Here’s another blog post from me straight away! I conducted this interview with Trent Suidgeest, our lighting designer for The Sapphires a few weeks ago and thought you might be interested in it too.
You were the lighting designer for Black Swan’s HotBed Ensemble in 2009. Tell us about what you valued about the experience.
The HotBed Ensemble was a wonderful program to be involved with. The camaraderie we established by working on two productions and various workshops throughout the year was different from any other project I’ve worked on. The texts were dynamic, fresh and arty. The collaboration was invigorating because we could give the designs an edge.
I think the HotBed Ensemble is a brilliant stepping-stone into the mainstage for Black Swan. I felt a secure freedom to create designs that would be witnessed by our local industry and kick start my career after WAAPA.
The Sapphires is your mainstage debut for Black Swan. Is it a big mental change for you to go from designing for a small venue like PICA to a larger venue like the Playhouse Theatre?
The change in venue didn’t involve much of a mental shift, as I have designed at the Playhouse in the past. The adjustment came when balancing bigger budgets, a larger scale production and higher expectations. I am also collaborating with Australia’s top creative artists, which I love!
Most importantly, I’m not only thinking about the initial season for this one. I have to remember the show will tour nationally and transfer into a wide variety of theatre configurations. Designing a show, keeping in mind the adjustments that will need to take place in the future has been the biggest learning curve.
When designing for a tour, do you need to make sacrifices? Describe what changes are made between the Perth season and the tour?
For The Sapphires I have hired a bunch of intelligent lights, effects and a lighting console, which will all tour with the show. They form the backbone of the design and will be a constant element as we transfer the show.
Obviously each venue will have subtle differences, except Sydney, which will have dramatic changes. For most of the tour we play in proscenium arch venues, but Sydney is a large thrust configuration…!
As we begin to discuss what happen with the Sydney set design, I am attempting to adapt my design to ensure the original intentions are kept. I know that many adjustments will need to be made along the way, but the original integrity of the design is always my main priority.
What would be your dream production to design for and why?
I’m not too sure what my ‘dream production’ might be at this point. I am very interested in the idea of large scale musicals and opera, although every project brings interesting challenges and new ideas along with it. The epic scale and design requirements of opera and musical theatre are appealing. The ultimate goal is to win a Tony Award for lighting design on Broadway; see what happens along the way I suppose.
