The Colorado Shakespeare Festival celebrated its 65th season in 2022, as the second oldest Shakespeare festival in the United States.  Since 2011, I have been the “outdoor” lighting designer responsible for lighting the 1007-seat Mary Rippon Theatre.  We currently produce two shows that perform in repertory each summer. 

The Mary Rippon Theatre is one of the most challenging and rewarding spaces that I have experienced in my career.  It is a completely exposed outdoor theatre, with no protections from rain, hail, wind, etc.  In the Mary Rippon, nature is in control.  I fought mightily with the elements, when I first starting designing here, wishing I had more control.  Over the years, I learned to carefully study evening-to-night sky so that my design and nature become one.  By full darkness, the audience is experiencing a riveting, vivid, bold theatrical design that they did not notice was happening around them.   

When I began working on Julius Caesar, I had many conversations with my director, Anthony Powell about the ritual event demanded by this show and by the very space itself.  The Mary Rippon feels haunted, like a place where tragedy and drama has played out for centuries, in a relentless cycle.  The design for Julius Caesar needed to feel that way too.  There is a sense of ruthless destiny to that play.  As Brutus struggles with his decision to betray Caesar, we feel that he has no choice.  The ritual event has begun and it will allow no doubt or debate; rather the tragic events must simply unfold.