Interlochen Center for the Arts

Lighting Design for the Highschool Musical Theatre Showcase

I approached lighting design for the High School Musical Theatre Showcase by first studying the lyrics of “Listen to the Beat” and “The Witches Road.” I focused on the emotions felt in the words and how they shaped the overall mood of each piece. By watching the actors’ performances, I gained great insight into how they embodied their characters and the story. From there, I created a lighting design that highlighted the characters, brought out the meaning of the lyrics, and enhanced the storytelling to elevate the performance.

To put this into practice, I built cue sheets that mapped out every change in intensity, color, and timing. I planned fades to support smooth transitions, blackouts to punctuate dramatic moments, and shifts in color to reflect changes in mood or energy. Each cue was carefully placed to align with the lyrics and performance beats, ensuring the lighting did not just illuminate the stage, but artistically supported telling the story.