some reading this know i am very much in love with a great designer. andy moro has created some of the most striking lighting, innovative sets, evocative and haunting sound designs and mind-blowing video/projection. he used to do costumes, too, but the direct contact with actor egos made him grumpy. andy’s considerable gifts are not why the regard - or seeming absence thereof - for designers has puzzled me for so long. it may be a big contributor to why i flipped my lid for him, though. i’ve always found myself trying to see the design, and his is so... well. refer to previous adjectives.
as a playwright, the first time i realized i could create a show that would not be at all disappointing was after i had seen andy’s work with the daniels, macivor and brooks. i say “create” because i began to understand that with the right collaborators, directing might be a possibility as well. i had the chance to meet andy at buddies in bad times that night and learned immediately that he is a warm and beautiful soul. so, here was an artist who is not only wildly talented, but he also has a rigour in his work that renders it almost invisible. by this i mean he weaves so artfully with the storytelling that we understand his work as being integral to the show - we don’t see it as a flashy show-off feature in a show. mind you, his work with the daniels is one platform in which andy was enthusiastically
commended in reviews, and where he was appreciated by his collaborators.
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| Migrations at Banff, lighting my Moro, costumes by Jeff Chief. A Red Sky Performance and Black Grace collab. |
so. i understand that sometimes when a designer’s work is remarkable, we fail to clock it as such. rather than becoming a standout, it serves to deliver the experience in a way that non-theatre workers can’t completely understand. those of us who work in theatre, though - surely we appreciate their skills?
a quick survey of actor friends who i regularly text demonstrates that this is partly true. most of them could come up at least with a first name of one of the designers they’ve worked with on recent shows. i understand some people aren’t good with names - but i have also stood at the side of many a designer on many an opening night and had people congratulate me, and all but ignore them. and these are theatre people.
yet we KNOW! we know we are playing make believe in our sweats in a dusty room under fluorescents without them. so, where are their kudos? do they want them? i recall ben chaisson remarking on the absence of a video/projection dora some years back, from the stage. this hasn’t changed. what frigging year is it anyway?
i’ve had to fight for designer credits in show propaganda, many times. (easier when serving as a.d. of a producing company.) i seldom see designer’s names listed on juries that have accepted or rejected my grant proposals, and we rarely see interviews with them. yet they know so damn much.
there are designers who work so closely on the creative process that they become indispensable to directors. yvette nolan and michelle ramsay. nina lee aquino and cami koo. christopher morris and gillian gallow. michael hollingsworth and andy moro.
at video cabaret, andy inherited the lighting reigns from jim plaxton. andy is always quick to say how key jim was to developing the video cabaret aesthetic with hollingsworth and deanne taylor. videocab has been a unique world of wonder for years. this “mad dollhouse”, as hollingsworth has often referred to it, is a place where performers know how spectacular the designers make the work - in the past, andy has been in the room from very early on. most processes only have designers implement their elements at the final week. so nuts!
with their current production, Trudeau, videocab had to go it mostly without andy, who could not be with the team due to a shift in production schedule. andy's role was consultatory - yet he still spent two full weeks with the brilliant cast, writer, directors, and designers.
if you ask any actor who has worked on a video cab show, they will tell you that they understand the world they’re in because of the importance of andy’s gentle guidance. let’s end with those good words, yeah?
“I have worked 7 shows with Andy. Nothing but big love for the man.
Great energy. Great artist.” Linda Prystawska
“Praises to be sung to the uttermost” Mac Fyfe
“In a show where the lights are scene partners, it is integral to have the lighting designer there for the entire process. While Michael and the actors were figuring out characters and story, Andy was there. Listening. Andy was ready with ideas and suggestions by the time the first attempt at blocking happened. Michael would have a rough idea. The actors had ideas. And Andy could implement them all. Immediately. And throw in some of his, ultimately better, suggestions. It's the designers job to help clarify the picture that's happening on stage. I learned from working with Andy early on, that having his eyes and voice in the room only strengthened and supported the vision of the director. Not to mention his never wavering support of the entire creative team. Hearing Andy's laugh would make my day!! Michael trusted and respected him so implicitly. And everyone in the room knew they could trust Andy with their creative lives. And we did. And those that are working with him now still do. And I hope that I'll have the opportunity to work
along side him again and again.” Kerry Ann Doherty
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Andy. As good of a designer as he is, he's a better guy. But to speak professionally...I know Andy in that most unique enviro: videocab, where design, script, story, and character are very tightly interwoven. As you know from day one we are making 'tech' aware choices as well as acting choices. So when Andy would show up and start popping those lights on us the real fun would begin. His vision for how to make the story and acting more vivid is of the highest expertise. He really gets it. He's not trying to impose some predetermined vision. But rather see what's in front of him, get inspired, and really chisel away like a master sculptor, not to mention his energy and demeanor in the room, a true pro, he's a positive energy, full of life and passion, and a consummate team player, never dismissive to others creative offers. I wish other companies would try and integrate design into the creative process and not keep them as separate art forms. It's all about the play! Andy is a true artistic warrior.” Paul Braunstein
“I've worked with Andy Moro many years
On many shows with VideoCabaret
Through on-stage blood and backstage sweat and tears
There's so much 'bout his work that I can say.
It wasn't just his lighting that was key
He nuanced every scene, but even more
Creatively, his input guided me
And our collective trusts him to our core.
Of VideoCabaret's exquisite style
The writing and direction get top praise
Exquisite wigs and costuming beguile
About the acting, people rave for days.
But, rarely have I heard after a show
Discussions 'round the lighting, though it's key
Apart from on and off, people don't know
It shapes each moment so intricately.
Of all the elements Black Box draws upon
The lighting seems to get the shortest shrift
His brilliance wasn't only light that shone
But, his illuminations gave us lift.
I fear this sounds too much like an obit
Suffice to say, I love him like my kin
The man's A-One, and with these words I'll quit
As In another playing area, his lights fade in.” Anand Rajaram
CATCH TRUDEAU, RUNNING IN TORONTO NOW!
1 comment:
I often wonder why designers are not considered more for the artistic directors job. I mean there is no reason for that is there?
Philip Akin
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