The Paul McCartney Auditorium
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Role- Lighting Designer
Assistant Lighting Designer- Sophie Bailey
Director and Choreographer- Thomas Ashton
Set and Costume Designer- Drew Alfieri
Assistant Set and Costume Designers- Kirsty Barlow and Ria Matthews
AV Designer- Will Peters
Written by Susanne Collins
All Photographs Copyright of Sam Heath
Inspired by the first book from The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins’, District 12 explores the darker themes associated with the book, in a dance adaptation. The Capitol looms throughout as we follow Katniss, Peeta and the tributes into the arena.
Lighting this epic show required a detailed understanding of the movement and themes throughout the piece. The juxtaposition between the natural tungsten glow of District 12 and the sharp cold blue of the Capitol runs throughout, mixing in the arena to create a feeling of computer generated naturalism.
We are introduced to ideas of District 12’s mining history through the opening ‘Miner’s march’. Here we see shadows of the Miners marching in sequence through the gauze which separates the District from the Capitol and the Arena. Here the community are isolated. Headtorches scan the audience and we see the shadow of Katniss mother awaiting the return of her lost Husband. Arena lights loom over the Capitol when we are in the arena, there is nowhere to hide here from the watchful eye of President Snow. Threats are characterised by skeletal dead tributes, which mutate into the dangers which face the tributes in the arena, glowing in UV at one point to portray the poison of the Tracker Jacker venom which leads Katniss to hallucination.
Hallucination stands out from the rest, using a stark blue/pink contrast to add a sense of warmth and comfort through the pink, offset by the exceptionally cold blue, a reminder that we are still under the control of the capitol and still in the Arena. Here we see Katniss’ memory of her Father morph into Snow, who cradles her throughout in a haunting sequence.
We see the celebrations in District 12 upon the return of Katniss and Peeta from the games however the Capitol linger in the back, forever watching.