Pippin Concept
The conceptual approach for Pippin centered around Pippin's journey to find his place in the world, his corner of the sky. Early in the process it became apparent that lighting would be heavily relied upon to convey location, facilitating transitions from one scene to the next.
In creating the world of the show, I was extremely conscious of the theatricality inherent in the script. The Leading Player would sculpt the world Pippin would try to find himself in. The beginning of the show depicted a stage in a neutral white light, that the Leading Player would manipulate into various worlds thoughout the show.
Highly saturate color would be employed throughout the show and projected onto the actors at various angles to highlight the choreography and emotions the director and choreographer wanted to convey.
A challenge in the show was how to portray the orgy in Act I in a manner that was artistic and not vulgar. The images depicting people silhouetted against red light was the inspiration for what the orgy became.
Texture was used to communicate locations in the show, specifically Catherine's world and the Chapel at Arles.
The Chapel at Arles was a setting where a pivotal moment of the show took place. I wanted to incorporate aspects of Gothic style windows into the show. The scene would take place in the projection of a rose window that had a rotating glass gobo to provide color.
The director approached the show as though the players were part of a traveling theatre troupe. The idea of portable work lights evolved as a method to have the players control and move light during the course of the show, specifically the Manson Trio where the actors would be backlit silhouettes while carrying out the war.
The fire at the conclusion of the show was going to emanate from within the stage. The design intent was to create a realistic flame combined with haze to provide a believable fire that Pippin would be told to jump into during the finale.
