8 Minutes Left
In the fall of 2025 I lighting designed a production of 8 Minutes Left with Masque Theatre, a student run theatre group on WPI campus.
Photos by @a.flaherty_photography on instagram.
Duration
2 months
Role
Lighting Designer
Overview
I had the opportunity to Lighting Design this show with a student-run theatre group at WPI. The major factors driving my design were the emotional themes of the show, and playing with both the color and/or tone along with the direction of the light. The pictures above show some examples, emphasising the use of strong angles to emphasize the mystery surrounding one of the characters, along with both RGB lighting and conventionals with gels to create atmospheres that fit the tone of each scene, but using light sparingly.
Technical & Design Aspects
The plot I created for this show was built around the central idea of using color to set the tone for each specific scene.
- Conventional Source4 Wash: To create the wash I placed Source4 fixtures side by side, in pairs, around the theatre to cover the entire acting area, as it was in a black box theatre. Each pair consisted of one Source4 with a cool toned gel, and one with a warm toned gel in order to create two distinct washes that can be controlled to set the tone.
- LED Toplight Wash: With limited LED fixtures, I chose to use 9 wash fixtures in a grid to provide downlight to the entire stage. These acted more as accents, with the main light lighting the faces of the performers coming from the main washes. The color acted as an accent to set the mood for the place and scene.
- Color Usage: The colors used were relatively typical for the mood, so the audience would easily understand. Colors such as blues, blue-greens, and stark white were often used to represent separation whether phyiscally or emotionally, while pink, ambers, and sublte reds were used for closeness.
- Directional Light: Directional lighting was used to highlight specific areas of the stage in order to create a more intimate feel, well-achieved by a blackbox theatre. The light was usually kept very tight to the acting area. Additionally, for the more mysterious character of the observer, they were never directly lit, only top and side light to create an unsettling feel.