Antigone
LSU Theatre - Fall 2009
The lighting for Antigone built upon an overall production motif centered on the wild passions of the counter-culture Punk Rock movement, while supporting the thematic movement from order to chaos to the restoration of order, all while attempting to serve a vision of the play which transpires within one day.
In pursuit of this approach, the production team made the choice to use no masking, leaving the lighting instruments and portions of backstage fully exposed. As lighting designer, I decided to start with a high trim on the electrics, and to slowly lower them - compressing the space - as the play progressed. During the final choral dance, the electrics once again flew out to their high trim, releasing the pressure, as order was restored. A mapping of these trim changes can be found at the end of the materials below.
This lighting design mixed the extremes of passionate, deep, saturate color, with the raw power of unfiltered white light. Extensive use of gobo textures and atmospheric haze helped to further capture the raw unbridled passions of the punk movement as well as the characters of this play. However, this texture was limited to backlight, downlight, and sidelight, while the frontlight was kept untextured to allow for undistorted facial expressions when desired.
Antigone was the second fully produced production in the newly renovated Shaver Theatre, and the approach to the production allowed the lighting area to more fully test the functionality of some of the new equipment including the variable color Color Commands and Vivid 21 LED fixtures, as well as our new Ion control console.
This production was later invited and attended the Youth Theatre Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
Along with the production photos there are embeded links to YouTube videos of scenes from the play.
pg 3/26
Opening Dance Sequence - Characterizing the War Preceding the Action of the Play
As Part of the Chaos of War, a Variety of Textures were Utilized
Opening Dance Sequence for Antigone
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 19MB
Pre-Dawn Garden Meeting Between Antigone and Her Sister Ismene
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 20MB
Choral Ode Before Antigone and Her Sister are Brought Before the King
King Creon Determines the Fate of Antigone and Her Sister Ismene
Creon and His Son Haemon Square-Off Over the Fate of Antigone
Creon and His Son Debate the Fate of Antigone
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 24MB
Antigone Reflects Upon Her Sentence
Antigone Reflects Upon Her Fate
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 12MB
The Prophet Tiresias Cautions Creon About His Current Course of Action
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 12MB
Creon Mourns Over His Dead Son
Choral Dirge/Dance with Creon’s Dead Wife and Son
Scenic Elements are Flown Out, and Electrics are Raised to Their High Trim
Color Transitions from The Blood Red of Sunset to a Cool Royal Blue as the Bodies are Carried Off
Last Scene and Closing Dirge/Dance
Please Push the Play Triangle to view (Internet connection to YouTube Required). If you do not have an internet connection, you can click on the icon, to download a low-res mp4 of the video 29MB
Antigone Magic Sheet
Antigone Lighting Score indicating the Level of Chaos in the Lights, the Foundation Color, and the Trim Height of the Electrics.