The Pirates of Penzance in Space
freeFall Theatre freeFall Studio Theatre St. Petersburg, FL
Lighting design for the 2016 production of The Pirates of Penzance in Space at freeFall Theatre, directed by Eric Davis.
About the Lighting Design
The Pirates of Penzance in Space was a world-premiere rock musical at freeFall. Gilbert & Sullivan’s score reset to a 70s/80s rock hits frame, played absolutely straight as a sci-fi musical. The design’s instruction was: no gag too small. Lean into every bit of absurdity the script and music could carry.
That meant saturated colors, crazy effects, and a willingness to take any single moment as far as it would go. The energy level for each beat came from what the text, the music, and the blocking demanded. Nothing was deployed arbitrarily. The whole rig served the comedy.
- Libretto
- W.S. Gilbert2 shows of theirs
- Adaptation
- Eric Davis19 shows of theirs
- Musical Arrangements
- Michael Raabe13 shows of theirs
- Director
- Eric Davis19 shows together
- Music Director
- Michael Raabe13 shows together
- Scenic Designer
- Matt Davis10 shows together
- Costume Designer
- Amy Cianci
- Lighting Designer
- Mike Wood
- Sound Designer
- Steve Kraack9 shows together
- Assistant Lighting Designer
- Ryan Finzelber15 shows together
- Stage Manager
- Sarah Smiley
About the Show
freeFall Theatre's original adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic operetta, transposing the pirates, the Major-General, and Frederic's coming-of-age tangle into outer space. Conceived and directed by freeFall's artistic director Eric Davis with the resident company, the production opened with a Star Wars-style scrolling credit sequence and brought back Star Trek titles for Act 2, blending the operetta's familiar wit with the visual language of golden-age science fiction. Premiered at freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL, August 2016.
Source: freeFall Theatre
Production Photos
Press
Mike Wood's and Ryan Finzelber's lighting is fantastically out of this world.
Mike Wood's and Ryan Finzelber's lighting is fantastically out of this world. Tech-wise, this is the show of the year.