Tony Award-winning lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer* will be a featured member of the faculty at the 2010 Live Design Broadway Lighting Master Classes. On Wednesday, May 26, she will present an in-depth look at "music in lighting: ebb and flow" in a thought-provoking presentation that consolidates the two sessions she has done in past years at the BLMC. Live Design chats with Eisenhauer about what she will be covering:
Live Design: What will you be discussing at the master classes this year?
Peggy Eisenhauer: I will show and dissect a musical lighting demonstration on DVD to communicate rhythmic timing and motion.
LD: What is the biggest challenge inherent in cueing a musical?
PE: Finding a musical cueing style original to the piece.
LD: What have you learned over the years in terms of design/process/techniques? Is each project different or are there principles that carry over?
PE: Each project should arrive at its own thematic “musicalized” cueing motif. A principle that carries over is an approach to breaking down the music and actions into manageable sections to work with and design for.
LD: What do you hope to impart to the students at the BLMC this year… What do you hope they will learn from your session?
PE: I hope everyone will come away with a more comfortable way of approaching musical timing, rhythm, and motion, even if they have no formal musical training!
*Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher, her partner in the design studio, Third Eye Ltd, have over 150 Broadway shows to their credit including a combined 27 Tony nominations. Their credits include Cabaret, Ragtime, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Hair, La Cage aux Folles, Gypsy (2003 revival), Jelly's Last Jam, Victor/Victoria, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, Grand Hotel, Assassins, as well as the dramas Angels in America, Lenny, and American Buffalo, among others. They also redesigned the lighting for Le Reve at The Wynn Resort in Las Vegas and worked on numerous films including Dreamgirls and the upcoming feature film Burlesque, which will be released in November 2010.