FANNING THE FLAMES OF CREATIVE DESIGN: AYRON LORD

Lighting is an interesting design element because it can serve so many different functions within a show but normally it feels relegated to a support role. Often time it is used simply to direct focus or emphasize a particular element of the show. More nuanced applications include setting mood, time of day, or weather.

During rehearsal several weeks ago, I was discussing my initial lighting thoughts when Craig mentioned that it is not often that lighting is thought of as a storytelling technique. This is an idea that I plan to try and fully explore with this production. Considering this story is set in the late 17th century, my first thought was about the light sources available to those people in that time. As it turns out, even gas-powered lighting was just taking root in some parts of Europe and there was definitely no infrastructure for that in the early colonies of Australia.

That leaves fire. Whether by campfire, torches, oil-lanterns, or candles, the only sources of light available during harsh dark nights in an unfamiliar land were these small, warm, fleeting bits of fire. How did this element of life affect the morale of the soldiers and prisoners alike? How did this effect the design and layout of camps and buildings? How can I use the growth and waning of the flames to depict and emphasize the progression of the people through this story? These questions and several more are the ones I am using to try and help build and tell this story through lighting design.