My thesis project was collaborating on the design for the 2006 OSU/ CAPA production of the musical Hair, written by James Rado and Gerome Rami. I served as the lighting designer for this production and also assisted in the projection design for the show. My production work chiefly included the creation of a lighting design for the Southern Theatre as well as a comparable design for the Thurber Theatre space. This design was fully documented and has all expected and necessary paperwork for full installation in both spaces. The design work includes full script analysis as well as consideration of the director’s concept, my design approach created from the director’s concept, and visual and multimedia research.
From a literary perspective, my first line of approach to design for this production was to compare the concepts of the play, as dictated by the director’s concept, and their appropriate connections with the social ideals of the time of the original 1967 production and the current social dilemmas to which this play was suited. The play begs all artists involved to examine the state of our current society and express to the audience that there was a choice to be made concerning the acceptance or denial of the state of the world. Hair illustrates a group of ideologies that share a common dissatisfaction with the governance over each of their individual social dilemmas. The challenge was discovering a way to visually express these themes through lighting.
My approach for Hair stemmed from the essence of social interaction at the time of the plays original production. More specifically this refers to the Hippie movement and the free love and use of drugs that was involved. Starting with this idea allowed me to grasp onto a visual element from which I could evolve my own sense of the production. Creating an environment that was playful, fun, and allows the participants to visit a higher state of consciousness was the essential visual theme for the production. The scenic space for the show was a sensual playground in which the characters can flow and move freely. My approach was to compliment this scenic ideal of free flow and movement as well as emphasize the astrological nature of the scenery, relating the space to the alignment of stars and planet.
The spirit of the show was not necessarily implicit of drug use, but it was contributive to expanding the mind. Therefore the space did not comment on the cause but more so the effect. The environment was flooded with color and highly theatrical. The space gave a sense of overwhelming the senses of those in the light and those observing, thus connected the audience and players. The environment was fun and psychedelic, where anything could happen.
My approach for color for the show was to include all colors of the spectrum. This production was based on a free flowing, open sense of art and beauty and love and therefore the color palette reflected that. A rainbow has a sense of harmony and balance and peace, and so the full spectrum seemed to be an appropriate choice. The palette of color needed to be flexible so that the lighting could range from normal warm and cool palettes to psychedelic colors rolling across the space. I intended to use multiple techniques to create the flexible color theory for this show, including a variety of intelligent lighting fixtures.
The overall visual concept was to create great contrast between moments of varying emotional states as well as visually express the sense of being in a drug induced state. There were large shifts in the color palette as well as the overall feel of the space ranging from intimate moments isolating parts of the stage to full on lighting of the stage for full numbers. The lighting design reflected a strong sense of flexibility, fun, theatricality and emotion.