adjacent to the backdrop. The

set also provided me a great deal of what I termed “free texture” because I could use the

set to cast very dramatic shadows on the action below without the use of a lighting

template. This consisted of walkways, ledges, railings and other piping and support

structure.

The set dressing and the lighting also supported each other. Ropes were tied to the

set, some to hold up curtains or drops and others rigged purely for decoration. There were

also approximately two dozen light fixtures attached to the set along the hand rails of the

catwalks and on the support structure. The scenic designer and I came to the conclusion

that this provided an opportunity to put more light fixtures on the set in random places to

sustain an old abandoned theatre look. I provided him six instrument bodies devoid of

any useable hardware or lamp for this purpose. These were designed to be integrated with

the working lighting fixtures used in the show and intentionally confuse what was a prop

and what was real.

From this I had an idea to take an old light fixture body and put some wireless

LEDs in it for an effect. The old light fixture became a prop and didn’t have any cabling

but was still able to magically light up. The device used was a Wireless DMX or Digital

Multiplexing receiver that is powered by a twelve-volt battery and can be used to receive

data form the lighting console without running cable. The director and I were planning to

use it as a convention to introduce a scene or transition out of a scene. Ariel would touch

the light so she could magically shift the scene. Brown planned on experimenting with

this lighting prop in rehearsal.

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A painted drop was hung on the back wall of the stage. The scenic designer

created an abstract seascape with an impressionist style to cover the expanse above the

stage deck. It was mounted to the underside of the upstage catwalk. The director decided

that Miranda should blend in with the painting. The dress Miranda wore at the beginning

of the play made her look as if she was part of the painting. She then emerged from the

drop with her first line. The director wanted Miranda to be present from the opening of

the house and then burst forth following the storm. The pre-show lighting would need to

be shadowy and diffuse. This would conceal Miranda’s form. I decided that I would

highlight the architecture of the catwalks and place some light pattern on the floor in

order to further distract from Miranda’s figure up stage.

These early design ideas strongly influenced the final look of the play. After the

initial collaboration our worlds and themes became further defined. The scenic designer

and I intensified our communication about how we could more closely integrate and

enhance the production in accordance with the director’s vision. We talked about how the

set could be used for lighting instruments and discussed the placement of the catwalk

playing areas. We also talked about how to suggest unique blocking ideas and how best

to sculpt the space. Through this discussion we continued developing more separation in

the worlds and discussed how to dynamically sculpt the set the lighting design grew.

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Chapter 4: The Process

My first thoughts about this production were that in this found space, there needed

to be three distinct worlds created through lighting. But after the research phase I realized

that I actually needed to have five worlds. One world would be the derelict theatre, and

the second a lush island. The third would be the Masque. The fourth would be the storm,

and the fifth is the spindly web of connectors that ties all things together.

Two images that I used as inspiration for the island had a certain sun-bleached

quality that epitomized the feeling of the island. The way the sun streams through the

window and bathes the space in golden light helped me envision the island (Figure 4.1).

This lighting quality was just the thing to turn a derelict space into a summer

Mediterranean island. The image of an old fighter jet looks warm and inviting (Figure

4.2). The strong key lighting that comes from a single light source is why I chose this

research. This quality evokes hard shadow lines that hid parts of the environment but

reveals others. This was important because choosing what to hide and reveal with lighting

informs the audience, along with acting, to provide emphasis on stage. This warmth

functions in contrast to the other world of the play, which is generally cool and diffuse.

30

Figure 4.1 Island Research Image

Figure 4.2 Island Research Image

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In Figure 4.3, the absence of strong shadows and the muted colors are key to the

world of the derelict theatre. This is what the world of the theatre should feel like. This is

a hollow space. I decided to establish the convention that only when Prospero and the

spirits give the space life does the space takes the form of the island. In both Figures 4.3

and 4.4 the quality of light evokes an ethereal nature that is key to the fluid way the space

needed to be sculpted. In addition it also gave a blank slate for Prospero to cast his magic.

I used muted colors and soft light with a variety of angles to eliminate shadows.

Figure 4.3 Palace Research Image

Figure 4.4 Palace Research Image

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The third world is the world of the Masque. This world should be over the top and

colorful. The Masque should be the climax of the action of the play and should be full of

sensory stimulus such as bright lights and lots of color. The Masque is a dance

performance given to Miranda and Ferdinand for their engagement present. Ariel and her

spirits perform in the Masque. In the director’s concept the director used Beyoncé at the

Superbowl as an example of what the design team should go for. (Figure 4.6) This scene

should be full of color from all around; casting shadows from many different directions.

This will create patches of light on the stage the actors can move through in a whimsical

and chaotic manner. (Figure 4.5)

Figure 4.5 Masque Research Image

Figure 4.6 Masque Research Image

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The fourth world was the world of the storm. In this world, the lightning and

sound spiraled all around, confusing and blinding the actors. The boatswain will carry a

light emulating the ship’s lantern that will help suggest the ship is at sea in Figure 4.7.

This will be accomplished by an actor holding an actor holding a high powered amber

flashlight. The boatswain will shine it towards the frightened and jostled court, calling

out to them and answering their concerns. The boatswain will switch from stage left to

stage right in the vomitoria shining his light on to the stage, simulating the tossing and

turning of the ship. It is a world rocked by confusion with huge flashes of lightning and

cracks of thunder.

Figure 4.7 Storm Research Image

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To help create the chaos of the storm, two strobes are used along with other

traditional fixtures to help create the sense the storm existed all around the theatre. I used

wide angle instruments from the upstage corners of the theatre that mirror the strobes

rigged the downstage corners. The wide angle instruments cast broad shadows of the

structure of the set along with the tattered sheets and ropes onto the actors and the

expanse of the stage. The resulting effect was to make believe the performers were

actually on a ship that was breaking up. The only glimpses the audience and the

performers had of the ship’s state of collapse were during the large flashes of lightning.

