Today Sherbet Lemon Theatre premiered The Truth About Bedtime… and we as a company are still blown away from the reception we received from our audience! All of the technical elements of the show ran smoothly and gave the desired effects of ‘sweet’ and ‘sour’ which I wanted. We managed to complete a cue to cue and an open dress run, as our evening performance had sold out. In terms of sound there were a few level changes, and in terms of lighting, I raised the percentage of the flood in the insomnia scene to 20%, as we wanted all slow movements to be clearly seen from the audience members.
I was nervous before the doors opened to the theatre but as soon as I started greeting audience members a lot of that fear disappeared, as we were getting to know the audience members before the performance.
If I were to do anything differently I would definitely look into composing more original music for the show with the help of our director, Emelia!
The Truth About Bedtime… was an amazing experience, and I would be more than happy to carry this theatre company on in the upcoming years! Here are a some of my favourite images taken during our dress run which showcases some of the lighting I designed:
Lucid dreaming sceneREM sceneNight terrors sceneEllie’s song, with the use of a dramatic spotlight!
(Sired, 2018)
Thank you and sweet dreams!
C.D.
Works Cited
Sired, K. (2018) A brand new theatre company! This show was incredible and I am so grateful for being asked to take photos during their dress run. Good luck for the future guys, I’m excited to see what’s in store! Sherbet Lemon Theatre. Katie Sired. Available from https://www.facebook.com/KSIREDPHOTOGRAPHY/ [accessed 21 May 2018].
Today was the day of our tech and everything went to plan! I had already designed and programmed sound on my MacBook Air which I distributed to the LPAC’s computer in the tech box, and it was only the sound levels that had to be configured in the space, which took half an hour. We programmed lighting in an hour, as the lighting design had already been decided beforehand. We were, therefore, able to test all of the effects we wanted in terms of lighting, and we were able to start packing down with half an hour to spare!
Myself programming/ editing the sound on tech day!
(McKay, 2018)
There were a few lighting effects we wanted to try, one being the flickering light bulb which had been drawn onto the sheet for our set. The flickering light was created by a profile behind the sheet which had been focused towards the drawing of a light bulb. We programmed it to flicker eight times when certain lines were said in the night terrors scene. The flickering of the light represented the night terrors manifesting themselves in dreams into what is perceived by those involved as ‘reality’. Amanda (set designer) and I, worked together when designing the lighting for the set in order to ensure that the light picked was able to produce the right effect behind the sheet. The alternative option, if this did not work or venues were not able to provide a profile, was a manual torch behind the sheet which would have been turned on and operated by a cast member.
(Denby, 2018)
Light bulb powered by the profile behind the sheet.
(Denby, 2018)
On the day of the tech I also wanted to try the darkness level in the insomnia scene, incorporating a hint of blue. The reasoning behind this was because this section was in the first stage of the sleep cycle, and I wanted to show that the performers, who were showcasing the verbatim, had turned off the lights in their rooms, switched on their night light and was attempting to get to sleep. I chose to not have a blackout as I wanted the audience to see the subtle movements performed by the cast.
Lighting state in the insomnia scene
(Sired, 2018)
C.D.
Works Cited
Denby, C. (2018) Light bulb flickering on the sheet [ video].
Denby, C. (2018) Light bulb powered by profile behind the sheet. [image].
McKay, C. (2018) Myself programming/ editing sound on tech day! [image].
Sired, K. (2018) A brand new theatre company! This show was incredible and I am so grateful for being asked to take photos during their dress run. Good luck for the future guys, I’m excited to see what’s in store! Sherbet Lemon Theatre. Katie Sired. Available from https://www.facebook.com/KSIREDPHOTOGRAPHY/ [accessed 21 May 2018].
Sleep.org (undated) What Colours Are Soothing for Sleep. National Sleep Foundation. Available from https://sleep.org/articles/best-colors-for-sleep/ [accessed 12 March 2018].
Our show consists of a variety of real life experiences of sleep from people who were interviewed on behalf of our dramaturg and director. I believe it important to represent these individuals as precisely as possible, especially as we are being given the opportunity to portray their experiences to a theatre audience.
