American Prom
Theatreworks Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS Colorado Springs, CO
Lighting design for the 2019 production of American Prom at Theatreworks, directed by Lisa Marie Rollin.
About the Lighting Design
American Prom was a world premiere set mostly in a garage, with magical heightened-realism moments that asked the design to break naturalism without breaking the room. Scenic designer Lawrence Moten and I worked closely to make sure every practical source could read as the actual object it was supposed to be, then transform when the show needed it to.
The fluorescent garage tubes had LED tape hidden behind them. Normal garage lights one moment, color-changing concert source the next. The back wall read as the drywall of the house but was actually frosted plastic material, so backlighting could push silhouettes and shadow play through what had previously looked opaque. The garage doors closed to allow play in the exterior yard and driveway out front.
That gave the show two worlds running in parallel. The intimate garage interior and the open exterior yard, both visible to the audience for most of the show. The design pulled tight into the garage for intimate moments, opened out into the street for the bigger ones, and tracked time of day across both. When a moment wanted concert energy the rig delivered it, then receded back to “someone watching TV on their couch” believable naturalism.
- Playwright
- Idris Goodwin
- Director
- Lisa Marie Rollin
- Scenic Designer
- Lawrence E. Moten III
- Costume Designer
- Sarah Shaver
- Lighting Designer
- Mike Wood
- Sound Designer
- RJ Jackson
- Assistant Lighting Designer
- Max StroherKatie Berger Wood
- Production Electrician
- John 'Ponder' White
About the Show
Set in a small town middle American town called Principal, this is the story of teenaged best friends Jimmy T. and Kia B. Jimmy wants to take Kia to prom, but it's complicated. Jimmy is white and Kia is black, and Principal has been holding racially segregated proms for decades. In this contemporary coming of age story, filled with music and magic, rhymes and beats, Jimmy and Kia work to hold fast to their friendship. With a little help from a musical superstar, they both fight to envision a different future for themselves and their town.
Source: TRW
Cast
Mark Autry as Jimmy Trammel Jr.Ilaseia Gray as Kia BradfordMarisa Dannielle Hebert as Regina B./Pearl/TownspeopleDustin Bronson as Jimmy T. Sr./TownspeopleTre'Vonne Bell as ensemble
Production Photos
Press
All these performances take place against the backdrop of Jimmy Sr.'s garage, a brilliantly designed set with plentiful engaging details (credit to Lawrence Moten, Sarah Shaver, Mike Wood and RJ Jackson for stellar design work). This includes fluid and effective lighting that changes color as the kids rap or sing or otherwise lose themselves in music — a thread that ties the whole story together.