The fifth and final world would be the corridors and the hidden paths between the

other worlds. These are invisible shortcuts through the world of the play that only the

islanders know. These spaces should be like maintenance or subway tunnels. Like the

tunnels at The Ohio State that run under campus you could, for instance, enter them

under the library and come out at The Shoe. But it would be hard to find your way if you

didn’t know where they went. Spaces like this have lighting that is uneven yet have a soft

quality along the path (Figure 4.8). Like a Cold War spy movie characters should emerge

from the shadows just as easily as they blend back in. At certain times throughout the

show the noblemen are guided through the hidden paths or wander into them by accident.

This can be useful for moving them to, as Shakespeare writes before different scenes,

“another part of the island” (The Tempest). The instruments used should have an even fall

off from their brightest point in the center of their beam so depending on where the actor

is in the passageway they can either be dark, bright, or anywhere in between (Figure 4.9).

35

Figure 4.8 Passageway Research Image

Figure 4.9 Passageway Research Image

During early production meetings it became clear the actors, especially the spirits

and Ariel, would need to interact with the lighting in tangible ways. The director and I

decided that we would create an interactive lighting session during rehearsal for the cast

to manipulate various lighting instruments. This session allowed the actors to experiment

36

with performer-operated lighting and find a way to integrate them further into selected

scenes.

I set up a lighting rig on the stage so the actors could experiment with two

modified spotlights with irises and spot handles. Also available were eight high-powered

flashlights. The main focus of the interactive lighting session was to find staging options

with the actors as they manipulated the light. Originally the spirits were going to be

manipulating lighting fixtures to motivate the storm. Prospero was going to command

them and they would imitate lightning strikes and the chaos of the moment with the

flashlights and the spotlights. This convention was meant to remind the audience

throughout the play that Prospero was conjuring the various environments with the help

of Ariel and her attendants.

It became clear when I joined this rehearsal that the lightning strikes the actors

could produce with the equipment were more subdued than what the director and I

wanted. We needed a lighting moment that was broad and abrupt. Actor-generated

lighting strikes were too narrow and did not produce enough quantity of light. The

director agreed with my suggestion that the main light for the storm scene would be best

generated by two high-powered LED flashlights located from offstage in both of the

voms and operated by an actor speaking the lines of the Boatswain. The light would

represent the running light at the bow of the ship. The Boatswain would say his lines

while shining the light on the main action. This effect would mimic the tossing and

turning of the ship and also provide a key light during the darker moments when wide

flashes of lightning weren’t illuminating the space.

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In addition to the storm scene, we determined the spotlights would be used as a

device to alter the movement of the actors; specifically when Ferdinand is charmed by the

music. The actors experimented in responding to light hitting them with physicality,

using the beam of light to drag actors across the stage or hold them in position. The other

way they were used was to suggest lightning. This was achieved by the actors adjusting

the iris, intensity and clapping in front of the beam all at the same time. This created a

bright flash of light reflected off the hands of the actors and then darkness as the lighting

fixture faded out. This effect was eventually used during a transition moment. The

director wanted the spirits to be revealed, actively conjuring a storm the main characters

were hearing in the distance.

In creating the lighting materials to implement my design such as the shop order

and lighting plot, it became clear that I would need many more fixtures than were

available in the assigned inventory. When I submitted my tech request to the resident

lighting designer I asked for the use of eight (8) 70° Source 4 fixtures, eight (8) Source 4

36° fixtures, and two (2) additional Source 4 50° fixtures (see Figures 1.1 and 1.2). I also

requested a few special items besides traditional fixtures. These included a wireless

digital multiplexing (DMX) transmitter and receiver, to accomplish the effect of a

moveable light-up prop fixture to signal scene transitions. This DMX transmitter was

paired with 12v LED tape that served as the light source for this prop. I requested two

auto irises and moving mirror units so I could have moving lights for flexibility with

specials in many different locations. I requested the CD-80 rack from the lighting studio

space so I would have 24 additional dimmers beyond the existing 150 dimmers wired in

38

the Bowen theatre. Because the area the actors inhabited during the production was large

the extra dimmers would grant me greater flexibility in the lighting design. I also

originally requested ten (10) Vari-Lite (VL) 5 instruments but because of the large area I

needed to cover there was no real way for me to use these instruments effectively as a

color changing top wash system. See Appendix B, Production Paperwork. Because of

concurrent productions and unavailable equipment I used $1844 from my budget to

purchase four (4) 70° Source-4 instruments as well as extra multi-cable and data cable.

As noted in the budget which is Appendix F.

I did not have any lighting assistants or programmers for this project, although I

did have a very capable production electrician. Andy Baker, a first-year MFA designer

and lighting GTA, was charged with getting the technical aspects of the production ready.

The plot was due on Monday September 23, 2013. Andy Baker was tasked with

circuiting the plot and on Tuesday September 24, pre-hang started. With a crew of GTAs

and practicum students on September 25, 26, 27, the instruments were hung and

circuited. On Sunday September 29, the lights were focused and on Monday September

30, paper tech and cue write were completed.

Throughout, a lighting notes call was scheduled between each rehearsal. The

production electrician, myself, and the other lighting GTA, along with the lighting studio

manager and theatre practicum students accomplished work and cue notes. We were able

to accomplish all the notes in time for the next rehearsal each day.

As designer and programmer, writing the cues for this production took quite a bit

of time compared with previous design assignments. This is possibly because there were

39

so many different environments that lighting needed to reveal. Each had to be completely

distinct in order to support the play and the creative team’s collective production design

approach. It was also a challenge to provide adequate coverage to the large and complex

performance space occupied by the actors and audience while not simply lighting the

entire theatre. The show was so broadly blocked and fluid that at times I was required to

create a great many full-stage, if not full theatre looks, which in turn took more time to

achieve balance and sculpting. The full stage looks alone wouldn’t have provided a

challenge in the typical production. However the blocking was not complete when the

production started technical rehearsals. Predicting the blocking made cueing tedious. In

addition there were 200 cues in the storm scene alone, which was only one page of text.

The budget of $3500, because of the allocation for other lighting instruments, was

inadequate to provide for a color mixing top system for this show. There were so many

different locales in the play that having the flexibility of a system of instruments capable

of producing any color on the stage floor and bathing the actors would have added a lot

of dynamics to the nature of the locations. However because the LEDs were in use in

another show and the inventory of VL-5s was too small, using a color mixing wash

became impractical. The budget for the show was already stretched with the purchase of

additional instrumentation and accessories. Due to the quantity of fixtures that I placed

beneath the tension grid it required extra labor in order to put into place as well as focus.

