The Everlasting Strife
This piece, as part of the second show of ‘Home and Away’ follows a group of four warriors as they fight both each other, and the constraints of the set. Working within COVID-19 restrictions set by both New York State Department of Health and the University at Buffalo, the use of clear vinyl walls to separate the performers provided both a means of ensuring the safety of the performers, as well as providing commentary on the isolation we’ve all been forced to embrace during the epidemic. As the lighting designer, my goal was to utilize light, and the absence of it, to highlight the barriers that have been built between us as part of our response to the pandemic.
The Team
Lighting Designer: Timothy Swenson
Choreographer: Daniella Bertrand
Projection Designer: Madison Sullivan
Sound Designer: Halley Sylvester
Sound Operator: Robert McKnight
Lighting Programmer: Francisca Losada Hernandez
Dancers: Lauryn Jerz, Ava Lovsin, Lyssie Hartzog, Gianna Militello
Music: 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons
Photo Credits: Ken Smith, UBPG
Design Concepts
Following the initial meeting with Daniella, and the selection of the music, I immediately began to formulate plans for how to focus a series of lights to illuminate the ‘alleys’ that make up the stage. We decided early on that each verse would serve doubly as a solo, and that these alley lights were utilized to ensure the eye is drawn to the performer in question, as the other dancers react to being left in the cold. Mover spotlights and colorful washes dominate the chorus, showing unity while leaving no doubt as to the isolation of this world’s inhabitants. The movers take on a life of their own, as they mirror the dancer’s explosive movements and rapid gesturing.
The Lighting Key for Home and Away
I wanted the color palette to reflect the starkness of the concepts- both the imagery and the idea of bold isolation. To that end, high sat colors in the wash and front sculpt lights clash with their low sat cousins in the side lighting and back lighting. This dichotomy was typically used to accent the isolation of the dancers by cranking up the intensity of saturate colors during the solos, and dialing back for the spotlights during the chorus.
