Director          Sarah Argent

Theatr Iolo/Sarah Argent

2 Christmas runs in Chapter Arts Centre. Touring Australia in summer 2015 to Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Arts Centre.

 

Photos by Kirsten McTernan

 

Traditionally, blue is a cold colour. Well, in lighting terms anyway.

When I was asked to light Out of the Blue, I knew it would be a challenge making a show for babies aged between 6 months and 18 months, not look cold and uninviting.

My instinct was that the colour palette had to be blue, so I searched for blues that would not be too cold. I use a couple of turquoise gels in the show, which warms the whole thing up. I also use some strawey/amber light from the front which also helps to make it cosy and inviting.

My original concept was for the preset to be very blue and the character would emerge “out of the blue”. This did not quite work in the way that I had first thought, but it does to a certain extent. The preset is indeed blue on stage, but gets bluer as the show progresses.

The whole space is an installation that has lots of things for the audience to look at as soon as they enter. I had to light the whole space and make it look cosy and inviting, which I think worked pretty well. I then use the same colours for the installation and for the lights where the audience sit, and once again mirror the same colours on stage. Hopefully, there is a cohesion within the lighting that balances the whole space.

Jane Lalljee, Theatr Iolo blog