It also required running a large amount of circuiting to lighting fixtures is time

consuming, and running cabling under the grid takes even more time. Therefore time was

40

tight getting everything to work because of all the instruments that were hung on the set

below the wire tension grid.

Half the members of the Theatre Lighting Practicum class dropped the course

before the first work call and as a result labor was scarce during hang and focus for this

show. We only had 29 hours of student work out of 95 total allotted during the hang and

focus work calls for this show. For example, the first three days of hang and focus calls,

Wednesday September 25 through Friday September 27, 2013 only nine of the 45

available hours for student work were filled. The labor in this portion of the production

process is often relatively unskilled and there is a lot of instrumentation being moved

around. Due to the unique set design and the degree to which the lighting was integrated

with it, the lighting labor took about twice as long to hang and focus the show than it

would have with more students from the course Theatre 2000.06. Later in the process

things like focus and complex cable runs require more finesse and knowledge of how the

system works. A student contributing in the lighting studio would not have any of this

knowledge until at least the completion of their first semester.

The light plot consisted of a system of straight front light from each of the three

seating banks. The center front lights were a light blue hue and the right and left front

light, a warm pink hue. The plot consisted of two top light systems, a warm amber and a

cool lavender hue. I added two color washes from far stage right and stage left in order

to have the ability to sculpt the scenery and the actors in all locations effectively. Also

moving mirror instruments were placed in the downstage voms. These were moveable

specials that I could use anywhere in the space. They were especially useful for lighting

41

performers in the seating sections and the corners of the catwalks. The actors in the

scenic catwalk were also sculpted by blue top and front lights paired together. These

fixtures were focused to create distinct pools of light, supporting the islanders’

movements.

On Tuesday October 1, 2013 the first technical rehearsal was held and we worked

through the first half of the show excluding the storm at the top of the show. Lighting

notes were accomplished during the following afternoon. Technical rehearsal continued

that evening and we worked through second half of the show. After this was completed

we started working on the storm. Because of the lack of preliminary blocking and the

complexity of the sound and lighting, the design team spent about an hour and a half

synchronizing performers, lighting, and sound for page one of our script. On Thursday

October 3, we made our way through the Masque, and the final scene. The first dress

rehearsal was on Friday October 4. Second dress occurred on Saturday October 5. Then

at the end of the session we rehearsed some individual scenes to incorporate changes in

the sound so the actors could get accustomed to the sources of them. The third dress

rehearsal took place on Monday October 7, after a dark day on Sunday October 6. On

Tuesday October 8, show conditions were set and, after some brief scene work and a

fight call, the company completed final dress. Preview was on Wednesday October 9, and

opening night was Thursday October 10. Strike began on Monday October 29, and was

completed Tuesday October 30. The Tempest performed for 2220 patrons for a total of

thirteen performances.

42

Collaborative meetings and conversations between designers happened frequently

and with varied success. At times it was difficult to understand what exactly needed to be

done because of conflicting messages from the director. During technical rehearsals she

would say one thing and a consensus would be reached. After tech table ended she would

then send out emails with conflicting statements and without context or had the stage

manager do it for her in the rehearsal report. The communication between the design

team and the director seemed to break down until it nearly ceased to exist in any form

except the occasional cryptic email.

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Chapter 5: Evaluation of the Design

Overall, the scenery and lighting complemented each other in form and intention.

The set provided a very dynamic environment. The set offered additional lighting

positions as well as an opportunity for the actors and director to explore innovative

staging. While maintaining the angles of the beams of light proved difficult it ultimately

worked out rather well. Maintaining the angles of the systems of light is very important

because without proper angle management the lighting can become uneven and spotty

when it might not be intended. The scenic designer and I worked very hard to formulate

an equitable solution as to where the scenic catwalks were constructed in order to

accommodate lighting locations and it worked well. I had concerns as to the position of

the scenic catwalks interfering with my lighting design; however we created a solution

with of which we were both happy about.

Although the possibility for isolation and dynamic scenes of intimate moments

could have been achieved with the dynamic set and flexible lighting scheme, it was not

evident in the play mostly due to the blocking. My observation on the broad blocking was

addressed by a reviewer in the Columbus Alive. He stated “the play’s pivotal passage-

when Ariel appeals to Prospero’s humanity to pardon his betrayers – as an exchange

across the theatre’s entire expanse rather than as a moment of heart-wrenching intimacy.”

44

(Weitz). In order to compensate for this broad take on the blocking I made sure to have

ample coverage over the whole stage, with the stage right and left washes I was able to

tone and shape the stage in its entirety.

I think the treatment of Prospero as stage manager and Ariel and her spirits as

ushers took a lot of the magic and mystery out of the play. Compared to the film version

of The Tempest (2010) starring Christopher Plummer, OSU’s Prospero seemed weak and

unable to control his own destiny. This was produced a multi camera shot with theatrical

staging. In my view, Prospero needs to be able to govern his life in order for the choice of

revenge or forgiveness to have any real power. In addition, the presence of the spirits in

the seating sections made the audience constantly aware they were watching something

that wasn’t really happening and didn’t allow the audience to buy into the show. It caused

me as an audience member to question whether the characters were really living

truthfully and being affected by their environment. In the 2010 film, the spirits and Ariel

are magical and mystifying. Pulling the audience into the magic of the island rather than

pointing it out as just theatre.

The design process that happened over summer 2013 was done over Skype, email,

and telephone calls. There were several production meetings in which I was dropped

from the Skype call or never contacted. It was because of this that my advisor needed to

step in and be my advocate during these meetings. While I am thankful for my advisor’s

help, I would have rather been included in the meetings. This was probably due at least in

part to the transition between having a production manager and other faculty members

take over various responsibilities when the production manager position was vacated.

