Jupiter (A Play About Power) Runs On Solar Power

JUPITER (A Play About Power) from La MaMa on Vimeo.

Produced by Superhero Clubhouse, Jupiter, a play about power that premiered at La Mama in February 2016, explores reliance on fossil fuels and the complexities involved in overhauling our systems, so the creative team experimented with solar lighting. With a grant from the Broadway Green Alliance, the staff put solar panels on the roof of La Mama. The panels charged batteries that plugged into a custom-built rig made up of lightweight LED instruments designed and constructed by Jay Maury, technical director for The Bushwick Starr as well as a core member of Superhero Clubhouse. The creative team, including lighting and set designers David Bengali and Anshuman Bhatia, discovered LED lights are significantly brighter when solar-powered. 

Read more about sustainable design in theatre production.

Davi Napoleon, a regular contributor to Live Design, is a freelance writer based in Michigan. Her book is Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater.