- Apr 16
Opening night is May 1, and Rivercity Players’ production of The Bookstore is coming together nicely, thanks to the hard work of the cast and crew.
This charming comedy/drama was written by Adam Szymkowicz, and invites us to enter the world of a mystical bookstore in New England. Rachel, the deceased owner’s niece, has come to see what she has inherited. Candace, the bookstore’s manager, is happy to show her around. In the process, we meet an interesting variety of staff and patrons, and come to feel the importance of keeping the bookstore from falling into the hands of a developer.
There are many people working behind the scenes on a production such as The Bookstore. One of these is the lighting designer – the volunteer who makes sure we can see what’s happening on the stage. The lighting designer plays an important job in enhancing the storytelling visually. They work closely with the director and other designers to create the look and feel of the lighting, as well as putting together any special effects that may be required for a particular production. They need to prepare a design that is creative while lighting the stage practically.
Glen Clark is creating the lighting design for The Bookstore. He explained that his role is to “try to set the mood of the director’s vision of the play – it may be bright and happy or may be a dark scene with a spot light on the one actor for dramatic effect. The audience will follow the lead of the lighting so it's very important to match the mood.”
The Bookstore is made up of a variety of little scenes, so quick changes directing the audience from one story to another are important. Clark explained that the lighting needs to be in the right place at the right time, as it plays a valuable role in showing the audience where to focus so they don’t miss anything.
In this role, Clark enjoys when “the audience waits in anticipation for the lights to come up and they do, and you hear the audience reactions to the funny parts, and you know that in some small way, the work and effort you put into it is contributing to their enjoyment of the show. It is a great feeling to be part of a production the audience loves.”
The Bookstore will be Rivercity Players’ entry into the North Island Zone Festival, to be held in Qualicum Beach in May.
The play runs May 1 to 3 and 8 to 10 starting at 7:30 pm, and May 4 and 10 starting at 2:00 pm. All performances are at the Rivercity Stage, 1080 Hemlock. Tickets are on sale now at rivercitytickets.ca.
