I was Associate Lighting Designer for this production of Legally Blonde (by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin) at Central Washington University in May of 2018. Below are some production photos from the show. All photos featured are from songs that I programmed.
Photo Credit: David Dick, Directed By: Dr. Terri Brown, Costume Designer: Meredith Magoun, Lighting Design: Nick Ligon, Scenic Design: Marc Haniuk & Brittney Case-Kessler
This production was one that, on the surface, was a challenge and threw curve balls at myself and Nicholas Ligon, but looking back on it was an engaging and fun experience. Legally Blonde was my first exposure to what an associate designer’s tasks are that differ from that of an assistant, and the opportunities I was given from those tasks were rewarding. Like my assistantships before and after, parts of the paperwork was completed by myself, but unlike assistantships I was afforded an amount of influence in the overall design, which aided in the experience feeling open and collaborative (between my LD and me). I was allowed to design and program a few songs throughout the show (featured above), but unlike my experience with Red Curtain I was now tasked to work with Nicholas to make sure that my designs worked within his overall vision for the show (color choices, flow from start to finish, etc.) Those moments of collaboration were unique and invaluable. The process went through its share of speed bumps amidst the production process and the production team, but as far as the lighting department was concerned Nicholas and I made a point to keep the work environment fun and light-hearted, which I believe we were successful at. As far as successes are concerned, I also find my contribution in programming numbers to be a net success. Some numbers I programmed were more successful than others from an aesthetic perspective (and I have addressed the reasons why since this show), but more important than aesthetics was that they fit into the narrative arch as a whole (which across the board they were successful at).