As a performer for The Truth About Bedtime… I am involved in a verbatim section with Emily, where we both explain our lucid dreaming experiences. Lucid dreaming is a “proven scientific ability to become ‘self aware’ in your dreams” (HowToLucid.com, undated). We dedicated rehearsals to our speech and language in order to match the people we were representing. I knew we had to be authentic or it would become unethical to the people involved. I found that researching lucid dreaming and hearing of these individual’s experiences of this practice was interesting, to say the least. It made me aware of the abilities these people possessed, which quite frankly inspired me to experiment with this practice, which at the moment I am unsuccessful at. Throughout discussions with our director Emelia we both agreed that lucid dreaming is one of the more brighter topics in our piece, therefore I researched up beat, positive music and I came across Lucid Dream by Owl City:
(Revoredo, 2018)
The song relates to the scene, as the song is indeed about lucid dreaming. However, I have chosen to use an instrumental version in order to have the audience’s full attention on the verbatim. In terms of lighting, I have decided I want to incorporate a colourful and ‘dreamy’ wash with the use of blue and pink. The reasoning behind this is because we are showcasing these lucid dreams from the verbatim, and “colour meanings in dreams can be very telling about what’s going on in the deepest waters that stir within us” (Venefica, 2018). Therefore, having this lighting state makes the audience aware they are in a dream state. Here is how the lighting was showcased in our performance:
Lighting state in the lucid dream scene
(Sired, 2018)
In terms of Arts Council funding using verbatim definitely allows engagement from everyone, especially as sleep is something which relates to every human. Arts Council England wants “to give more people the chance to take part in the arts, no matter where they live or their social, educational or financial circumstances” (Arts Council England, 2018). Using verbatim theatre allows our company to reach out to communities no matter what their background is. We allow anyone to get involved with the devising process while giving “a voice to the voiceless” (Burnside, 2003, 5), as we are wanting everyone to get involved in sharing their experiences on sleep which will be showcased in our performance. Furthermore, our set allows us as a company to easily transport our equipment to any location. We are therefore able to use community halls and other various venues to perform our show, which again allows anyone from any background to get involved with the Arts. In terms of sound I already have the program QLAB on my laptop with the show file, therefore all we need would be a speaker. The only lighting item we would have to purchase for non-theatre venues would be a UV Beam PAR for our Sandman and exercise scene. I have priced one of these lights up and it comes to a total of £33.00. This item can be found on this website: https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/black-lights/beamz-uv-beam-par-38?gclid=CjwKCAjwiPbWBRBtEiwAJakcpARQsVvl-htM5P-i1u6Mxlq7Sc8ShzRDGD4mACpBHcGNfbh1D3JcfBoClH0QAvD_BwE (Bax Music, 2018).
C.D.
Works Cited
Arts Council England (2018) Engaging people everywhere. Arts Council England. Available from https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/how-we-make-impact/engaging-audiences-everywhere [accessed 29 February 2018].
Bax Music. (2018) Beamz UV Beam PAR 38. Kent: Bax Music. Available from https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/black-lights/beamz-uv-beam-par-38?gclid=CjwKCAjwiPbWBRBtEiwAJakcpARQsVvl-htM5P-i1u6Mxlq7Sc8ShzRDGD4mACpBHcGNfbh1D3JcfBoClH0QAvD_BwE [accessed 1 March 2018].
HowToLucid.com (undated) What Is Lucid Dreaming? A Beginners Overview. HowToLucid.com. Available from http://howtolucid.com/lucid-dreaming-definition/ [accessed 15 March 2018].
Owl City (2018) Lucid Dream [download]. 4 mins. 21 secs. Cinematic. Universal Republic. Available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucid-Dream/dp/B076H77B84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524182753&sr=8-1&keywords=lucid+dream+owl+city [accessed 1 March 2018].
Revoredo, W. (2018) Owl City- Lucid Dream (Welington Revoredo Instrumental Cover). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjxP7L8STzg [accessed 1 March 2018].
Sired, K. (2018) A brand new theatre company! This show was incredible and I am so grateful for being asked to take photos during their dress run. Good luck for the future guys, I’m excited to see what’s in store! Sherbet Lemon Theatre. Katie Sired. Available from https://www.facebook.com/KSIREDPHOTOGRAPHY/ [accessed 21 May 2018].
Venefica, A. (2018) Colour Meanings in Dreams. Available from https://www.whats-your-sign.com/color-meanings-in-dreams.html [accessed 25 February 2018].
In terms of the lighting design for the show, I want to create a calm environment for audience members. For this reason, I am determined to stay away from strobe lighting so it does not hinder any possible audience members from seeing our show. There are a few scenes which I am thinking of making the lighting more bright and colourful, however nothing drastic. The main colour of light I am wanting to use is blue as it “is associated with feelings of calm which, when picked up by your ganglion cells and relayed to your brain, helps reduce blood pressure and heart rate, all of which help you receive a solid night’s sleep” (Sleep.org, undated). The colour blue will sometimes be mixed with general washes too to add variations in the lighting throughout the show.
Sherbet Lemon Theatre was lucky enough to see the Wardrobe Ensemble’s education, education, education (2018) (EEE). The show sparked many ideas for the company, including a lot of lighting ideas for myself as the technical designer. In EEE the company used colourful and ‘funky’ lights which I thought was visually pleasing. Therefore, for our ‘fun’ and ‘quirky’ scenes, for example, our exercise scene, intro dance sequence and bows, I am thinking of using the mirror ball effect adding to the ‘sweet’ element of our show. Here is an example of the mirror ball in use from our tech day:
Mirror ball effect
(Denby, 2018)
Additionally, UV was used effectively in the performance of EEE which can assist with the portrayal of certain images especially if UV paint is used. I know we want a nightmare image of the ‘Sandman’ in our Sandman scene, and that UV paint will be used to draw an image of the ‘Sandman’ onto a bed sheet. I therefore made the decision to use UV in order to represent the creature of the sandman visually, which is assisted by the UV cannon. Here is what the final form of the scene looked like on show day.