45

When the design team is scattered across North America and Europe collaboration is

always a challenge. I did keep in email contact with the design team and the director as

well as visiting the online media storage service to view design progress. And although it

is very nice to have access to the materials seeing the directors first reaction to the

designs and having some input into their next direction is always preferred. A director’s

gut reaction can serve as a guide to the path the production will take. In the collaborative

spirit if I see something that I don’t understand I can ask about it with everyone there. In

this way I get both the directors take and the other designers input on what the meaning is

behind a choice. These conversations are very helpful in forming the ideas I have about

creating atmosphere and context for the production.

While most of the design was finalized before summer break, I can’t fully attest to

what happened in these design meetings because I was not present. The main thing I

missed was the costume presentations and although I saw the renderings and spoke

briefly to the costume designer, I would have liked to be in on the discussion that

happened during the meeting in order to better understand the scope of the designs.

It also seemed the director was using the stage manager as her personal assistant,

a job that he was neither prepared for nor capable of doing while going to school,

working, and managing the production. She relied on him to keep her personal schedule

as well as the rehearsal schedule. She also changed the rehearsal schedule without telling

the design team, the stage management, or the actors. When the stage manager or a

member of the design team would ask about what was happening in the next rehearsal or

46

if we needed to run a scene during tech she would get agitated that we didn’t know the

schedule but it had never been communicated with us.

The director changed her mind based on incorrect information and forgot

important details regularly and seemed to blame the stage manager for these shortfalls.

For instance very early in the production process there was a scenic escape catwalk but it

was cut and it was the director’s idea to cut it, however when the scenic catwalks were

built she then asked where the escape catwalk was and became flustered when we

informed her that she was the one who wanted it cut. This general attitude was a

detriment to the production process and caused tension between the design team and the

director because we were constantly performing inconsistently in her eyes, in my view

this would cause her to become somewhat irate.

Also during technical and dress rehearsals she would take time away from

working with tech and have acting rehearsal on stage. During one of the first technical

rehearsals, while she was working with the actors, I was talking to the scenic and

costume designer about the visual look of a cue and asking their advice. We were then

reprimanded for what she termed “back chat.” I was not exactly sure what this meant and

was hesitant to ask so that I would not inflame the situation. After that point she became

more frustrated with the process, taking more time for acting rehearsal during tech. My

observation was her short temper affected the design team in a large way. She did not use

tech table for notes to the designers so we could talk about them in the context of the

play. She would either have the stage manager add her notes to the rehearsal report

without explanation or send out emails later with no context to her notes, which were

47

often directly conflicting to what she had said and agreed upon, after discussion, during

rehearsal.

I thought the lighting could have been more sculpted and more varied in

appearance if the blocking wasn’t so broad and fluid. While the space is very dynamic

and allowed for a great deal of interesting movement, it doesn’t need to be used

throughout the entire show. In my opinion when people are giving powerful speeches and

saying dramatic dialogue the staging should not be flashy and wild. For instance during

Prospero’s final speech in Act V Scene I, instead of contemplating his dilemma and

focusing on the power of his words, he wandered around the theatre space. I found this

distracting. I found it hard to focus on his words. It seems to me that blocking an actor

standing still or moving slowly exudes more power than having them frantically scurry

around the set. The intensity of Helen Mirren’s nuanced performance as Prospera in Julie

Taymor’s film version is all but vacant from the OSU production. The quiet intensity of

OSU’s Prospero was driven out of him by busy blocking.

The costumes and the lighting worked well together. I believe the more literal

costume choices for the groups of people worked well to separate them from each other

and the set. In particular, visually separating the noblemen from the rest of the cast made

them stand out from the rest of the design aesthetic which was achieved by making

costumes that were almost art deco in influence against a more impressionistic and

deconstructed scenic and lighting theme. For instance the drop upstage painted in an

abstract style. Caliban’s costume was inspired by a stone statue but he was not literally a

statue. In my opinion, placing Ariel and her usher-dressed attendants in the audience

48

during preshow and having them pop out seemed to be a moment where the audience

became disconnected from the story in almost a Brechtian sense. This choice was one the

director made and not the costume designer. Because the actors got on their feet so late

simply getting the blocking down for certain parts was difficult let alone including the

audience.

It seemed that it was the director’s dream that the audience would be actively

involved in the play from start to finish. This however didn’t materialize, and the

audience interaction kept getting smaller and smaller as the show progressed. It was to

the point where when the audience was involved it was rare and out of step with the rest

of the show. The prime example of this is the Masque. Originally the director wanted a

mass amount the audience members to dance with the cast members on stage and

possibly even add the cacophony by playing found instruments. This shrunk over time to

just three audience members dancing with actors during the masque around a maypole

with the actors. The interaction in this section shrunk further, to two people in the

audience simply holding streamers while the spirits danced.

One way the lighting, the scenery, and the costumes really came together was the

abstract sea scape drop that Ariel melded into pre-show. This was a seamless part of the

show and the visual unity was at its highest during the opening moments of the play. As

the play went on the visual unity and direction of the production seemed to break down.

In my view, in its shortened iteration, the play was left with shallow characters. They

seemed to no longer understand who they were it was harder for me to help invoke mood

and emotion in the lighting. In other productions like the 2010 film the characters seemed

49

well rounded and well fleshed out. They seemed motivated by an objective at all times,

where as in this production there may not have been enough text for the actors to truly

explore their characters.

The exploratory lighting rehearsal that took place at the beginning of the rehearsal

process was great. This helped both myself and the actors to get familiar with the feel of

the show. It informed us of what kinds of interaction were going to be necessary between

the actors and the lighting equipment, as well as between the actors and the audience.

Robert Edmond Jones in his book The Dramatic Imagination talks about how

theatre should be defined and presented. He stresses adherence to the story and

encourages stage designers to be story tellers above all else. It seemed in this production

that the show was steered away from telling the story into being at times funny, or cute,

or childish. I think this quote summarizes the problems with the production. “I want you

to acknowledge the fundamental mystery of the theater. I want you to learn that

observation is not a substitute for insight; that ingenuity is not a substitute for

imagination; that cleverness is not a substitute for culture.”

50

References

Union, Drake. "Facilities – Roy Bowen Theatre." Roy Bowen Theatre: Drake

Performance and Event Center. Drake Union Events Center, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.

