My note written to Annlaug in August 2005... Re latest re-write, I had originally thought The Prologue could take place in front of the main curtain on the apron. (assuming a proscenium stage). But it is a big scene in its own right and will take up the whole stage space when the planets do their circling around the sun.

Note change of page in Scene One details below

Scene One. - "Suburban Back Garden" Midsummer's eve -(Daylight)

Lighting Plot - Beam of yellow light from off stage as Grandad and Nan arrive through the door.

Night falls during page eight in preparation for Nan using torch.
See my thoughts on using a blue gel light on white clouds (Close separate window once finished with)

Scene Three - "Suburban Back Garden" (Night)

Lighting Plot- Bring lights down in preparation for the -Lightening at end (Page 8)

Scene Four - "Suburban Back Garden - Under a Lonely Sky" (Night)

Lighting Plot- Bring lights down in preparation for the Lightening (Page ten)

Scene Five "Suburban Back Garden - Music and Dance of the Spheres" (Night)

Perhaps an off stage Disco Ball to reflect coloured moving lights onto the stage.

Lighting Plot - Slowly builds to glorious moving colours as the world comes right again.

LIGHTENING
For a "Theatrical" performance why not consider buying a gobo from a theatrical suppliers?

A Gobo, - from the words "go-between",- is a thin sheet of professionally cut metal which is inserted in the front of a projecting lamp. This is then used to throw a shaped shadow, or light, onto the scene. Gobo's come in many variations from fairy castles to - forked lightening. And of course it is the forked lightening which interests us.

One of the firms known for their huge array of gobos is Rosco who also supply many other theatrical stage items such as scenery paint etc. Here's their page of gobos. (The BBC does not recommend any particular business and is not responsible for outside web sites) -

A theatrical lighting friend of mine suggests the following..." Put your gobo in a profile spot lamp and line it up to fall on the painted sky, but also light the stage with a photoflood bulb. Link these two together through a dimmer board "flash button".(Domestic bell pushes are definitely not to be used) I asked him if the sudden surge of power through the bulbs would not blow them? He suggests preventing this by running them through a dimmer so at least they will be warmed up before being "flashed"

Is all this too sophisticated for your school? Then try instead using professional photographers' powerful flash bulbs.

COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS If you really want some fun why not hire a moving gobo light and project shooting stars and comets on the backcloth during the grand dance of the Spheres at the end?

NEW...FRONT OF HOUSE LIGHTS
Who is going to control these? From where are they going to be controlled?