RECENT LIGHTING DESIGNS of RICHARD BONNER
The photo layout below illustrates some of Richard's lighting for this season. Picture captions describe how the looks are achieved and the lighting instruments used. (Although viewable at a 640-pixel horizontal resolution, setting your browser to 800 or 1024 would be better for this page.) Events are in reverse chronological order.

Cabaret
Dartmouth Players
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
November, 2011

(All lights are 500 watts unless noted.
All fresnels have barndoors.)

For this interior of the rooming house, cliff's room is front lit with four, 150 mm fresnels in flesh coupled with diffusion to soften the light. Two more fresnels with barndoors provide backlighting in daylight blue to simulate light through windows from the exterior.

A closeup of the above lighting except this is Schneider's room and so four 75 mm, 250-watt fresnels in steel blue have been substituted for the back blues seen above. (See the next photo).

A production shot with no actors shows the basic Kit Kat Klub look. Many of the lights used to make it are visible. Six 150 mm fresnels wash a deep blue onto the stage while more produce pink highlights on the side curtains. Four 250-watt, 75mm fresnels in lighter pink make the triangular patterns on a rear scrim. The combination of looks with lots of dark area increases the contrast and makes that back scrim appear to be much farther upstage than it really is on this small stage. Four more 75mm fresnels back light the centre stage area in steel blue. When coupled with the front blue wash, a two-tone blue is produced on the floor. The turquoise dots are made from six, 115mm ellipsoidals with beam splitters. To complete the look, six more 75mm fresnels shine down in amber using colour-correction orange, one upon each white table top. They represent candlelight.

The marque lighting has been added to the above look. It is produced using strips of medium-based sockets up the sides and across the top. The top row has been lowered half a metre to be able to meet the side strips which are limited height-wise due to piping in the theatre. This was also done to increase the apparent width of the stage, much as wide-screen computer monitors do by cutting off the top and bottom of a regular-ratio screen. Lamps chosen were `11-S14' because the bulb shape is reminiscent of similar lamps employed in the 1930s. In addition, clear bulbs were used to give a glistening effect.

In this low-angle closeup of the stage-right corner of the Kit Kat Klub, one can see the fixtures used to produce all the effects. Notice how close that back scrim actually is when seen from the stage's edge. The audience, being much farther back, perceives it to be farther away because the lighting tricks the eye.

The blue wash and a single followspot made by dropping an iris into a 575-watt, 115-mm ellipsoidal light this scene from the front. Dimmed side pinks and table-top lights complete the look. This and the next shot were taken during rehearsal so full costumes and makeup are not evident.

The same lighting as above. The female dancer would actually be wearing a gorilla costume during the production.

This musical number was done with the dancers holding LED flashlights for self illumination. These lights give a bluish cast. Scrim and side-curtain pinks were incorporated to complete the look, but are not easily seen in this or the next two photos because they have been dimmed to very low levels.

This picture was taken at an early rehearsal. Seen is the musical's director as viewed from on stage. It gives non-performers an idea of the number of front lights that might be on during a given scene.

Multicultural Festival
Halifax West High School
November, 2011

(All Wash Lights are 1000-watt,
Wide-Flood PAR 64s, and all ellipsoidals
are 150 mm, 1000 watt unless noted.)

The stage and rear curtains are washed in flesh with a hint of red, while backlighting is provided by four 1000-watt, Narrow-Spot PAR 64s in deep blue. A side wash in amber completes the look.

The lighting is the same as above except that the red and blue washes have been eliminated.

Two 1000-watt ellipsoidals with no colour illuminate the dragon and dancer, while the musicians hover just outside the main beam. A hint of back blue from two of the Narrow PAR 64s is seen on the dancer.

This is done with a red front wash and a colour-correction blue side wash. The blue back lighting is stronger here.

The front light is a 26-degree ellipsoidal, while the lavender is from a 19-degree ellipsoidal high above and behind the performer. Behind, a blue light shines down the center drape. It is from a single 750-watt, 150-mm fresnel.

One 19-degree ellipsoidal from the proscenium pipe puts a tight circle of light on the dancer while green downlights hit the floor behind the drapes. The latter are done with 500-watt fresnels. The blue curtain light comes from wide-flood PARS also on the proscenium pipe.

Only curtain and side lighting are used here. The curtain is washed in blue from the proscenium. The side lighting uses the same type of fixtures (Wide-Flood PARS), one in amber, the other in colour-correction blue which appears darker here on the black-floored stage.

Into the Woods
Music Theatre Montreal
DB Clarke Theatre, Montreal
October, 2011

(All lights are 750 watts unless noted.)

The set consists of doorways at stage level and trees made of slats and wire flown from overhead. The criss-crossing of the slats produces a moire (MORE-ay) effect that creates black patterns in the air where slats pass in front of other slats. The patterns vary from different perspectives, as you will see in the different photos. Lighting for the trees is done with 1000-watt, 150mm fresnels shone straight down and barndoored to hit them where they bulge toward downstage. A sunshine yellow is used to represent sunlight filtering through the trees, and additional down lighting from other fresnels is in red. The rear scrim has 1000-watt, linear cyclorama lights, here in red and green to produce a yellow cast.

The lighting is the same as above except that twelve 115mm ellipsoidals from two front-of-house positions spanning the theatre wash the down stage in a straw colour.

The rear scrim here is washed in red while top fresnels in red down light the stage through the trees. A straw wash from the front of house lights the principals.

The only lighting here is a single ellipsoidal on the principals. The scrim lights mix red and blue to produce the lavender seen here.

This is an angle not seen by the audience. Lighting is from two ellipsoidals from the front of house. One illuminates the window surround while another from cross theatre shines directly on the actress. A 1000-watt, 150mm fresnel glows amber on the wall behind to better define her. Not seen in the photo is steel blue lighting that shines on the lower brickwork under the window.

Blue Scrim lighting contrasts nicely with the sparse tree lighting and full wash on the cast.

Seen here is a wider-angle shot taken during rehearsal. Shown are the stage, cast and set with the orchestra pit below. To the right is a ramp leading from the house to stage left upon which some of the action happened. It is lit in a straw colour by one FOH ellipsoidal.

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