- Staged in Studio Theatre
- from Mar. 4th − Mar. 8th, 2003
- Written by Angeles Romero
- Directed by Johannes Birringer
- Lighting Designer: Sean Hennessy
- Sound Designer/Composer: Jim Croson
- Stage Manager: Eric Meyer
About the Play: Sueno is a dream-like narrative of a brilliant woman's struggle for intellectual freedom in a time of oppressive church rule. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is imprisoned in a convent cell: a hopeless confinement from which her only escapes are her imagination and literature. Transcending the boundaries of space and time, her published words reveal both her poetic genius and her scientific intelligence; as well as the agony of abused, misunderstood genius.
With video, light, and sound sculptors, Sueno evokes the mind-space of Sor Juana − a world that borders on a continuous sliding between concrete experience, intellectual exercises, and psychological hallucinations...
Concept Summary:
Sor Juana's physical environment is characterized by dim, encapsulating pools of light. As she travels throughout the space, lights ebb and flow in coordination with her movement, as if she were the source of the illumination rather than its target. The lighting is orchestrated in close coordination with video projections and musical interludes.
In sharp contrast to her barren surroundings, her mind-space is vivid and surreal. Sor Juana's vision achieve an unearthly quality through saturate colors and texturally rich compositions.
Read full concept statement
Sueno was especially unique as a new work for its use of characters projected using video footage.
- Sueno Light Plot
-
Angeles Romero's Sueno relied heavily on sculpted and angular lighting to evoke the mindspace of Sor Juana. The palette used contrasting soft brown tones and harsh cool off-whites to help clarify the atmosphere. The treatment of the aquarium area was largely surreal, with impossible colors and textures to accent character movement.
Return to the Lighting Design Page
Printer Friendly Version