It all started innocently enough. I shot some pictures of a show that I lit and one of them revealed some interesting shadow placement, quite by accident. Shortly afterwards a friend sent me a Plaxo (online contact manager) update which included a request for my updated contact information. I complied and in the process I spontaneously changed the title under my name to "Shadow Designer." Little did I know that Plaxo would subsequently send out an e-mail to everyone on my distribution list announcing my change in title. Kinda embarrassing, but nevertheless, I received more than a few e-mails in response, one of which was from a friend who told me about a lecture he attended in Ghent, Belgium about the importance of shadows in theatre lighting. It reminded me of a discussion I once had with Jonathan Smeeton who told me that shadows were more important than light, or something close to that (forgive me if I’ve slanted your words, Jonathan). He referenced a show he lit for the Thompson Twins back in the ’80s, which I happened to have seen at the Palmer Auditorium in Austin. In it, he used shadow boxes to reveal a muscular man using a sledge hammer and large gears turning as if you were looking inside of a giant clock. It made a lasting impression. You don’t need shadow boxes to create striking shadows; back lighting, up lighting and strong side lighting work very well. But if you use it and like it, be careful how you change your Plaxo card.