2013.

"Weekly Meeting with Mary Tarantino." Personal interview. 10 Feb. 2014.

Garcia, Kevin T. "Photo Coverage: Replica of Royal Shakespeare Company's Scarlet &

Gray Stage Revealed!" BroadwayWorld.com. Broadwayworld.com, 30 June 2011.

Web. 25 Dec. 2013.

Weitz, Jay. "Last Chance: Ohio State's Version of "The Tempest" More of a Brief

Squall." Columbus Alive. Columbusalive, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.

51

Research Image Citations

Figure Source

3.1 No Title. N.d. 투견장-창고공간 (Pit-Warehouse Space), Blog.naver.com. 색있는

공간 (Color Space). By Gomdol1979. Web. 29 June 2013.

3.2 Abandoned Warehouse. N.d. Xanadu Abandoned Indoor Area Eventual Club,

Pinterest. Comp. Ashley Smith.

3.3 Appendix D: Scenic Drawings and Sketches.

3.4 Santorini. Mykonos Street. 2012. Everything Greek, Santoriniblog.tumblr.com.

EVERYTHING GREEK. Web. 215 Aug. 2013.

3.5 Up the Champs-Elysees. 2007. Paris 2007 Revisited, Ottawa, Canada.

Flickr.com/photos/_vee_. By _Vee_. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

3.6 Widlund, Martin. Spaceship Coupe. 2013. Martin Widlund Photography,

Hungary.

3.7 Hippiesispunkz. Untitled. 2013. I Really Hate Where I Live, Manilla, Philippines.

52

Figure Source

4.1 Doria, Erika V. Erin Wasson Style. 2011. Elle France, Campus Bombe, France.

4.2 Thomas, Simon. English Electric Lightning F2A. 2004. Airliners.net, Balderton,

United Kingdom.

4.3 Shower Block Project, Cluj. 2013. Link To Hope, Cluj, Romania. Comp. Cornel

Fedor.

4.4 Nunn, Rick. 3. 2013. Dainty & Derelict, Tokyo, Japan.

4.5 Untitled. 2013. Worst Romance, Brazil. Comp. Renata.

4.6 Colicchio, Marcela. Taxi Picture. 2011. Machucolicchio-photobucket, New York.

4.7 Van Rijn, Rembrandt H. Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee. 1633. Oil on

Canvass. Wikipedia Commons Images, Location Unknown, Stolen in 1990 from

the Gardner Museum.

4.8 Boyle, Stephen. "Caught between Poverty and Politics: Undocumented Migrants

in Greece." Editorial. Yalejournal.org. Yale Journal of International Affairs, 25

Sept. 2012. Web. 18 Aug. 2013.

4.9 Comfortable Corridor Clinic Store Interior Design. 2011. ArchInspire, n.p. Ed.

Archinspire.

53

Appendix A: Director’s Concept

54

The Tempest:

One of the beauties of choosing The Tempest for this project is its length. It is short

enough that it does not have to be heavily edited - merely sheared – while the magic,

music, and playfulness of the play make it ideal material for children

The Tempest is to me about the magic of theatre, the desire to have revenge, and the

bravery and loss that comes with forgiveness. It is a play full of fear, wonder and

trickery. Prospero is a man both in and out of control who, with the help of his servant

Ariel, directs his own version of the events that play out in front of us. The ultimate

power, however, lies with the audience who are in the end asked to set him, the play,

and ourselves free.

Prospero as Director:

My first objective would be to show that Prospero is in control of the play. My version

would be self-consciously theatrical throughout and would become an imaginative fairy

tale that Prospero seemingly conjures from a script.

Clever design would present the Roy Bowen stage as a derelict and disused theatre.

Lights would flicker on the rig, scaffolding would loom above, discarded costumes would

sag from broken rails, old props would litter the auditorium, the roof would be leaking a

steady drip of water, wires and ropes would dangle everywhere and a cracked broom

would lean against a pile of swept rubbish. As the audience enters the space Prospero,

lone on stage, studies his reflection in a shattered mirror. He would seemingly be

preparing for a performance, trying to memorize lines from a book by repeating them

aloud. These lines would be from The Tempest.

The Theatre as Island:

55

The theatre is Prospero’s mind as well as the island, and the set is the playground on

which he tells his story.

Discarded objects around the space will be brought to life during the storytelling and the

young audience will watch and experience the magic of theatre being crafted in front of

them. I imagine that ostensibly littered theatrical objects –– a broken rail, a corner of a

red stage curtain, a poster – will become, for example, the mast, bow and sail of a boat

which is puppeteered and then divided by the storm. All these objects would become

recycled and part of the storytelling. Perhaps, for instance, the broken wood boards of

the stage become the logs that Caliban and Ferdinand must carry whilst the flickering

light is what the characters take for lightening,

Without realizing it, everything the audience have seen or experienced before the play

begins will become incorporated into the action. In contrast to the characters that are

washed up on the island - and therefore as outsiders enter and exit from offstage - the

islanders will issue from inside the theatre itself. Thus an anachronistic hoop underskirt

hanging from the wall would suddenly spring to life as Miranda, the pile of rubbish on

the stage would reveal Caliban (a broken statue?) sitting underneath it, whilst Ariel’s

would first enter as Prospero’s reflection in the shattered mirror.

Miranda, Caliban, Ariel and Prospero in his magic mantle will all look like ghosts of the

theatre and will be completely distinct from the modern dressed court that wash up on

their island. Ariel’s appearance, unlike that of the other characters, will radically alter

every time she appears from the shattered mirror. I like the idea she takes on the roles

of all those who work in a functioning theatre; at points a cleaner, a lighting technician,

a designer, a stage manager, and then an usher.

In fact I imagine there is a ghostly chorus of ushers who invisibly act as Ariel’s chorus.

Melting in and out of the space they together create the sound effects and music live

which is needed for the piece, as well as puppeteer the discarded objects into life.

56

Everything accelerates theatrically towards the magic of the masque when the theatre

becomes fully functioning and almost operatic in its style. Think Beyonce super bowl

dramatic! Ornate costumes, lavish performances, and amplified sound would sweep

across the stage. (In my experience any show that contains a glitter ball is a winner with

children!).

