The Robber Bridegroom

The world of <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em> is a world where opposite, seemingly contradictory forces are woven together right before our eyes. This is certainly true of Jaime Lockhart (one man with two faces) and it is just as true of the lighting design which is both period and modern, warm and cool, and contained and expansive. How can it be both period and modern at the same time? The hijinks on the Natchez Trace take place well over a century before the invention of the electric light bulb, yet the presence of modern theatrical lighting fixtures alongside lanterns and candles helps the characters playfully leap out of the period. The whole story unfolds within Donyale Werle’s beautiful barn-inspired structure, yet we find ourselves bouncing seamlessly from location to location relying on lighting shifts and a heap of imagination to re-shape the environment. The lighting see-saws from the warm, inviting, soft, candle-lit glow of Rodney to the cool, crisp, textured, shadowy woods. Throughout these locations, the stage is bursting at the seams with energy and action. From the footlights that barely dodge stomping feet to the nearly-reachable ceiling of lights, the cramped quarters can barely contain the story. Yet, when the lighting opens up to reveal hidden layers of texture and depth outside, piercing through and swelling from beyond the slatted walls, we discover a whole new sense of space. It turns out that the lighting design, as Jamie might say, can be many things at the same damn time.