Off-Broadway:
Camp Morning Wood
Assistant Lighting Designer
Photo by Michael Wiltbank
Full Credits:
Book and Lyrics: Jay Falzone
Director: Marc Eardley
Scenic Design: David McQuillen Robertson
Lighting Design: Zach Pizza
Costume Design: Izzy Fields
Sound Design: Kimberly O’Loughlin
Choreographer: Ian Coulter-Buford
Intimacy Director: Mitchell McCoy
PSM: Hunter Greer
A very naked musical
As the boxes labeled Get Naked Inc. rolled off the truck, we knew it was going to be an interesting couple of weeks. Writer Jay Falzone describes the show as Rocky Horror meets Naked Boys Singing. If you’re still wondering exactly how much nudity is in the show, you should instead be wondering how one designs costumes for an entirely nude show. Camp Morning Wood posed an interesting challenge for the entire team; How can we address the very real topics of sexuality, vulnerability, and the overly body conscious society we live in? And how do we make that fun and relatable? In the end the team was able to create a product we were truly proud of; something that made the audience laugh until they had tears in their eyes, but also take a deeper look at some of the social norms we’re bound by.
Photo by Michael Wiltbank
Due to the nature of the show, this is the only production photo.
Show Logo
Camp Morning Wood was performed in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons
Load-In photo by Xavier Boyer
There’s never enough load-in time, but on this show we only had two days to load-in and focus.
Regional:
Pippin
Lighting Designer
Photo by Amelia Beamish
Full Credits:
Director: Garrett Heater
Music Director: Dan Williams
Choreographer: Jodi Bova
Sound Design: Anthony Vadala
Scenic Design: Garett Heater
PSM: Taylor Foster
We’ve got magic to do
The opportunity to create art under the same roof that inspired you is a dream come true. Growing up in Syracuse, I saw tons of live entertainment at The Oncenter. From theatre, to ice shows, and concerts, it’s where my passion was born. That made designing this show magical; an experience I wanted to bring to the audience. Pippin is all about magic, passion, and adventure. It was important that the audience felt that, just as I did. The idea behind the lighting design was to create a vivid, rapidly evolving scape that matched Pippin’s exciting upbeat journeys. Pippin was nominated for a SALT Award in Best Lighting Design of a Musical. In itself that was a great honor, but the idea that my work was able to touch someone was even more humbling.
Photos by Amelia Beamish
Return of the DIVAS
Associate Lighting Designer
Photo by Michael Berkley
They’re baaaack!
Return of the DIVAS brought back a cherished Sharon Playhouse tradition. The concert style show features comedic renditions of classic Broadway hits. In 2019 Michael Berkeley returned to the Sharon Playhouse to bring back DIVAS for good. This production experience was fantastic and unlike any other. We had just four days to load-in, focus, and tech. Our work time was limited and usually overnight as we had to split time with the scenic build and spacing rehearsals. My designer, Jamie, was also in tech for a different show until our final four hours of tech. This provided me with a new experience; executing his vision, without being able to call frequently to ensure perfection. The type of relationship you forge with a designer where you can instinctively provide them with what they need is really special and I’m honored I was able to begin that.
Full Credits:
Director: Michael Berkley
Lighting Design: Jamie Roderick
Scenic Design: Tom Swetz
Sound Design: Olivia Girdano
PSM: Alexandra D’Agostino
Photos by Michael Berkley
Other Work
Three More Sleepless Nights
Lighting Designer
Photo by Rozcoe Rivera
Full Credits:
Director: Jordan Johnston
Assistant Director: Erin Pollack
Choreographer: Frandy Cisnero
Scenic Design: Xavier Boyer
Sound Design: Ian Curso
PSM: Emily Swain
I’ll be seeing you
Of the shows I’ve lit, this one is near and dear to my heart. It made my day every time I got to be in the room with this production team. Prior to Three More Sleepless Nights (TMSN), we had all worked on Short Eyes together and discovered this was a recipe for success. It’s the purest form of collaboration I’ve experienced as a designer. Director Jordan Johnston cultivated an environment where anyone could throw out an idea, any time. We’d talk through them and work them out. One of the bigger ideas was to play the show in a darker fashion than usual. We wanted to take something with a lighter tone and make it very serious. TMSN is all about the turning point in a relationship, the moment it begins to fall apart. We felt it was important to highlight the weight of these moments and the toll toxic relationships take. The end product is something the entire team was incredibly proud of. From the process to the performance it was a beautiful experience.
Photos by Rozcoe Rivera
Short Eyes
Lighting Designer
Photo by Xavier Boyer
Full Credits:
Director: Perry Pollard
Assistant Director: Emely Ann-Rodriguez
Movement Coordinator: Frandy Cisnero
Sound Design: Ian Curso
Costume Design: Valentina Rua
Scenic Design: Tyler Young
Music Director: Jahleel Hills
PSM: Emily Swain
Jesus help me, cause man won’t
Short Eyes is an incredibly powerful piece about the lives of imprisoned men. This very intimate story put our team to the test. Snow storms and power outages left us with only one day of tech. Through this adversity, we were able to create a beautiful end product, one that brought out the personalities and hardships faced by each character.
Photos by Xavier Boyer
Footnotes
Lighting Designer
Photo by Alice Chacon
Full Credits:
Choreographer: Bailey Jet
Photo by Alice Chacon
Full Credits:
Choreographer: Adam Barruch
The Lonesome Death of Inherited Prejudice
Choreographer, Bailey Jet and I have been close friends and fellow artists for a long time. We finally got to work together on her senior project. It’s one of the most natural collaborations I’ve experienced as a designer. The song cuts back and forth between a grunge 1980s version and a lofty 2010s remake. Artistically Bailey and I really meshed in our conceptual conversations about the two languages we wanted the piece to have; eventually creating two beautiful yet contrasting realities.
Sighs
Sighs was the rep piece in this dance concert. Choreographer, Adam Barruch, wanted the lighting to carve out the definition of the body in a way that felt otherworldly.
Photos by Alice Chacon
Renderings
Renderings of Chess by Xavier Boyer for Lighting III
Renderings of Burn This by Xavier Boyer for Lighting II
Renderings of Cyberpunk Fashion Show by Xavier Boyer for Lighting III
Paperwork
Superhero (edu.): Plot
TILL (prof.): Plot
Bus Stop (edu.): Plot
Swan Lake Act II (edu.): Magic Sheet
Cyberpunk Fashion (edu.): Channel Hookup
Storytelling
Sound of Silence
This Disturbed song is unlike any other. It’s about control; about pacing. Every time the song progresses it earns it. And that’s what the cueing is all about. The story I’ve created is about the painful experiences of life and where they take us. It depicts those who are exclusive, and those who are excluded. On the right sits a figure alone who has been pushed out; cast away for being who they are. On the left is the group who abandoned this figure. As the story continues we see this internal battle play out; sadness, frustration, anger. It burns powerful, like a pit of fire below. Do you allow this anger rule you or do you look above and see the light? And suddenly a story so simple, becomes about Heaven and Hell; good and evil. What do you do when all there is, is silence?
Shallow
One of our senior year assignments was to light approximately sixty seconds of a song. We were assigned an artist and got to pick the song. After being assigned Lady Gaga, I picked Shallow. The song has very dynamic timing and a very powerful message. It’s all about these battles with your inner demons we all face from time to time. The hard shadows and colors signify our demons looming over us and the down pool illustrates the battle. It zooms in and out like the feeling of the world caving in around you, but you bounce back and cast those demons away. Though Shallow does not have a fairytale ending. The figure is left isolated, but this time the bulbs beam brightly with hope.