This winter, I had the great pleasure of being the Assistant Lighting Designer for my good friend, Morgan Harrington, as she lit a gorgeous rendition of "The Play That Goes Wrong." Morgan's use of scenic specials was a particular favorite of mine; she brought out the gorgeous texture and color on every inch of that set, enabling it to shine as its own character in this architecturally-challenging production.
For my first experience as the assistant, the historic Lucas Theatre (in Savannah, Georgia) was no small feat. Walking alongside Morgan as she designed her first show of this scale will help me tremendously as I create my own design in the same theater this spring.
One of the highlights of simply being in the room for me was witnessing the incredible work done by the set design and construction departments, led by Technical Director Catori Swann. I was beyond impressed with the feats that they accomplished, failed-and-fixed, and accomplished again (see a beautiful shot, photographed by Colton Stovall, with three hanging pieces in the middle of their choreographed fall).
I must admit that being a newbie to the lighting design profession had me learning a great amount on the job. Here are just a few tips for anyone looking to become an ALD...and these might not be in the awesome resource that Anne McMills wrote!
-Keep track of all dimmer numbers. This isn't just for the electricians!
-If the electrician workforce is low, be confident that you know how to go up the ladder yourself.
-Don't worry about formatting at first. Get the notes down fast and accurately.
-Know the designer's magic sheet by heart as fast as possible.
-Be ready to jump into the hot seat at any time. Just because you're the assistant (or associate, rather, in this case), doesn't mean the designer wants you to stay away from anything artistic.
Thank you to Morgan, our mentor (Ruth Hutson), and director Craig Anton for a brilliant experience.
Comments