Lighting Moment 6 (LizB)

I was doing my history reading when I came across this paragraph which elegantly captures mood and setting through its description of light:

“The light was full of action and had a peculiar quality of climax—of splendid finish. It was both intense and soft, with a ruddiness of much-multiplied candlelight, an aura of red in its flames. It bored into the ilex trees, illuminating their mahogany trunks and blurring their dark foliage; it warmed the bright green of the orange trees and the rose of the oleander blooms to gold; sent congested spiral patterns quivering over the damask and plate and crystal” (Cather, Willa. “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” pp.4).

This description is particularly rich because it gives us information about the energy/ quality, color and pattern of the light. When Cather refers to the light as having a “climax” I imagine translating that to the stage as a slow build by increasing intensity and layering colors. To recreate a sense of candlelight I would use warm-hued gels that mimic natural light. Referencing our discussion on Friday, it would also be possible to shine light on reflective paper with a fan blowing on it to mimic the movement of flames. Then there is the description of the rose colored blossoms changing to gold; I could imagine rose colored light projected on the cyc slowly turning to gold like the sky at sunset. Then there are the dark “mahogany trunks” of the trees, which could represent props onstage or even still human figures dressed in dark, saturated colors. Finally, there are these “spiral” patterns. To recreate this I would set up overlapping go-gos (because Cather uses the word “congested” which suggests overcrowding) in intricate damask or lace patterns.