The Rainmaker — Lighting Design Concept
The first and foremost consideration (outside of what is necessary for basic illumination) is that that the stage lighting maintains a strictly naturalistic foundation. Insofar as is possible, the scenic elements and actors should appear to be lit by practical sources visible onstage or implied offstage, or by perceived environmental light (sunlight, moonlight & reflected ambient light). Each of these will be individually represented with roughly the same intensity, color, texture, and point of source as one might imagine them appearing in nature.
The only consistent exception to this rule will be to provide greater brightness than would realistically occur during the evening of scenes 2 and 3. However, in the tack-room, where a romantic atmosphere is called for and the moonlight should substantially outshine the other light sources, perhaps a portable lantern could be used to facilitate greater ambient light in the room, while keeping the illusion of naturalism intact.
Overall, the color palette will be substantially muted. It this were a canvas, the colors would appear faded and dried, as if de-saturated due to prolonged overexposure to a scorching sun. The pinks and reds of romance, although usually befitting a sunset (Scene 2), are used sparingly. Daytime is built up of subtle yellow, light brown and distant amber hues - not a speck of green light lands anywhere onstage. The evening blues are restricted to slight tints and relatively colorless shades of sidelight. Moonlight is cool, but not artificially blue.
Textures are not quite as barren in this landscape, and are used with economy in specific instances for atmosphere on the set. In the main house, the only point I imagine them appearing is as a breakup of implied windows. In the tack room, by the OSL hay bale, textural lighting treatments may be used to cast additional shadows - particularly as we move into evening and things in the landscape become more imagined and less visible.
Position and placement of lights should mimic the point of origin and respect a realistic angle of incidence, compromising only when the space dictates it such as with backlight. For the sake of practicality, illumination and sanity, tinted yellow sunlight appears to arrive from DSR, but has high reflectance from DSL in a less intense but more saturate amber. (These origins are mandated by the available hanging positions and placement of the audience). The bulk of the daylight is provided by these two systems, and a neutral-density top-light system.
Evening moonlight, on the other hand arrives via 2 high-sidelight systems from far upstage originating close to the wings, and appearing highly ambient. The sunlight system previously mentioned at a dim level now fills in as the warm glow of incandescence. A brownish-yellow top-light system compliments and offsets the the fill and imitates the reflection of interior light off the walls and ceiling. When interior lights are not on, a light lavender grouping substitutes. None of these colors are more than a slight shading off neutral, and as with everything, are subject to change in consideration with the other designeršs palettes.
The focus is always on the area occupied by the characters, but my preference would be that the adjoining areas be permitted to have a dim glow to them. As a result of inevitable spill within the space, there is no way to make playing space truly disappear, so the best alternative would be to light them intentionally, but with more of an illustrative quality (for example, a dim highlight on the hay bale or a skeletal glow of moonlight on the scenic elements of the house).
Each scenic area will keep isolated systems of light as follows: The tack room far SL, the living room (and entryway) left of center, the dining room (and adjoining furniture) right of center, and the office far SR. Light will only spill nominally past the boundaries of each area, keeping the playing areas distinct and separate.
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