The fourth day of Live Design's '12 Plots Of Christmas' puts us into a traditional holiday mood with a recent revival of A Christmas Carol at The Alley Theater in Houston, TX. Lighting designer Cat Tate Starmer tells us how work on this new production began in 2019 but was moth-balled until 2022. It's back in an improved version this year, running through December 30, 2023. Ho! Ho! Ho!
"We started working on The Alley’s new production of A Christmas Carol during the height of the pandemic, which was a lifeline for me after my upcoming productions had either been put on hold or canceled entirely. I have worked with Rob Melrose, the artistic director at The Alley and the adapter and director of this production, and the other designers on the team many times and am always impressed by their bold choices and collaborative style. The design process ended up feeling a bit like a good book club where we could offer any idea up for discussion," explains Starmer.
"In 2022, we put the production on its feet, despite staffing shortages and supply chain issues delaying the arrival of some gear," she adds. "While I was happy with the solid foundation we built, I was eager to return to the production this year to refine it. Happily, the evolution of ideas from the previous year combined with a well-planned load-in and synergistic tech process. The result is a true celebration of the Dickens classic."
The Alley's production greets audiences with a warehouse containing beautiful dollhouses and a little bit of magic. "This is the gateway for a group of Victorian players to enact the story and punctuate it with narration extracted directly from the novella. I wanted to create distinct worlds here, so that we could visually bookend the play and so we could foreshadow the Ghost’s magical moments. For those otherworldly scenes, the lighting needed to transform the appearance of Michael Locher’s gorgeous set quickly and dramatically while remaining visually connected to the rest of the production. It was important that the original text wasn’t lost amid flashing lights and other clutter. I landed on an approach that defined the magical moments in an austere, low-tech way- with breakups, subtle movement, and a limited color palette," Starmer notes.
"We were lucky to have a budget that allowed a lot of freedom to enhance The Alley’s robust inventory. At the beginning of the process the lighting director, Jason Weber, introduced me to Mac Ultra Performance fixtures. I was really impressed and found them to be ideal for theatre applications. They are super bright, the intensity easily overpowering any conventional lighting system, and are quiet enough to be hung over an audience. They also have loads of texture options with 2 gobo wheels, exacting shutters, and lovely color mixing," says the LD. Seven of these fixtures were purchased for the production.
"Despite the fun effects that magical moments call for, my favorite lighting cues in A Christmas Carol involve a diagonal back shaft of light. On a thrust stage, I rely on diagonal angles to effectively cut through the space and establish a strong focal point. For this production, I found that a Mac Ultra Performance, when hung as a back diagonal, created an intense beam of light that could become a physical element onstage to balance the composition, filling the stage with a sense of opulence, and creating a beatific halo around the actors. It was an effective choice and I enjoyed finding ways to manipulate the quality of that light throughout the production," Starmer concludes.
A Christmas Carol
November 19, 2023 - December 30, 2023; Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas
Selected Lighting Gear:
2 ETC Source Four-10 575w
8 ETC Source Four-10 750w
39 ETC Source Four-19 575w
88 ETC Source Four-26 575w
43 ETC Source Four-36 575w
27 ETC Source Four-50 575w
1 ETC Source Four-14 575w
4 ETC Source Four-70 575w
3 ETC 3 ETC Source Four Lustr2-19
18 ETC ETC Source Four Lustr2-26
10 ETC Source Four Lustr2-36
1 ETC Source Four Lustr2-50
10 Birdies
6 Prolights Ecl CT-26
2 Prolights Ecl CT-36
7 ETC Source Four-PAR XWFL
2 ChromaQ Color One 100X 63
1 ChromaQ Color One 100X
2 Elation SixPAR 100
8 Elation SixPAR 200
5 TMB Solaris Flare Jr 70
3 Rosco Pica Cube 4C
7 Rosco Miro Cube 2 4CA
15 ChromaQ Colorforce II 48
2 Robert Juliat Ginger (6 Colors)
3 Martin MAC Encore Performance CLD
7 Martin MAC Ultra Performance
3 Look Solutions Unique 2.1
19 Snowbox
1 Ultratec G3000
1 ETC Eos Ti console
Creative Team:
Original Book by Charles Dickens
Adapted and Directed by Rob Melrose
Set Design: Michael Locher
Costume Design: Raquel Barreto
Lighting Design: Cat Tate Starmer
Original Composition and Sound by: Cliff Caruthers
Illusions: Jim Steinmeyer
Puppet Design: Afsaneh Aayani
Fight and Intimacy Director: Adam Noble
Music Direction: John L. Cornelius II
Choreography: Christopher Windom
Stage Management: Rebecca R.D. Hamlin, Ryan Barrett & Rachel Dooley-Harris
Photos: Lynn Lane and Francisco Hermosillo III
Lighting Director: Jason Weber
Assistant Lighting Director: Francisco Hermosillo III
Electrics Supervisors: Joe Engler, Archer Touchet
Lighting Technicians: Joseph Aguilar, Rosa Cano, Brianna Escobedo, Michael Glover, Daniel Loughran
Original Drafting: Harrison Freni, Sarah Woods
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