Get Ready For Stage Challenge

Suzanne Bowerman wants to continue Northcote College's winning streak in this year's event.
by Laura Bond.
Most of you have heard of Stage Challenge and many have been lucky enough to participate yourself.

 

But it's not just about the dancers and performers on stage. An under-praised element of the performances is the technology that goes on behind the scenes.

 

Can you imagine an opera without a spotlight on the diva? Or a Christmas tree without fairy lights? A horror movie wouldn't be the same if it was set in the middle of the day in bright light.

 

Lighting can create different moods and emotions, and show different settings and scenes. It provides an extra visual element that complements the set, costumes, hair and make-up.

 

Northcote College student Suzanne Bowerman was part of the award-winning lighting team from her school's Stage Challenge entry last year. And she hopes to continue the school's success again this year.

 

Suzanne participated in her first Stage Challenge when she was year 10.

 

"I became interested when my brother Michael did the lighting for Stage Challenge," she says.

 

He loved it so much he is now studying for a Diploma in Performance Technology with a major in lighting and sound at Unitec.

 

Suzanne's job is more complicated than some may think. It isn't just turning on a light switch.

 

"It's challenging, designing the lighting to help portray a specific message. You have to have a purpose for each light rather than just having any old colour or sequence," she says.

 

A large part of her role is liaising with the other students on the planning team to get maximum effect from the lighting. She comes up with a rough plans a few weeks out based on how the production is coming together.

 

But her main job comes on the day of the performance when she gets the opportunity to work with the Stage Challenge lighting crew to tell them what effects she wants. Because she only gets 10 minutes to convey what she wants to the crew, the day of the performance is when she really gets to prove her worth.

 

"You end up getting pretty good at improvising when things don't go exactly to plan."

 

There are two main spotlights and more than 20 other lights that are operated by Stage Challenge staff, under Suzanne's supervision.

 

There are heaps of options including strobe, coloured and flashing lights. She is also able to utilise a 'cyc' screen, which is a screen that stretches from floor to ceiling and the width of the stage for projecting images onto.

 

She can also uses 'washes' which project one colour over the whole stage. This can help signify what is happening during the storyline. For example, red can be used during fighting or death, yellow for a happy scene, blue to portray a water scene or serenity.

 

Then there are the fun gobo patterns. These are projected onto the cyc screen or straight onto the floor. They're made up of an array of stripes, clouds, hearts, dots, stars or anything that takes your fancy in practically any colour.

 

The speed that the lights change or turn on or off also affects the tempo and mood of the performance and Suzanne has to factor this in when creating her plan.

 

"It's really fun, especially on the night, finally making it happen. You never quite know what the outcome will be," she says.

 

Suzanne says one of the main challenges is synching the lighting in time to the music, the actors' movements and the dancers' steps.

 

As well as winning the lighting award, Northcote College was placed first overall in the Auckland Grand final last year. They also won excellence awards for Choreography, Concept and Drama.

 

Stage Challenge runs from April 27th to June 26th and Suzanne is hoping her team will take out one of the four Auckland heats and make it through to the Grand Final.

 

So while Suzanne might not be in the lime light, without her, the main stars wouldn't be in the spotlight at all.

 

Sidebar:

 

Stage Challenge has been running since 1993 and is New Zealand's biggest youth performing arts event.

 

This year Stage Challenge is hosting 20 stage shows across New Zealand from Invergargill to Hawke's Bay to Whangarei, with up to 10 schools performing at each show.

 

The drug and alcohol free event allows high schools to enter an on-stage team of up to 100 performers, 20 back stage crew and 20 support crew in their own 8 minute performance.

 

Each school comes up with a theme and then create a soundtrack that carries the storyline through.

 

No sound is allowed to come from the stage except what is on the soundtrack, meaning the emphasis is on the movement to tell the story.

 

Students are responsible for everything from costumes to props, set, make-up, sound track, lighting plan, and the choreography.

 

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