Really! I Not Being Lazy

In my new role, as theater columnist for Appleton Monthly Magazine, I am somewhat hampered by the fact that I'm writing for a monthly publication. Reviewing the road companies that tour through the Fox Cities or event the regional and collegiate productions is counterproductive because by the time we publish these events are over and done.My task is not to critique but inform.

So this week, rather than rant about the current political scene or do a poor imitation of Andy Rooney bitching about the small irritations in an otherwise great life. I'm going to share my latest contribution to the magazine.

How Do They Do That?
By Jeffrey Jordan

One of the first things I learned about the theater program at Lawrence University is that the program is designed for teaching. While it might be appreciated, there is no intention to seek to sell out crowds or critical acclaim. Aaron Sherkow assured me that the major focus is to expose the students to all of the elements of theater production.

While we talked about the job of designing and executing a lighting scheme, I got to know how Aaron got the job at Lawrence.He is a graduate of Lawrence University (2004). His journey after graduation included a stop at Boston University for Masters in Fine Arts, Lighting Design. Having worked in New York, Milwaukee and other cities, he got experience with storefront and regional theater companies. It was during one of his many return trips as a temporary at Lawrence, his position opened up and eventually, he was offered the post.

The production begins with the script and proceeds simultaneously with set design, lighting, and audio elements, costuming and casting. The period of preparation of production takes many weeks longer than it would in a professional environment because the students carry a full course load and can’t work an eight hour days.

The production staff meets weekly to put together the pieces that will eventually be “the production”. Lighting involves a number of different facets of consideration. First of all, the audience has to see the players. But over and above that lighting can set a mode, isolate on an event, and indicate the time of day. From his computer screen, he reviewed a set that he worked on where they built a simulated New York Brownstone. The set had windows on the ground, first and second levels. Since performers need to be seen in these windows, the set needed interior lighting for all of the rooms. The interior and front lighting had to be controlled so that the feature performer or performers could be highlighted. The exterior lighting had to be able to show time passage such as morning, afternoon and nighttime atmosphere. 

When dealing with mood, the essential tool is color. Aaron explained that in the past white lights would have color gels placed in a holder on the front of the light. To get a subtle change in color, technicians would mount two lights in close proximity and use two different color gels. By directing lights on the same scene, they could blend the colors into a different shade or intensity. Today with LED light bulbs, which can exhibit four to six basic colors, Aaron can blend them into literally millions of colors.

Aaron told me that the lighting scheme evolves throughout the rehearsal process. Changes in the actor’s movements on the stage, the directors take on the color of the lighting, and the introduction of special effects may cause him to alter the scheme. While the lighting plan is computerized and can be automated, during the performance, it’s the responsibility of the stage manager to call the shots.

Aaron emphasized that the entire production process was an intense collaboration regardless whether it was a student, storefront, regional or Broadway production. It takes many minds and many hands to make a stage production excite, entertain and educate the audience.