The Comedy of Control

Prospero controls the entrances and exits of characters by turning a page in his book. In

contrast Ariel - his playful agent - would control the actions of the characters while they

are on stage. Similar to Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ariel will be mischievous in

delivering Prospero’s commands and his invisibility will exploit every ounce of humour.

She will splash water in the faces on the ‘dry’ Alonso, sit on Caliban’s log to make it too

heavy to lift, and manipulate clothes to run like monsters after the disobedient

Sebastian.

We should exploit every moment of music in the piece and perhaps every time Ariel

sings – perhaps picking up the discarded microphones – she could find in a costume box

a wig that reflects the style of music she will perform: at one point a rock star, the next

Elvis, and then a blues artist.

The Tragedy of Revenge

However, I would not want to rid the play entirely of its darkness, and so would allow

the audience to see what terrifying images are in the despairing protagonist’s memory. I

think perhaps Prospero’s conjuring power would extend during the play to bringing to

life the past he relates in the text. This would both invest him with more magical powers

and also physicalize the description for the young audience.

This visualization could be both to Miranda (about how they got to the island), or to

Ariel (about his release from Sycorax’s capture). We would therefore watch the

57

fantastical birth of Caliban before he appears and know who the grieving Alonso is

before he speaks. When we meet the laughable creatures in the story and compare

them with the terrifying images Prospero initially created in front of us, I hope the

audience will better understand his anger and decision for forgiveness.

The Audience as Judge

In this ‘play-within-a-play ‘scenario it would be remiss not to exploit the participation of

young audience members. From the outset the audience should feel as if they have

been ‘conjured’ and their presence is needed to witness the events. A recording of

young spectators chatter as they enter the auditorium would increase in volume as the

play begins and be manipulated into the sound of waves to become the famous opening

storm.

Their involvement would gather momentum with Ariel enlisting their vocal support in

his invisible exploits and their being encouraged to sing along and clap to the music. At

points they should feel as if they are in a courtroom – being referred to as if they were

jurors on the action – and would be invited to boo or cheer approval of characters. Their

participation would reach a climax in the masque where willing volunteers would be

brought onto stage to dance with the characters and those not involved would be given

confetti to throw so that the whole auditorium became the stage.

I would like there to be a cyclical feel to the play. When Prospero invites the audience to

release him by clapping at the end, I want the audience to feel like they are perhaps

now being responsible for creating a tempest similar to the one they heard at the

beginning.

58

OSU

In terms of supporting the OSU ensemble, at the moment we imagine Ariel, Antonio

(Antonia) , Stephano (Stephana) and Prospero (Prospera) would become women. This

gender swapping is a much fairer way than

doubling of allocating parts amongst the ensemble – allowing for an equal number of

comic and serious roles amongst them – and also provides more clarity. Lastly,

Sebastian would merge with Antonio/a as one part so that he would soliloquize and ask

the audience whether to kill Alonso.

The courtly outsiders should all be slick Republican politicians whilst I imagine that

Trinculo is a party animal and Stephana is perhaps a scantily clad cruise liner waitress.

In keeping with ‘theatre as island’ theme, the company would have huge demands in

puppeteering all the discarded objects of the theatre to life. The thrill of performing –

and watching – will be how playful these transformations can be.

The amount of collective creativity and energy the company bring will directly relate to

the sense of empty enchantment at the end. Once the show is over and the stage is

cleared the youngsters should still feel the invisible magic of the empty space.

59

Appendix B: Production Paperwork

60

Tech Request Tempest

•I would like to use the ETC Gio Lighting Desk for flexibility with the instruments and experience

with the latest technology. Also I have not yet been able to use this console in a show at Ohio

State

•10 ETC source-4 70 Degree instruments from the shared inventory. The catwalks need front

light/accent light. I need a wider angle in order to hit these acting areas. Also I desire to have the

ability to wash the stage with texture and this instrument type allows me to do so with more

efficiency than others.

•8 ETC source-4 36 Degree instruments from studio inventory because the playing space is so

large I will need extra 36s for coverage visibility and color continuity.

•12 vl5s for the color mixing capabilities possible movement during the masque and storms. This

should provide me with a lot of rich color variation that will help establish time and place

throughout this show that has a plethora of both.

•2 Rosco i-cues and auto iris to use in conjunction with a ETC Source 4 26 degree instrument to

supplement the actor controlled follow spots and for unanticipated specials.

•4 spot handles and 4 manual irises for the spirits spotlights. These will be for the sprit

characters to operate and control the action in some scenes in with their lights; I will need these

early in the production process in order to accommodate the lighting workshop(s) that have yet

to be scheduled.

•8 ETC source-4 50 Degrees four from the studio inventory and 4 from the shared inventory, this

will allow for me to have some dynamic high back tops and color opportunities.

•A wireless dmx RC4, cool white led tape, 12 volt battery for the light up 2k Fresnel to increase

the magic of the show. Cressida Brown and I have discussed using different lighting instruments

and tricks to reinforce the ability of Ariel and here spirits ability to manipulate the space.

•The CD-80 24 dimmer rack from the Lighting Studio for extra power and dimming

opportunities. While this is not necessary for the production it will allow greater flexibility in the

ability to control the show and sculpt the space.

•1 2k Kliegl Brothers Fresnel to put the LED tape in. This if for the aforementioned prop to

increase the actors’ integration with the set and lights

61

Tempest Lighting Shop Order

Bowen Theatre, Ohio State University Lighting Designer: Justin John

September 23, 2013

Producer: Department of Theatre The Ohio State University 1089 Drake Center for the Performing Arts 1848 Cannon Dr. Columbus Ohio 43210 Load In: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday 9-25 Bowen Stage Load Out: 1:30 p.m. Monday 10-28

Lighting Designer Justin John John.103@osu.edu Columbus, OH 43210

Lighting Studio Supervisor Matthew Hazard Hazard.4@osu.edu 1849 Cannon Drive Columbus, OH 43210

Production Electrician Andy Baker Andybakerlighting@gmail.com

** ALL MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES MUST COMPLY WITH ANY

APPLICABLE FIRE AND SAFETY CODES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

AS WELL AS THE CITY AND STATE OF COLUMBUS, OHIO. ALL DRAWINGS AND

RELATED PAPERWORK ARE CONSIDERED TO BE DESIGN CONCEPTS ONLY.

