Live Design's fourth annual 31 Days Of Plots features one production per day during the month of December 2021, highlighting a different lighting design, from across theatre, concert tours, corporate events, live for broadcast, and more, as we wind down 2021 and head toward the new year.
Day 16 of 31 Days Of Plots 2021 hits a high note with the A.J Fletcher Opera Institute (UNSCA) Spring Opera production comprising two French salon operas: Sophie Arnould and L’Heure Espagnole, with lighting by UNSCA grad Yuko Taniguchi, who was also a Pat MacKay Diversity In Design Scholarship winner.
"Utilizing the same scenery, I had to develop a lighting design that would accommodate both lighting ideas while maintaining visual interest on stage," says Taniguchi. "The main lighting idea for Sophie Arnould comes from the sunlight through the windows, which is a metaphor for time as Sophie reminisces about the past. I incorporated four sunlight gestures that shone through throughout the play. This relationship of natural daylight and time is also supported by the chandelier and fireplace; as the day goes by, light slowly transitions into the interiors, enforcing intimacy and tension between the characters.
In contrast to the first opera, the lighting for L’Heure Espagnole is more abstract; I incorporated saturated colors to enforce the different desire and personality of each character, creating visual contrast and mood during their arias. I relied heavily on the SolaFrame and SolaWash fixtures to create big gestures through color, as well as highlight details that created visual contrast and depth on stage."
Gear List:
6 ETC Source Four 05°
20 ETC Source Four 10°
86 ETC Source Four 19°
49 ETC Source Four 26°
17 ETC Source Four 36°
11 ETC Source Four 50°
1 ETC Source Four Par MFL
7 High End Systems SolaWash FX 1000
12 High End Systems SolaFrame FX 1000
13 ChromaQ Color Force I 72
3 Lycian Superstar Model 1290 2kW
Production Credits:
Director: Steve LaCosse
Lighting Designer: Yuko Taniguchi
Scene Designer: Lydia Watt
Costume Designer: Em Chesney and Maureen Wynne
Asst. Lighting Designer: Taylor Gordan
Programmer: Hunter McCune
Production Electrician: Parker Battle
Head Electrician: Lauren Lee
Photo Credits:
Sophie Arnould: Pictured: Virginia Sheffield as Sophie Arnould, Lawrence Hall as Dorval; Photo: Peter Mueller
L’Heure Espagnole: Pictured: Margaret Ann Zentner as Concepcion , André Peele as Don Iñigo Gomez; Photo: Lauren Lee
To see more 31 Days Of Plots, click here