Sandman image assisted by the UV cannon
(Sired, 2018)
Another scene which sparked an idea for sound from EEE was their ‘sex scene’ between two characters which similarly happens in our piece where the character Amanda goes on a slight tangent to Emma on a sex dream she had. We knew we wanted this scene to be humorous, likewise as it was for EEE. In terms of lighting I want to try a ‘passionate’ red lighting state which stereotypically connotes ‘lust’ in order to add to the sweet/humorous element of our show:
Red light used in ‘sex dream scene’
(Sired, 2018)
To benefit our company, I have created a Spotify playlist for our show in order for audience members to listen to some upcoming songs featured in the show (and to listen to it after the show too). I worked alongside our marketing manager Emily in order to advertise the playlist. I think this is a great way to connect with our potential audiences, as they are able to get a glimpse of our show before they actually experience it. Here is the link to our playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/8h4xqpf8hiypvwvwlh4qx35lm/playlist/5IiXtYg2qnNfu2seFwxXyu?si=vq_lweBfSEyqoIgF1D2Jrw
‘The Truth About Bedtime…’ Spotify playlist
(Spotify Technology SA, 2018)
The Wardrobe Ensemble with their show EEE also created a Spotify playlist which inspired my decision to make one. For reference if you would like to listen to EEE’s playlist which was used in their show, here is the link to their Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/newtynewts/playlist/2cssTlt5Da5n1bNTeXVjpd?si=_-Z4RgQ5T2Kyb-lNqT45fg
C.D.
Works Cited
Brennan, T., England, T., Greenslade, E., Jones, J., Lovell, K., Meadows, J., Middleton, H., Newton, J., Vardy, B. and Woolley, E. (2017) education, education, education [live performance]. Performed by The Wardrobe Ensemble. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 16 March.
Denby, C. (2018) Mirror ball effect [image].
National Sleep Foundation (undated) What Colours Are Soothing For Sleep. Sleep.org. Available from https://sleep.org/articles/best-colors-for-sleep/ [accessed 15 February 2018].
Sired, K. (2018) A brand new theatre company! This show was incredible and I am so grateful for being asked to take photos during their dress run. Good luck for the future guys, I’m excited to see what’s in store! Sherbet Lemon Theatre. Katie Sired. Available from https://www.facebook.com/KSIREDPHOTOGRAPHY/ [accessed 21 May 2018].
Spotify Technology SA (2018) Spotify [software]. Spotify Technology SA. Available from https://www.spotify.com/uk/ [accessed 17 March 2018].
As a sound designer, I want to make sure that every piece of audio which is used within the show related in some way shape or form to sleep, even if the track was instrumental. I want to make sure that all of the audio tracks correlate and provides a clear thread throughout the show itself, from the intro dance sequence to the bows.
For the role of technical designer I have started researching and listening to a variety of songs/sounds which relate to sleeping/dreaming. Furthermore, the show structure correlates to a sleep cycle which requires sound effects to distinguish between each stage. The stages of sleep are “characterized by a reduction in physiological activity. As sleep deepens, a person’s brain waves slow down and gain amplitude, both breathing and the heart rate slow down, and the individual’s blood pressure drops” (National Sleep Foundation, 2018). Therefore, I took audio which is supposed to help you sleep and edited that same audio for the five stages of sleep. I slowed stages two, three and four down and made stage five (REM) quick to match the ‘rapid’ eye movement of that stage. Below is the audio of the different stages of sleep, which represents the deceleration of brain waves through the sleep cycle.
– Transition for stage 2
– Transition stage 3
– Transition stage 4
– Transition for stage 5 (REM)
(MacLeod, 2014)
I also edited a song which is about night terrors for our night terrors scene. I made the audio disorientated in order to represent the ‘giant’ (which is told in the night terrors verbatim), by embodying the creature’s breathing and ‘growling’ and therefore manifesting the giant. This was used for the background audio within that scene, however, when hearing the subtle growls and groans it leaves you feeling eerie while being fed the description of the night terror. Below is the final edit of the night terrors audio:
(LilyPichu, 2012)
All sound effects and songs are edited through the use of iMovie. Within this, I am experimenting with effects on the audio which deepen the audio and also speed it up. The box in the screenshot below shows the different effects I am experimenting with.
iMovie application sound editing
(Apple, 2018)
C.D.
Works Cited
Apple (2018) iMovie [software]. Apple. Available from https://www.apple.com/uk/imovie/ [accessed February 12 2018].
LilyPichu (2012) Slendy’s Lullaby [ video].Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSLz6Vhl6Rs [accessed 12 February 2018].
MacLeod, K. (2014) Music to sleep in 5 MIN [ video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ldGvNwRiQ [accessed 15 February 2018].
National Sleep Foundation (2018) Stages of Human Sleep. National Sleep Foundation. Available from http://sleepdisorders.sleepfoundation.org/chapter-1-normal-sleep/stages-of-human-sleep/ [accessed 12 February 2018].
