A Christmas Carol
Production Team
Director - Mary Leonard
Stage Manager - Carson Kreger
Scenic & Props Designer - Mandy Kolbe
Costume & Makeup Designer - Joe Anderson
Lighting Designer - Brodyn Byington
Sound Designer - Ben Golden
Technical Director - Megan Morey
The well-known tale of A Christmas Carol chronicles the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge as he is guided by the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come as they teach him lessons about life and love.
To the left is the moment right after the curtain opens on Scrooge's counting house. I used a cool back light to show isolation from the world.
Concept: When the ghost of Marley rises from the trap, I wanted him to be almost a silhouette using cool, deep colors of side light in addition to strong back/top light.
Finished look: I chose a crisp blue-white color from a spot mover I shuttered to fit the trap, as well as a combination of R358 and R385 as low side light.
To the right is an example of a magic sheet from this production of A Christmas Carol which I used while I was cueing. Each zone has the channel number of each light, as well as the color of the text representing the color of light I used. Also on the magic sheet are specials, low side light colors, and atmospherics. I decided to use a system of PARs with scroller accessories going up the torm pipe on each side of the stage which allowed me to create interesting effects to go along with some of the dance music.
Concept: To denote a shift in mood, I wanted the Dickens residence and the Cratchit home to contrast the cool tones of Scrooge and the Spirits. I believed this could be accomplished by using a system of warm front light and warm high side light, really bringing out the deep, rich wood tones of the scenery.
Finished look: The above picture is the moment right at the end of the show, when Charles Dickens has finished writing his story and he is gathered with his family. I ended up using R02 as my warm front light combined with some blue top light to give dimension.
Finished look: To the left is the Cratchit family enjoying their Christmas feast. I accomplished this look with my warm front light and a system of R36 high side light, paired with a nice pink on the clock, which acted as our cyclorama for this production.
In this production of A Christmas Carol, I utilized two follow-spots to highlight the characters of Scrooge, Dickens, and the Spirits. I provided this cue sheet to my spot operators as well as the stage manager. I included information about which spotlight will be used, the color and size, and the character and location of each up cue.
Photos courtesy of Joe Anderson & Ben Golden