Live Design's Plot Of The Week series continues with a look at Million Dollar Quartet as lit by Sean Savoie at Stages St. Louis, where the musical based on an impromptu 1956 recording session at Sun Records in Memphis featuring Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins—musical magic. The show ran from September 8-October 8, 2023, in the The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.
"Theatre design has to be one of the best jobs in the world. It’s a career where you constantly get to work with some of the greatest and most talented people on the planet and you get to start something new and exciting with each project you take on. Stages St. Louis has been a theatrical home for me over the last nine years outside of my now seventeen-year teaching gig at Washington University in St. Louis. Between these two venues, I am surrounded by some truly amazing artists," says Savoie, who was the 2009 recipient of the USITT Rising Star Award sponsored by Live Design/LDI.
"Under the leadership of director Keith Andrews, Million Dollar Quartet became a study in color combinations, harmony, contrast, and quick movements. Scenic designer Adam Koch provided a very smart palette that allowed color to shift and fade in quite stunning and magical ways. In his words, the scenic design was a blend of Sun Studios meeting the Oscars," the LD notes. "The variations of golds and neutral tones provided a foundation that allowed for a full range of saturation in nearly every hue."
"To that end, it was very important that our rig was able to meet that challenge. To fill the stage and add plasticity to the extremely talented performers, we wrapped them in a number of ETC Color Source spots from pipe ends and front of house box booms. Above stage was a small army of ETC Selador D60 Lustr+ wash units with a narrow diffusion. Scraping the wall units were ChromaQ Color Force II 48 strips lights along with 700 linear feet of Environmental Lighting 24v RGB LED Tape. The Color Force units and the LED tape were instrumental in providing commentary through color as subtle relationships between characters and color were established. The workhorse of the design was without question the house Clay Paky Alpha 1500 Profiles and the Vari*Lite 1600 Profiles provided by St. Louis based Logic Systems. The Alphas provided stunning punch and texture with their clean bright light, but the 1600 Profiles provided all that plus the beautiful soft nuances of pastel front light. With minimal conventional fixtures in the air, it was critical to have moving lights with shutter capability to capture intimate moments when needed," Savoie points out.
"Speaking of Capture, that visualization software was indeed the secret weapon to having a smooth and enjoyable tech process. I was able to build and texture the set in 3D, hang, patch and focus the entire rig and subsequently program the entirely of the show with an exceptionally high degree of accuracy. During our designer run I was able to run cues for the director to convey almost exactly what the show would look like. This saved SO MUCH TIME!, Savoie enthuses.
"This show would not have seen a single performance without having a true friend and colleague in production electrician Travis Richardson and his electrics team," says Savoie. "Production manager Josh Aune goes beyond measure to find not only a hard-working crew, but a group of people who are also a great joy to be around. Associate lighting designer Lou Ritter is also no exception. Lou has assisted me for years and I am very eager to see his career continue to flourish. Executive director Andrew Kuhlman and artistic director Gayle Seay has all my gratitude for continuing to provide such a treasure to the St. Louis community built by Jack Lane and Michael Hamilton."
Lighting Gear:
Incandescent fixtures and accessories
4 19° ETC Source Four ERS – 575W
16 19° ETC Source Four ERS – 750W
18 6.25” Top Hat
10 B size Gobo Holder
10 R76597 (Scrunched) B size Gobo
LED Fixtures
2 ETC Color Source Spot 19°
2 ETC Color Source Spot Deep Blue 19°
10 ETC Color Source Spot 26°
4 ETC Color Source Spot Deep Blue 26°
12 ETC Color Source Spot 36°
14 ETC D60 Lustr+ - NSP Round Diffusers
3 ETC Color Source PAR Deep Blue – WFL Oval Diffusers
20 ChromaQ Color Force II 48
Moving Lights
6 Claypaky Alpha 1500 Profile
8 Vari*Lite VL1600 Profile
Set Mounts/FX
700 Linear Ft. – Environmental Lighting 24v RGB LED Tape
100 Warm White – Superbright 12v LED Modules
27 RGB DMX Decoder
10 Alitove 24v Power Supply
6 Alitove 12v Power Supply
48 Linear Ft. – Shine Décor RGB LED Flexible Neon
2 Martin QX150 Fiber Optic Star Drop Panel
4 Martin QX150 Fiber Optic Illuminator
50 A Lamp (Mic Stands & Records)
50 A Lamp Socket (Mic Stands & Records)
2 Magma Hazer
1 City Theatrical DMX Controlled Projector Dowser
Control/Signal
1 ETC ION XE
10 ETC 2 Port Net3 DMX Node
3 Pathport 4 Port DMX Quatro
1 Doug Fleenor 8 way DMX Opto Splitter
Follow Spots
2 Lycian 1267
Electrics Crew List
Production Electrician – Travis Richardson
Electrician – Talon Sams
Electrician – Jamey Pearson
Electrician – Nick Cochran
Electrician – Seth Klienberg
Electrician – Ella Hamlin
Electrician – Marissa Daddazio
Electrician – Amanda Porthe
Follow Spot Op – Ethan Wilson
Follow Spot Op – Makayla Rodgers