Big Love theater Project by dawite alemseged

If possible, the stage lighting should remain relatively unchanged as the play progresses. The passage of time in the play is marked by the slowly changing sky projected onto a scrim hanging towards the back of the stage, preferably center stage. The sky should not have any objects in it, no clouds, sun, or moon (stars are acceptable but not too many, or too bright. The stars shouldn’t draw too much attention away from the play). The play starts at some time in a midsummer evening, “long golden twilight”. Ideally, the reception should occur at blackest night and no sooner, followed shortly by the murders. At the end of the play, a young dawn greets everyone. Nikos and Lydia are together, facing a new day, still mostly dark, but with some colors appearing. It should feel like the morning after some natural disaster, hopeful, slightly foreboding, anxious. The sky is independent of the rest of the lighting. Some lights may be dimmed in order to match the changing sky, but avoid making it too realistic or believable.

The main purpose of the lighting is to illuminate the stage area, nothing more. This is to make the play more like an installation, or a display. It is not something that people are expected to sit and watch, although they can if they want. Another way to look at it is the stage is a temporary exhibit at a museum.

Sticking with the idea of an exhibit in a museum, avoid dimming the lights as much as possible. Pretend that this is indeed just a display. If the lights are dimmed or turned off completely, it should be somewhat akin to the overhead lights, the main lights of the entire museum going out. By this I mean that it should be highly unusual. The lights should be darkened as little as possible in order to further enhance the eeriness or discomfort of the moments when the lights go out.

One of these moments is the murder of the grooms. It should be almost completely dark, only some lights pulsing and throbbing with the music. Thyona is the first to strike. When she does, perhaps in time with the music, part of the scrim should be back lit, perhaps with red lights, to reveal a silhouette of another bride (preferably distinctly different from Thyona, Olympia and Lydia) attacking her groom with a knife. When Olympia strikes, another part of the scrim should light up revealing a different bride and her doomed groom. In order to make it look like there are many murders occurring, multiple light sources can be used to cast multiple shadows. This is the only time that the sky should not be visible. The sky absolutely cannot be projected on the scrim during this scene.

There is one scene that makes special use of a spotlight. Shortly after the helicopters arrive, while Lydia is continuing her speech, a ridiculously bright white spotlight appears over her. This is meant to resemble the searchlight of a helicopter. Surrounding lights should be dimmed in order to exaggerate the presence of the spotlight. Lydia may attempt to move out from under the beam, but the light quickly follows her, shining directly into her face. It’s as if someone in the helicopter is intentionally shining the too bright light at her just to be a dick.

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