The Wiz (In The Park)
American Stage in the Park Demen's Landing Park St. Petersburg, FL
Lighting design for the 2014 production of The Wiz (In The Park) at American Stage in the Park, directed by Karla Hartley.
About the Lighting Design
The Wiz In The Park was the first show I designed for American Stage in the Park. The rig was a unit set with an entirely incandescent inventory. The only color-changing tools available were color scrollers that got wrapped in trash bags every night to keep them dry. Everything else was conventional fixtures that didn’t mind the weather.
The design’s job was visibility and as much musicality as the rig could deliver. There wasn’t headroom for big theatrical reactions. What we had, we used. The Wiz also started a long working relationship with American Stage that ran through Spamalot, In The Heights, Hairspray, The Producers, and ultimately Mamma Mia! in the same park years later. The arc that ran through those shows traces the tech evolution of outdoor lighting in real time.
- Book
- William F. Brown
- Music and Lyrics
- Charlie Smalls
- Director
- Karla Hartley
- Scenic Designer
- Scott Cooper
- Costume Designer
- Saidah Ben Judah
- Lighting Designer
- Mike Wood
- Props Designer
- Jerid Fox
- Assistant Lighting Designer
- Cody Basham
- Technical Director
- Timon Brown
- Production Electrician
- Seth Watson
About the Show
The Wiz is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and follows the story of Dorothy, who is suddenly transported to the Land of Oz. With the help of newfound friends like the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, Dorothy embarks on a journey to find the powerful Wiz and seek her way back home. A beloved Broadway gem, The Wiz infuses L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel and soul music.
Source: Concord