A Mid-Summer Night's Erotic Dream
DAZAI CHEN
2022 中

A Mid-Summer Night's Erotic Dream

Lighting design for a musical reimagining Shakespeare through a modern lens, exploring gender fluidity and LGBTQ+ desire.

[Client] Tainanerenensemble
[Role] Lighting Designer & Director

Overview

As the Lighting Designer and Director for this bold musical adaptation of Shakespeare, I designed a visual environment that explored gender fluidity and LGBTQ+ desire. This production toured Taiwan’s most prestigious venues, including the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC), National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), National Taichung Theater (NTT), and the Red House in Ximending.

Design Concept

  • High-Adaptability Design — I engineered a highly flexible lighting plot capable of maintaining consistent visual quality across diverse venue scales — from intimate historical sites to world-class opera houses — ensuring a seamless touring experience.
  • Breaking the Proscenium Arch — To align with the show’s theme of liberation, I broke the boundaries of the traditional proscenium stage. By extending the lighting design into the auditorium, I dissolved the wall between performers and the audience, creating a unified, living space.
  • Immersive Atmosphere — My design focused on the “flow” of space rather than just stage illumination. I utilized light to craft an immersive sensory journey, enveloping the audience in a dreamlike, provocative atmosphere that mirrored the characters’ desires and the play’s erotic subtext.

Production Photos

Red dress dance scene
Dancers kneeling
LOVE neon in purple light
Curtain call with full cast
Finale in pink and purple light
Solo performer in pink light with audience
Solo performer under Love the Difference neon sign
Cast in elaborate costumes
Drag performer in gold with dancers
Ensemble scene in blue light
Intimate duet in warm golden light
Duo in elaborate costumes under purple light
Performers with smoke effect under blue light
Trio of drag performers in pink light
Group pose with cast

Behind the Scenes

Pre-visualization in Wysiwyg R40 with grandMA2 onPC
Pre-visualization workflow with Wysiwyg R40 and grandMA2 onPC
grandMA Command Wing at the venue during tech rehearsal
grandMA Command Wing at the venue during tech rehearsal

Videos

Lighting Design grandMA2 Touring Immersive