Jiyoun Chang made her Broadway lighting designer debut with Slave Play, for which she has been nominated for 2020 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play. The rest of the creative team, including scenic designer Clint Ramos, sound designer Lindsay Jones, and costume designer Dede Ayite, also collected nominations for their work on the production, which landed 12 Tony nominations total, the most a play has ever received.
The major visual element was a striking mirror wall that reflected the audience at times. "The image of plantation was also reflected on the wall hovering above the audience, and we wanted the audience to be aware of its presence at all times so juxtaposing it with the audience’s reflection was our main focus in terms of a psychological backdrop," explains Chang. "We tried to keep the rest very honest and straightforward based upon the language that was so beautifully written by Jeremy O. Harris."
The lighting design remained true to the text and stayed within the storytelling. "Act I lighting reflected the Deep Southern weather and Antebellum period with a sticky hot atmosphere, which made sense to their sexual desire and relationships," she notes. Deep amber built from Rosco 03 and open white created the feel of hot, Southern daylight. "Act II lighting created an open, white clinical room where they could talk and move with no boundaries." Bursts of color ushered out Act II and blinded the audience during the scenic procession into the last act. "Act III lighting created an intimate and psychological space in order to allow ancient spirits to sneak into the space and to land on the last action of the play. Although transitions and shifts within the acts were theatrical, it never changed melodramatically. Lighting shifts synchronized gracefully with scenery and sound, but it was rather utilitarian with no emotion."
Chang utilized overhead trusses, ladders, goalposts, and sidelights to avoid hitting the mirror walls. "Goalpost pars were key elements for Rihanna’s 'Work' and were a critical element to create the silhouettes throughout the transitions. We added proscenium booms to support that same idea for Act III as the side walls closed in tightly for the Broadway version," the designer explains. Since the overhead position was so tight, the ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr was added to the regular ETC Source Four sidelights. "GLP impressions and Martin Mac Encore Performance CLDs supported back and down light systems and also provided the flexibility to sweep the stage and light the audience at the end of Act II to maximize the scenery movement. Martin Mac Encore Performance CLDs worked from all positions to pick up the actors against the wall beautifully. I used GLP Impressions and Chroma-Q Color Force 12s as the house light system." Bridget Chervenka programmed the lighting on an ETC Eos lighting console. PRG supplied the lighting equipment.
Act II posed a challenge. "It was an open, white scene with every race of people talking for a very long time. Our eyes got used to the scene soon, and it looked all flat to me so I had to make a few additional adjustments to make it look more sculpted as it progressed," says Chang. "We also needed to minimize the bounce light back to the audience so that we only exposed the first couple rows of audience members to their reflection in the mirror."
The last moment of the play in Act III was the most difficult part to light. "I needed to make it comfortable for actors but bright enough to see what we needed to witness, and create a smooth transition to reach the climax before it snapped back to reality and make it look seamless and natural," notes the designer. "We didn’t have a lot of choices position wise because of four sides of mirror walls so we tweaked things with color and timing to make it work with sound and the action on stage."
"I was once a moving light tracker for a Broadway production, and I remember very clearly how hostile and unwelcoming that Broadway house was to me and made me feel that I did not belong there," recalls Chang. "Coming back to Broadway even after many years and this time as a designer, I was still quite nervous and wondered how I would be treated as a BIPOC designer and as a woman. However, Robert O’Hara made a clear statement that everyone who worked on the show at New York Theatre Workshop was going to go to Broadway unless there was any personal conflict. The sense of community Robert created for us was so valuable to the production and gave me comfort that I was not alone as we moved to Broadway."
Lighting Credits
- Jiyoun Chang, Lighting Designer
- Carolina Ortiz, Associate Lighting Designer
- Bridget Chervenka, Programmer
- Eric Norris, Master Electrician
- Ana Rose Greene, Production Manager (Juniper Street Productions)