Rehearsing actors watch from the auditorium seats in awe as junior Jacob Bogdanov and drama teacher Mark VanDerzee hang lights above the stage in preparation for the Emerson Play.
“When I am setting up the lights, there is always the ‘Wow, he is on a big ladder’ or ‘What is he doing?’” said Bogdanov. “Half the time, people don’t understand what I am doing.”
Bogdanov has been involved in almost every drama production since his freshman year, although he has never preformed onstage.
“Freshman year, I just got thrown into Mark VanDerzee’s stagecraft class. I don’t think I even put it on my elective sheet,” said Bogdanov. “I worked one show for stagecraft class and then worked every show after that.”
Bogdanov has never acted in a production before, and after working backstage, has no desire to start now.
“I really like to design the lights and to see what comes through of my efforts towards the show because there is a lot that is done for each show that isn’t seen,” said Bogdanov.
Freshman Z Sutter, a member of the stagecraft class, is currently working on lighting for the musical. He plans to continue his efforts backstage throughout high school because he enjoys working with lights and believes they are an important aspect of drama productions.
“Lighting makes the colors brighter and adds to the environment and the surroundings,” said Sutter. “Most people who don’t know theater think of lighting as just having lights shining on people, but people who are into drama know that lighting is a really big part of the performance. Without it, you have a really dull show.”
VanDerzee also stresses the value of lighting in a show.
“Lighting, set, sound, costume and props are all elements of the storytelling. They are just telling it through a different medium,” said VanDerzee.
VanDerzee’s favorite part of lighting is seeing the actors’ reaction when tech is incorporated into the performance.
“I love that first run when tech is integrated and the students’ faces light up, no pun intended,” said VanDerzee. “The show becomes real to them because you rehearse for six to eight weeks, and then in the span of a week and a half when the lights and sound come in, it just feels more real and alive. I love watching the students make that transformation and feel that boost.”
Senior Sonia Marton, who played Martha in the Emerson Play, understands this transformation.
“You don’t really realize the show is getting close until they do the tech run,” said Marton. “Lighting makes a show seem more professional and like you’re actually doing a show instead of just rehearsing.”
Senior Laura Bartel, director of the Emerson Play, believes lights are crucial to distinguish setting in the play.
“We are using our set in two different ways,” said Bartel. “One scene is a house and another is a restaurant, so the lighting is really important to differentiate between the two.”
Marton agreed with Bartel and emphasized the importance of lighting for audience comprehension.
“In our play, it is all on the same set, so lighting helps you know where to focus your attention when one part is blacked out and one is not,” said Marton.
Although the Emerson Play is not tech-heavy, lighting can be used in other plays, such as this year’s vampire-themed Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to change the tone entirely.
“In some cases, lighting can be really cool and create a whole different world,” said Bartel. “In Shakespeare this year, the lighting was awesome because it made everything more spooky.”
Junior Leah Warren, a regular audience member at drama productions, agrees that lighting helps to convey clear scene transitions and character emotions.
“When it was lighter in the play, you knew they were humans,” said Warren, “and when it turned dark, they were all vampires, so it was contrasting Shakespeare ideas of the play and the director’s twist on the story.”
Sabine Shaughnessy can be contacted at [email protected].