THE DESIGNER IS UNQUALIFIED TO DETERMINE THE STRUCTURAL

APPROPRIATENESS OF THIS DESIGN AND DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR THE

IMPROPER ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION AND EXECUTION OF THIS DESIGN.

**

Budget: $3500

Control system/set up:

ETC GIO

All associated power, control, data, and dmx cables.

62

Additional equipment and notes:

1. Provide a color frame, c-clamp, and safety cable for each fixture. 2. See paperwork for complete accessories information, such as patterns and

color. 3. Have barn doors and top hats on hand if problems arise 4. Check with designer focus of patterned units 5. Provide all appropriate Data and Power cables.

Total Units:

QTY INST TYPE WATTAGE SOURCE, IF NOT Bowen

[14] 6x9 ALTMAN 750

[51] Source 4 36º 575w + 8 from studio theatre

[8] Source 4 70º 575w shared inventory + order

[02] Source 4 90º 575w

[12] 6x12 ALTMAN 750w

[28] Source Four PAR-Nell 575w

[19] 6 FRES CENT 500w

[08] Source 4 50º 575w + 4 from studio theatre

[1] LED TAPE DC voltage shared inventory

[27] 6X12 CENTURY 750

[02] DATA FLASH STROBE shared inventory

Accessories:

[02] Rosco I-Cue [02] Auto Iris [04] Spot Handle (Source 4) 3 on order [04] Manual Irises [01] dmx power supply Things to order:

4 source 4 Par-Nells –order

3.5 source 4 70s -order

3 SPOT HANDLES –already ordered.

Gel

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88

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

1.00 5 pre show set warmer

1.50 5 curtain speech curtain speech

2.00 1.5/1.9 0 with first thunder lightning

2.01 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.02 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.03 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.04 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.05 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.06 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.07 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.08 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.09 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.10 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.11 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.12 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.13 0.05 0 follow lightning

2.14 0.1 0 follow lightning

2.15 0 follow lightning sit

3.00 0.05 0 Bestir, Bestir lightning

3.01 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.03 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.05 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.07 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.09 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.10 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.11 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.12 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.13 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.15 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.16 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.17 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.18 0.05 0 follow lightning

3.19 0 follow lightning sit

4.00 0.05 0 Play the Men lightning

4.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

89

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

4.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.10 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.12 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

4.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

4.16 0 follow lightning sit

5.00 0.05 0 Trouble us Not lightning

5.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.08 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.09 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.10 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.11 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.12 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.13 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.14 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.15 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.16 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.17 0.05 0 follow lightning

5.18 0.1 0 follow lightning

5.20 0 follow lightning sit

6.00 0.1 0 Down with the topmast! Yare! lightning

6.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.02 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.04 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.06 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.08 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.10 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.12 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.14 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

90

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

6.16 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.17 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.18 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.19 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.20 0.1 0 follow lightning

6.21 0 follow lightning sit

7.00 0.05 0 Hang Cur! lightning

7.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

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7.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

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7.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

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7.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.16 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.17 0.1 0 follow lightning

7.18 0.05 0 follow lightning

7.20 0 follow lightning sit

8.00 0.4 0 Insolent Noisemaker lightning

8.01 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.02 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.03 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.04 0.1 0 follow lightning

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8.06 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.07 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.08 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.09 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.10 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.11 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.12 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.13 0.05 0 follow lightning

8.14 0.1 0 follow lightning

8.15 0 follow lightning sit

9.00 0.05 0 All lost! lightning

9.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

91

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

9.04 0.05 0 lightning

9.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.10 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.12 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

9.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

9.16 0 follow lightning sit

10.00 0.05 0 In the action (no line) lightning

10.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.10 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.12 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.16 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.17 0.1 0 follow lightning

10.18 0.05 0 follow lightning

10.20 0 follow lighting sit

11.00 0.05 0 Lets all sink with the king with final thunder

11.01 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.02 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.03 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.04 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.05 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.06 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.07 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.08 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.09 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.10 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.11 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.12 0.05 0 follow lightning

92

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

11.13 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.14 0.05 0 follow lightning

11.15 0.1 0 follow lightning

11.16 0 follow lightning sit

12.00 7 7 spot out Miranda light far US

12.50 5 follow expand into DS light

13.00 5 Be Collected Prospero up

14.00 5 Lays down cloak stairs out

15.00 5 Sit down mood shift

16.00 5 be so perfidious cooler

17.00 5 to what tune pleased her ear cooler still

18.00 5 Did us but loving wrong even colder

19.00 35 5 Approach my Ariel come Ariel entrance

19.50 5 follow seating light out

19.60 6 Prospero down from stairs stairs out

20.00 35 15/30 This blue eyed hag even angrier

20.50 10 follow

21.00 5 Slave caliban 171 on very low

22.00 10 Come forth caliban light

23.00 7 Ariel starts singing ferdy light

24.00 2 hark hark bow wow dim things

25.00 11 full fathom 5 bring up catwalk

26.00 10 But certainly a maid shift catwalk light more on stage

27.00 5 oh if a virgin shift more away from catwalk, force P on

28.00 10 sir have pity subtle color

29.00 5 So they are shift color more spirit darker

30.00 4 come follow. spots on dim dim

31.00 0 visual clap DR spot out

32.00 0 visual clap DL spot out

33.00 0 visual clap UR spot out

34.00 1 0 visual clap UL spot out

34.50 5 5 follow black

34.70 5 follow into court scene

35.00 0.4 0.03 slap sleep gonzala

35.50 0 follow

36.00 0.4 0.03 slap sleep alanzo

36.50 0 follow

37.00 5 touching gun Ariel realizes something happening

38.00 5 that you | his friend wakening up ?

