Time to make like good actors and “find your light,” because today’s #TechTuesday post features lighting designer Ian Claar. We’re excited to learn more about his background in tech, as well as his vision for James and the Giant Peach, opening this Friday!
Encore: Thank you for joining us on the Front Row blog. Could you share a bit about your background and how you’re involving with Encore?
Ian: My name is Ian Claar, and I’ve been involved in theatre since the age of 12. I began learning lights in community theatre before taking professional jobs, and eventually also studying to, and becoming a stage combat choreographer. [Ian has also designed lights for last season’s Godspell and The Tempest, as well as assistant lighting designing multiple shows in Encore’s 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.]
Encore: What is your earliest theatrical memory? What prompted you to get involved in the arts?
IC: I began my theatrical journey when my middle school decided to put on its first ever production. I had already been involved in the morning news show, and so was asked if I wanted to run lights. After that, I just never stopped.
Could you briefly describe your creative process when it comes to lighting design? Does it remain generally the same or does it vary by show?
IC: I always start generally the same way. Reading a script and getting a sense of the environment and mood, and then talking with the director to understand their vision and begin to form more concrete ideas about how the lighting can enhance the other aspects of the production design.
Encore: How does your approach differ when designing for a black box space and a more traditional proscenium theater?
IC: I certainly prefer designing for black box over proscenium. There’s so much more opportunity to make an inclusive and intimate environment with which to draw an audience into the world of the play. That being said, the approach for proscenium, in my mind, becomes a much simpler forward-back approach, to the thinking from every side element of black box.
Please describe your design for James in the Giant Peach in three words or short phrases.
IC: Whimsy, color, depth.
Encore: What would you recommend to any young people who might be interested in lighting design?
IC: Get involved in the arts in your area. Theatre, dance, high school, anything. Start learning about the processes of the people already doing it and form your own method. Pay attention to your everyday environment. How does lighting play a role in a sunny day vs a cloudy one? How to do the lights in your living room differ from your school or office? How do movies and TV use colors to influence the mood of the scene? As designers, we must think creatively about all aspects of the world we live in.
Thank you for your thoughtful insight, Ian! We are so lucky to have talented designers like you working with Encore students to create fantastic and beautiful shows. You won’t want to miss out on Ian’s latest designs in James and the Giant Peach, opening this Friday. Get your tickets today!
Photos by: Larry McClemons and Aileen Pangan. Graphic design by: Aimee Pangan. Blog contribution by Shannon McCarthy.