RED
Lighting Designer / Master Electrician
University of Texas at El Paso
Department of Theatre and Dance
Wise Family Theatre
(May 2023)
By: John Logan
Directed by: Gaby Huizar
Costume Design: Robyn Farley
Scene Design: Genesis Nicole Tanner
Sound Design: Gaby Huizar
Concept Statement
"Make something new - What do you see?" "...Red"
-Rothko and Ken
Concept Statement:
Red is a piece that follows the struggles of Mark Rothko, an abstract expressionist who after having acquired fame through his art struggles with the commercialization of his murals in a Four Seasons Hotel.
The play reflects the creative pitfalls and moral dilemmas of "success". Rothko being a reflection of his real life counterpart struggles to create art that truly only he is able to appreciate and then put it out into the world to be ignored. The entirety of the play takes place in his dark studio where light is scarcely used. In Rothko's words "They're so vulnerable and need to be protected". Within this dimly lit studio he protects his paintings from conditions he cannot control as well as the world which will judge it for less than it is, an expression of raw emotions. Using 6X9 fixtures, I was able to imagine this world for those who are not a part of his. Bringing out Rothko's curious tendencies and emotions out for us to bear witness and judge. Instead of having blue outs, transitions consisted of shades of deeper amber as we transitioned into a bloodshot red. Moving away from the conventional and into a color that Rothko both considers fondly and fears.