The Magic Flue
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Center for Faith and Life - 1600 seat auditorium
Luther College
Decorah, IA
May
2008
Scenic Design by Scott Olinger
Costume Design by Donalee Burns
Directed by Dr. David Judisch
Song #3, part of the opening of the show. Tamino has been saved from the Monster by the Three Ladies.
Song #6, Papageno finds Pamina in the lair of Monostatos.
Song #10, Sarastros and his priests.
Song #16, The "Boys" giving Tamino and Papageno guidance.
Song #14, the Queen of the Night entreats Pamina to kill Sarastro.
The trial of fire. The fire included the motion of a Twin Spin - a colored glass gobo and a fire gobo.
The trial of water. The water included the motion across the stage from a GAM Scene Machine.
The ending - the sun has vanquished the night! Rejoice!
PRODUCTION NOTES:
The scenery was rented from a production at the Cedar Rapids Opera, in Cedar Rapids, IA. That production had used full stage projections for the primary visual elements, and since the budget and equipment at Luther prohibited the use of such large scale projections, I was tasked with creating a full stage change of lighting (including a large blank false proscenoim) similar to a full stage projection. Through a combination of Apollo Super Resolution glass gobos, Rosco Prismatic Colorizers and good old fashioned steel gobos, I was able to create as much variety as the budget allowed.
The director did not have a specific guiding concept for the production, but did want to create an essentially timeless feel for the show, and wanted to stay away from traditionally Egyptian motifs in the iconography of the templates used in the lighting.
The basic approach to the lighting was to establish Queen of the Night dominated scenes (either in influence or actual presence) as cooler spaces and the Sorastro dominated scenes (again, in influence or actual presence) as warmer spaces, which is pretty much straight out of the text of the sun vanquishing the night at the end of the show. The one variation on this was the three "Boys" or "Spirits" who were ostesibly sent by the Queen of the Night, but are undoubtedly not working for her interests. They were rendered in a strong warm side light that gave them a largely comforting appearance.
