White Light Supplies Lighting for Donmar Show Teenage Dick
White Light has recently supplied the
lighting on Teenage Dick; the critically-acclaimed production which is
currently running at the Donmar Warehouse.
Making its UK debut, Teenage Dick
is a darkly comic take on Richard III and is directed by the Donmar’s
Artistic Director Michael Longhurst. Set in an American high school, it tells
the story of Richard who, after years of torment due to his hemiplegia, plots
the ultimate rise in power: become president of his senior class. The show
features a lighting design by Sinead McKenna who comments: “My brief on Teenage
Dick was to create the feeling of a bright and brash ‘high school movie’
meets dark European stark expressionism. It was actually a real joy to mash up
these two styles and experiment with what could be achieved. The play is also
set in a gym and Chloe Lamford’s set really makes you feel like you are walking
into an actual school gymnasium. I wanted to make sure my lighting didn’t work
against that but rather embraced it”.
To achieve this, Sinead wanted to use
predominately LED washes and spot units to provide colour pop and sheen for the
fun glossy high school vibe, which could then morph easily into a stark, cold
brash white light. She explains: “Projected light was a major element of the
design aesthetic, and I needed to be able to work with video designer Andrzej
Goulding and match the quality of light being projected. Also, the main
character, Richard, often uses direct address to the audience. He summons a
spot for these addresses in a pastiche of the direct address to camera motif
employed in 90s high school movies which we were delightedly drawn on for
inspiration! What’s great is how the actor, Daniel Monks, interacts with the
technology in these moments, and we really allowed this relationship to develop
and morph throughout the tech process”.
Sinead then approached WL to supply her with the lighting fixtures she required. She explains: “We used Ayrton’s Ghibli LED Spots to create the classic sharp edge ‘spotlight’ for the direct addresses. They can achieve a really stark, almost arc-light quality which was exactly what was needed for this piece. They’re also really versatile and worked well with the rest of the rig for shaping the space and working alongside the other units as colour washes when used soft. Grid space was at a premium so it was important that the differing units could work together seamlessly.
Sinead continues: “Alongside this, I used GLP Impression X4s overhead for colour washes and two at a very low angle from the front which were used for various effects, including bouncing off mirrored back wall. ETC ColorSource LED Profiles worked alongside the generic rig to create coverage for the space. I also hung some fluorescent box fixtures retro-fitted with LED from above that helped create the ‘roof’ of the school gym, while still allowing me to colour mix to create varying tones. There were also some terrifically cheesy gobo moments for high school prom lighting!”.
Alongside achieving the feel needed
for the show, Sinead also had to accommodate her design to fit the intricate
Donmar space. She comments: “The space can potentially be tricky as it is on
three sides so can be quite difficult to create the dramatic single source
looks that were required at times whilst still giving each side of the house an
interesting picture! On the other hand, the lighting often had to feel open,
diffused and harsh like fluorescent lighting in a real gym, while still being
contained enough to focus down to the playing space. So, in that respect, it
was quite a balancing act! It also has quite a high rig for the size of the
space which can result in very steep angles and make lighting the cast a little
tricky. That said, after working out the various angles, this is something
we were able to overcome”.
Teenage Dick has now opened to rave reviews and
will run until 1st February 2020.
Photos courtesy of Marc Brenner.