Once on this Island

Power Center for the Performing Arts

Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens | Music by Stephen Flaherty
Directed by Chloe Cuff | Music Direction by Dominic Dorset
A MUSKET Production | Ann Arbor, MI
Choreography | Brooke Taylor, Cristina Benn
Producer | Sophia Heimowitz
Photography | Lawrence Vance, Jessica Zhang, Abi Farnsworth
Scenic and Prop Design | Laurence Vance
Costume Design | Matthew Eggers
Lighting Design | Abi Farnsworth
     Associate Lighting Design | Christian Mulville
Head Electrician | Abi Farnsworth 
     Associate Head Electrician | Brandon Malin

MUSKET’s Power Center production of Once on this Island featured an onstage band and a thrust configuration. 

The paint treatment was a sandy texture, which left much room for me to paint the stage with light.

I used many textures in this design to transform the space scene to scene. My design was heavily driven by color, with multiple lighting cues that created a living tropical forest island breathing into the life of its people.

The show danced, sang, and emoted vibrant energy, demanding lighting to match.

Selected Color Themes: 
          Cold white lighting: 
                    Personal Theming = a lack of understanding or empathy 
                    Universal Theming = sterile world of upper class tradition
          Colorful texture washes:
                    Personal Theming = intense emotions, passion of the gods
                    Universal Theming = the rich lives of the rural lower class

Selected Character Color Story: 
          Purple: Ti Moune’s transformation from living the dream of a life guided by love to becoming that which stands as a symbol of love over the next generation

Selected Spectrum of Psyche Color Arc:
          Yellow: The relationship between Ti Moune and the gods, particularly Asaka (Mother of the Earth), whose faith in Ti Moune sets the story in motion and carries it through to Ti Moune’s final transformation.