39.00 1 Awake brighten up

40.00 5 Heard you this Gonzala small

41.00 5 on gonz exit calaiban light/ storm stick time

41.10 0.1 0 visual clap lightning

41.20 0 follow lightning

41.30 0.1 0 visual clap lightning

41.40 0 follow lightning

93

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

42.00 5 do his me into madness trink entrance

43.00 5 perchance he will not mind me montor

44.00 0 storm brewing small shift

45.00 5 alas thunder shift

46.00 5 stephana enter light for her

47.00 10 do not torment me O! stephana transfer to possition

48.00 5 do not torment me O! x2 steps out all on stage

49.00 10 his fit. | if I can monster light

50.00 5 These be fine things mood shift

51.00 5 Oh brave monster lead the way x fade to next scene

52.00 5 ill carry it to pile Prospero up

53.00 5 oh nobel mistress open up stage

54.00 5 much business appertaining into next scene

55.00 5 I therin do forget color back high sides

56.00 3 ariel plays the tune up in grid light

57.00 3 Walt come ill follow to next scene

58.00 3 puppet show starts back light on

59.00 3 puppet show ends back light off

60.00 0 and do as we harpy

61.00 1 against your peace harpy light off

62.00 5 in this strange stare scarry light

63.00 5 ill be thy second color goes away

64.00 5 may now provoke them to all exit into next

65.00 2 no toungue all eyes be silent may pole start

66.00 2 ceres may pole end/ start of masque

66.10 5 appproch, rich ceres, her to.. open up stage

66.50 5 aproach juno color and effect increace

67.00 5 in their issues blessing light start

67.50 5 a contract of love prospero gets up

68.00 5 you do not look prospero gets rude

69.00 5 we wish your peace into areil/prospero world

70.00 5 come hang on this line areil space into calaban space

71.00 5 Oh queen stephana brighten up stage

72.00 5 the dropsy down catwalks away

73.00 5 aye and this gets scarryer

74.00 5 start of dog moat

75.00 5 let them be hunted only catwalks movement

75.50 5 now does my project catwalks shift possition

76.00 10 5 ill fetch them sir prospero alone on stage

76.50 10 follow steps out all on stage

77.00 5 for you are spell stopped notices people behind

78.00 5 moves twards them ramp out

79.00 3 thou shalt be free lighting more ariel

80.00 5 why that's my dainty ariel light shift

81.00 5 Behold sir king court wakes up

82.00 5 as much as me my dukedom warms up

94

4/14/2014 The Tempest Justin John : LD

cue F/w T D Call Description

83.00 5 some few odd ones that you DL light up calaban entrance

84.00 5 sir I invite back stage light on

86.00 5 epiloge starts house to 1/2 areas a-g up

87.00 5 curtian call bright as all get up

88.00 5 after actors leave set warmer # 2

95

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Appendix C: Costumes

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Costume presentation The island is an abandoned theatre, and the play begins with Prospero the director of events sat alone on his island. Now, one question that came up in the auditions really worried me. It was asked, after reading the concept, whether we were going to be sticking with the text Shakespeare had written as if the concept of the island as a derelict theatre was too radical to be sticking strictly with the original. All the relationships between characters (father/daughter, master/servant, brother/sister etc…) will be exactly the same as they are in the text. As his last play the idea that Prospero is Shakespeare himself is not an old one. And the Tempest, the play of Shakespeare’s most concerned with the reality of theatrical illusion is often seen as Shakespeare’s final farewell to playwriting. He is the magician that conjures the play but at the end he abandons his art, as an actor abandons his role. Marni explain how we have costumed Prospero – don’t mention court here Islanders So all of the characters initially confined on the island are ghost of the theatre. They issue from the island or theatre and set itself Marni explain Caliban – statue have passed ‘this island’s mine’ Miranda – emerge from beautiful scenic backdrop of old production Ariel – begins as the usher that ripped the audience tickets. As Prospero’s agent she is the one that makes his imagination possible, and throughout will take on the role of all those who actually bring a theatre to life (don’t mention other roles yet). Ariel chorus: Ariel will also have chorus of spirits who help fool the outsiders that have been brought to the island and bring them to justice. They will be dressed as ushers throughout until the msque. Outsiders All the court that get washed up on the island are those who have confined Prospero to this island/derelict theatre. We have therefore made them look like slick commercial high fashion producer types so that they totally stand out in this alien environment. They do not see that the space is a theatre, to them is an island. Marni explain Antonia Sebastian Ferdinand Alonso Gonzala The outsider clowns One problem we faced in updating The Tempest to a modern world was who the clowns and servants would be in this context. They need to look like the court but be seemingly less powerful and comic. MARNI explain Stephana – sassy, PA type, bimbo (?) possibly from the South Trinculo – affected brattish, dedicated follower of fashion thinks a bit arty. Journeys of character Marni and Cress Miranda – costume changes and implications of Prospero’s ultimate loss. Only hero is unhappy with the end he planned. Caliban – still belonging to space when all gone. Ferdinand – becoming more manly (is there similarity between him at Ferdinand in way dressed?) Ariel – take on all guises of those who create functioning theatre. We will then bring this to Justin to talk about harpy’s wings and creation of magic being manipulated by chorus Audience Just as in Shakespeare’s day, the biggest character in this play is the audience; as, just as the ‘actor’ Prospero explains in his epilogue without them the play is not possible. We are yet to discover who our audience may be.

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Costume Renderings:

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Appendix D: Scenic Sketches and Drawings

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Final Ground Plan

Ladder Ladder

Ramp

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Appendix E: Lighting Production Photos

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Production photo “Prospero Comforts Miranda” Act 1 Scene 1

Production photo “Prospero after the storm” Act 1 Scene 1

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Production photo “Prospero subdues Caliban” Act 1 Scene 2

Production photo “Foiled plot” Act 2 Scene 1

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Production photo “Ariel and Prospero watch Ferdinand and miranda” Act 3 Scene 1

Production photo “Caliban climbs the mast” Act 3 Scene 2

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Production photo “The Harpy” Act 3 Scene 3

Production photo “The Masque” Act 4 Scene 1

All photos by Matthew James Hazard.

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Appendix F: Budget

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Appendix G: Lighting Drawings

(Please see supplemental files)