31 Days Of Plots: Jen Schriever—A Strange Loop

Live Design's fifth annual 31 Days Of Plots features one production per day during the month of December 2022, highlighting a different lighting design, from across theatre, concert tours, corporate events, live for broadcast, and more, as we wind down 2022 and head toward the new year.

Today's plots are those of A Strange Loop, which opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theater on April 26, 2022. Winner of the 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical, A Strange Loop runs through January 15, 2023. Lighting is by Jen Schriever, scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, and sound design by Drew Levy. This Pulitzer Prize-winning musical by Michael R. Jackson examines a gay Black man’s reality in relation to his art.

Jen Schriever

 

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"The lighting for A Strange Loop is designed to support our main character Usher’s psychological space," says Schriever.  "The light plot must help us transform from moment to moment nimbly as Usher constantly confronts his self-loathing, also represented by his six thoughts who emerge from darkness and retreat before he can get any answers or relief. 

We eventually find Usher deep in what we call ‘the void’, the darkness Usher must face in order to break through what is holding him back. This lighting is expansive and ungrounded, Usher is floating in a liminal space, on the verge of going forward or going backwards.  

Eventually Usher finds himself able to access to his rage and we hold nothing back. The light plot must be able to take us from the void to the maximalist explosion of full theatricality that we see in Usher’s Gospel Play."

 

SELECTED GEAR LIST:

Provided by PRG

Automated Fixtures:

6 Elation Proteus Maximus

42 Martin MAC Encore Performance, Cold (with Top Hat)

84 Martin MAC Aura (with Egg Crate Louver)

31 GLP Impression x4 Bar 10

 7 ETC Source FourLED3Lustr, 10º (Double Clutch w Top Hat)

 6 ETC Source Four LED2 Lustr, 14º (Double Clutch w Top Hat)

 6 ETC Source Four LED2 Lustr, 19º (Double Clutch w Top Hat)

 4 ETC Source Four LED2 Lustr, 26º (Double Clutch w Top Hat)

 2 ETC Source Four LED2 Lustr, 36º (Double Clutch w Short Top Hat)

 4 ETC Source Four LED2 Lustr, 50º (Double Clutch w Short Top Hat)

 1 Martin Atomic 3000 LED

 8 Chroma-Q Color Force II 48 (with Border Lens)

24 Chroma-Q Color Force II 72 (with Border Lens)

Conventional Fixtures:

14 ETC Source Four, 10º @ 750w (Double Clutch with Top Hat)

14 ETC Source Four, 14º @ 750w (Double Clutch with Top Hat)

 8 ETC Source Four, 19º @ 750w (Double Clutch with Top Hat)

Follow Spots:

 2 PRG GroundControl Controller

 2 PRG GroundControl 4-Way Switch

 2 PRG Best Boy HP

 2 Robe T1 Profile

 4 PRG GroundControl Truss Box

Effects:

 2 MDG ATMe Hazer

 2 Martin Jem AF-1 MkII Fan

3 Look Solutions Viper NT Fogger

Control:

1 ETC Eos TI, 24k

1 ETC Eos RPU3, 24k

 1 ETC Eos Nomad Puck, 512

Accessories and additional gear:

Environmental Lights LED Tape

Utility fixures by Altman

SBS Lighting Color Panel 102 24 VOLT

Pathway PathPort Octo DMX Gateway; Pathport VIA12, Gigabit Ethernet Switch; Pathway DMX Pro Opto Splitter

Ben Peoples MSC Box

Tyler Truss

Distro:

 1 ETC Sensor 96 Touring Rack, Patchable and CEM3

 3 S400 Power and Data Distribution System

 2 Ben Peoples Prospero DMX Cue Light Controller

 2 Leprecon ULD360 Portable Dimmer Pack

 2 Fleenor DMX Merger

 2  City Theatrical Multiverse Transmitter # 5910

 6 City Theatrical Multiverse Node # 5902

 4 CTI 6/way SwitchBox

 6 Fleenor 120v 6-Channel DMX Relay

LIGHTING TEAM:

JEN SCHRIEVER, LD 

AARON TACY ,ASSOC LD 

ELIZABETH MAK ,ASST LD 

ISAAC CASTILLO, ASST TO THE LD

BEN FICTHORN, PROGRAMMER

JEREMY WAHLERS, PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN 

JEREMY LANE, ADVANCE ELECTRICIAN 

ASHA AGNISH, HEAD ELECTRICIAN 

SANDY PARADISE, HOUSE ELECTRICIAN

ROCCO WILLIAMS, SPOT OP,

MATT GRATZ SPOT OP 

Read about PRG's involvement with the lighting, scenic, automation, and audio aspects of A Strange Loop.