A Dancer's Dream: Part 2 and Light Plots By Clifton Taylor

 

Part 2 of a Q&A with Clifton Taylor and his light plots for A Dancer's Dream, an evening-length production with the New York Philharmonic featuring New York City Ballet star Sara Mearns, created in conjunction with Giants Are Small.

What was the biggest challenge in this production for you?

With orchestra productions, the biggest challenge is always time. There is time pressure because the orchestra rehearsals are so controlled and the time on the hall to be dark is very limited. These productions are always a sort of circus (which was such a good fit for Petrushka!) with puppets, performers, orchestra players, cameras, and projections all coming together for a quick rehearsal or two.  This is our team's (Giants are Small and director Doug Fitch) third production for the Philharmonic. Each one has gotten a little bit bigger and more challenging and the orchestra management has responded with more hours for each show, but it is always challenging to work so quickly. I'm so grateful for the team of people who help with the lighting to make it possible. Mike and Paul are the best in the business and for this show I had assistant help from Anshuman Bhatia, a wonderful scenic and lighting designer recently graduated from NYU's Tisch School Of The Arts, and the amazing and tireless crew from Avery Fisher Hall, led by the legendary Richie Norton.

Click Here For Part 1

Deck Plot, click to enlarge

Overhead Plot: Click to enlarge.