My concept for Romeo and Juliet is to utilize shadows to emphasize key moments in this tragedy. All of the front lights would be angled from the sides and top lights would be heavily used as well. The choice to do two layers of skyline, combined with LED cyc lights, means that I can use the second layer to help set the mood in addition to using the cyc for time of day. The stage fades to darkness with only the characters lit for life-altering points such as Tybalt’s death and Juliet’s “death”.

The story I’m trying to tell with this design is one of great loss as the young couple’s worlds come apart at the seams even before the relationship fully starts. There are moments of brightness such as Romeo’s visits to the cell of Friar Laurence, but violence and sorrow is strife in Verona. These acts cast the world into moments of darkness such as when Tybalt is killed and Romeo knows he will face dire consequences.