For the 2019 Fall Dance Concert, I was the lighting designer for a piece called “Drowning..?”  There were several steps to this process.  First, I attended a designer's run where I was able to meet the dancer/choreographer and watch the dance.  I was able to meet her at a later date to discuss what the dance meant to her and any ideas she had for the lighting.  Using this information, I came up with my design.  I programmed an outline of the design.  With help from the dancer, I finished the design before the first tech rehearsal.  After this rehearsal, I took notes on what needed to

change and fix them before the next rehearsal.  During this process, I had to

communicate with the production stage manager on how to call the cues.  I

had to make sure the cues were labeled in a way that showed her what each

cue was as well as provide an accurate cue list.

I was able to reflect on how I can use my strengths as a leader to make this process as effective as possible.  I recognized that my strength to look to the future helped me create a timeline that gave me enough time to create my design without being stressed about finishing in time.  My strength allowed me to fix problems as they came up.  I recognized that my strength as a developer almost caused me to be ineffective as a leader at times.  I saw the skillset of the stage manager and almost felt wrong telling her how to run the cues, even though I knew I needed to explain how they worked. 

This experience has also allowed me to reflect on the roles within a production team and crew.  I have worked on several productions before this as a member of the crew.  I have worked under several lighting designers and technical directors in the past and felt confident in those roles.  At my high school, I was given the opportunity to design for a couple of shows, but I had a teacher who worked with me.  This was the first time I have designed with very little oversight.  My advisor was there if I had a question on how to do something and offered feedback after I created the design, but I created the design on my own.  This experience showed me what leadership skills a designer needs to have.  I gained a better understanding of teamwork and communication between the different members of the production team.  I learned this by communicating with the dancer.  She did not have as much knowledge about the lighting and I had to figure out a way to word my questions so they made sense to someone who is not trained the same way I am.  I have also reflected on being a leader over someone else.  It was new to give notes to someone on how to improve a technical part of the show.  This experience taught me how to communicate my ideas in a more clear and concise manner, which will help me as I start to design for larger productions and need to communicate with an entire team instead of just one person.  This experience also gave me more confidence in my leadership skills as a designer.  Even though it was not my first time designing, it was the first experience that mimicked what my career will look like in the future.  It gave me a baseline that I can take to my next production and continue to improve my skills.  I want to improve on being more prepared for rehearsals and communicating my ideas in a clearer way.

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