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Article

Abstract

This paper discusses the lighting design for a production of Terminator: the Musical at the University of Minnesota Morris. The directorial concept revolved around the idea of camp: big sound, flashy lights, big spectacle. Camp refers to an aesthetic style that embraces exaggeration, playfulness, irony, and theatricality. It often celebrates things that are considered 'over the top' — artificial, sentimental, or deliberately tacky — but does so with affection, humor, and self-awareness. Leaning into the concept of it being 'so bad it is good,' is how the director envisioned Terminator: The Musical to be. To this end, my approach for the show was to play up the more serious parts of the script with lighting based in realism to further juxtapose the realism with the more saturated and stylistic lighting with the songs, even if such a moment is in the middle of one like with the song 'There’s No Time To Explain.' Otherwise, I tried my best to make the lights as wacky and fun as possible in accordance with the director’s concept: lighting should lean into the camp. I’m thinking of vaporwave colors — neon pinks, blues, and purples. Concert lighting can work too. I’m all for saturation and shadow.'"

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