Known since the 1980's for its commitment to avant-garde theatre and opera, the Brooklyn Academy of Music recently revived What To Wear, an opera by Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon, which had only been produced once before, in 2026 at REDCAT in Los Angeles. With creative direction by Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson of Big Dance Theatre, the New York premiere of the opera in January 2026 as part of the Prototype Festival was lit by Joe Levasseur, who offers special thanks to head electrician John Manderbach and programmer Doug Mangold at BAM for bringing such artful attention and detail to the technical realization of this work. Beth Morrison served as creative producer; Michael Darling, technical director; E.B. Brooks, costume designer; and Garth MacAleavy, sound designer. The sets were designed for the original production by revolutionary theater artist Richard Foreman (1937-2025), founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.
Live Design chats with the LD about this opera revival described by the New York Times as "is a visually rich, textually odd work."
Live Design: Why the choice for mostly incandescent light?
Joe Levasseur: The choice to use primarily incandescent fixtures was both practical and aesthetic.
Practically, the remount relied heavily on the unit types and visual vocabulary of the original production at REDCAT. Incandescent instruments were integral to that original palette.
Aesthetically, N/C stands for “No Color,” meaning open white light with no gel. This was a strong preference in Richard Foreman’s generation of downtown New York artists. The use of unfiltered incandescent light produces a raw, slightly warm but essentially unmediated white. It avoids the psychological coding that colored light often introduces.
In Foreman’s world, light was not there to create mood. It was there to reveal structure. “No Color” keeps the stage exposed, architectural, and confrontational rather than expressive in a conventional sense.
LD: What was the set design and how does the lighting tie into the scenic look (looks busy) and how did you pull the singers out of the background?
JL: The set, designed by Foreman, is dense and maximalist, with layers of frames, strings, and graphic elements. Strong front light keeps the performers grounded, while softlights and additional sources wash the entire stage, including the set, creating overall visibility and even illumination without flattening the space. Selective intensity in the fronts and sidelight angles make sure the performers read clearly and hold visual priority, while still allowing the set to remain present and legible.
LD: Was the light in the audience's eyes something that Richard Foreman specifically wanted?
JL: The moments where light spills or points into the audience are a hallmark of Foreman’s aesthetic. He resisted passive spectatorship, often deliberately blinding the audience to create confrontation. It also serves to wake you up, resetting your eyes & brain what’s happening onstage. Single flashes or sets of three act as punctuation, forcing the audience to focus and remain alert to the rhythm and structure of the performance.
LD: Why did it take 20 years for this opera to be revived?
JL: The composer Michael Gordon had been advocating for a remount since the original production. The piece sits at a unique intersection of experimental opera and Foreman’s Ontological-Hysteric theater language, which makes it complex to re-stage. For a while, I think attention was simply focused on other productions, but over time the work was rediscovered and interest re-kindled. Before Foreman’s death in January 2024, he had already given his blessing to Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar to take up the project and make it their own. These directors endeavored to remain faithful to the original rather than creating a completely new version of the show.
LD: What was your design intent? how does the lighting help tell the story?
JL: My intent was not to reinterpret Foreman’s language but to clarify and reinforce it. What to Wear isn’t a story in the usual sense — it’s a reflection on identity, how we present ourselves, and how individuals operate in and are perceived in society. The lighting keeps the performers legible, supports the set’s structure, and maintains clarity and focus. The single moving light on the balcony rail acts as another version of a pointing finger (always a sharp edged circle), and the layout of the plot is designed to be visually engaging on its own. These and similar elements reveal the mechanics of the performance and the decor, participating in the piece’s argument rather than simply illustrating it.
What to Wear Gear List:
Provided by BAM:
12 ETC Source 4 10deg @ 575w
2 ETC Source 4 14deg @ 575w
1 ETC Source 4 19deg @ 575w
39 ETC Source 4 26deg @ 575w
6 ETC Source 4 50deg @ 575w
9 ETC Source 4 36deg@ 575w
8 ETC Source 4 PAR WFL @ 575w
12 ETC Source 4 PAR MFL @ 575w
6 ETC Source 4 PAR NSP @ 575w
8 ETC D60 Vivid MO
1 Altman 5K Fresnel @ 5kW
1 ARRI Junior 2000 @ 2kW
1 Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot 1.2kW
Provided by Beth Morrison Projects:
4 Altman Soft Lite @ 2kW
10 Mole Richardson Soft Light TYPE 3051 @ 2kW
5 Mole Richardson Flood Light TYPE 2911 @ 1kW
11 Custom Chandelier Pipes @ 480w
20 R40 Gooseneck @ 300w
3 Hood Practical @ 100w
1 Crystal Chadelier @ 150w
Michael Darling, who worked on the original, fabricated the custom chandeliers and the R40 Gooseneck setup.