While watching rehearsal Thursday I started sketching arrows–arrows that light up with chasing light bulbs and call lots of attention to themselves; arrows that point in various directions; arrows that can be manipulated by characters; and… well, that don’t actually carry meaning.  Lots of flash and very little actual help for lost souls looking for their way.  I have been thinking of them as “fallible flags,” a concept Tom Garrity expounded upon during his talk “TRUTH = MATH = BEAUTY” last Tuesday for the Williamsthinking video series.  Interesting concept: You’re doing your research and you happen upon something that SEEMS so significant that it must mean something–and yet, it doesn’t.  Not every arrow you happen upon, actually points you in a meaningful direction.

We’re talking about using roving lighting booms that will be scenic elements and also practical lighting fixtures; perhaps they have arrows attached.  Perhaps they have large colored light bulbs on top (like a ghost light) that can make the rovers function like pins on a map as they roll about the stage space.  Perhaps there are arrows that can be used as hand props.  Perhaps there are arrows that fly in from above or roll on from the wings, as in… “YOU ARE HERE!” (Arrow points straight down at stage floor.)

Sketches, and pics of a full scale model:

Imagine the prototype is a fun color other than flat black, and that the light bulbs are illuminated and able to chase and blink.

–Julie