Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1978 - 18

"When the scene began, Caldwell
came over the intercom to Infante
in the projection booth, saying,
'G 0, Iaser, go./' "
ance. The time after their arrival was spent meeting a variety
of specifications set up by Sarah Caldwell and governmental
agencies.
Lasers are regulated by the Bureau of Radiological Health,
part of the Food and Drug Administration, as well as by
similar state agencies, to insure public safety. It is necessary
to notify these agencies of every show involving lasers and
representatives of the agencies come to the performance
space to take light readings. If these measurements fall within
the safety level, the BRH grants a variance, allowing the performance to proceed. The readings are based on the stationary white laser beam and are taken at various points in the
theatre. If the BRH finds any readings approach a danger
level (the harmful effects of a laser are similar to looking
directly into the sun), it requires that a shutter come down in
front of the laser tube to block the beam. In the case of Faust,
the BRH also required that safety interlocks be placed on two
mirror balls suspended over Eugene Lee's set, to the left and
right of center stage, so that the shutter would block the beam
if the mirror balls stopped turning. To fulfill this requirement,
cable had to be run from the onstage mirror balls to the laser
in the projection booth located in the theatre balcony.
While Infante and Efland were searching the city to find the
necessary cable, they were also trying to achieve the very
specific effects Caldwell desired. For many of the effects, she
wanted a dimly lit, slow, flowing pastel color. The laser was
able to achieve the color, but the slowness depended on the
speed of the motor that turned the optical equipment. Infante
was unable to find a motor that operated slowly enough.
These activities, and the last-minute preparations by the
Opera Company prevented Infante from seeing a full runthrough of Faust before opening night. As a result, Caldwell
asked Infante to do laser effects where he thought appropriate for the first performance. Unfortunately, many of these
effects were not what Caldwell had in mind, and were subsequently cut. Those that remained were for two major
scenes in the second half: the Fire Dance and the Ride to the
Abyss.
The Fire Dance, performed by Joffrey II Dancers, was not
choreographed with the laser in mind, but the dancers did
wear white costumes, and the stage lights were turned down
as far as possible to accomodate the laser effects. During the
dance, the laser produced flickering red lights like flames
across the entire stage. According to Efland, Infante thought
of the laser in this scene "flittering around as if it were another
dancer or sprite." The effects were accomplished by dividing
the white beam into several smaller red beams, and by turning the horizontal and vertical gains all the way out to cover
the entire width of the stage. The beams did a fast scan in a
flickering pattern (similar to moving a lighted cigarette
around in a dark room) that produced the random, everchanging, abstract geometric patterns visible during this sequence.
The other scene, the Ride to the Abyss (in which Mephistopheles comes to claim the soul of Faust), was meant to be the

focal point of laser effects in the opera. When the scene
began, Caldwell came over the intercom to Infante in the
projection booth, saying, "Go, laser, go!" The stage lights
were turned off for this scene, and the laser beam was broken
up into many smaller beams. The center stage area was hit
with a colorful collage, giving a tunnel-like, Milky Way appearance, to make the abyss seem like an otherworldly
place. The whole stage area was also filled with a collage, so
the effect was that of two collages swirling on top of each
other. Mephistopheles was lighted with a dancing red beam,
personifying his satanic character. The turning mirror balls
were hit with laser beams, spreading light across the stage
and out into the house. Smoke machines added to the effect.
Infante encountered special problems with the set up at the
Orpheum Theatre. One was that of water pressure. To provide the water cooling system the laser required, the laser's
water line was run from the projection booth to a ladies' room
on the second floor. The sink was turned off, and the hoses
were hooked up to the sink's valves. Infante requested that
this bathroom be sealed off, but this could not be done. When
the laser was turned on the first night, the safety interlocks
from the water cooling system shut the laser down; it was not
receiving the five gallons of water per minute it needed to
keep the glass tube cool. This was due to the frequent use of
the toilets prior to the performance. To circumvent this problem, Infante adjusted the interlocks to about a three gallon
per minute level, and did not turn the laser on until everyone
was in their seats.

"During the dance, the laser produced flickering red lights like
flames across the entire stage. "
Water pressure again was the cause of a mishap before the
opera's Sunday matinee performance. About ten minutes
before curtain, Infante decided to turn the laser on to make
sure it was in alignment. Unfortunately, this was "prime bathroom time." Because the interlocks had been adjusted, the
laser did not shut off in time and the bUbbling sound and the
funny odor indicated that the glass amplifier tube had been
damaged. The laser was not used for this performance, and
Infante refunded the performance fee to the Opera Company.
He and Efland returned to New York to replace the glass tube
(at a cost of about $5,000) and returned to Boston in time for
the fi nal Tuesday performance.
Because the Orpheum Theatre is booked for a variety of
uses, the entire opera had to be struck after the first performance to make room for a rock group's two-night engagement.
The group planned to use the projection booth for its follow
spots, so the laser also had to be removed. Having no place
to store it and not wanting to return it to New York, the laser
was kept in the truck that brought it to Boston. The truck was
locked and kept in a parking lot. Had the temperature gotten
too cold, the laser would have been destroyed.
On balance, both Caldwell and Infante were pleased with
the use of lasers in the opera. Caldwell wished that she had
had more time to experiment with using the laser, and would
use it again in another opera, "if she could find the right one."
Infante was pleased to be involved with bringing laser to
opera, and uses special engagements like The Damnation of
Faust to research the capabilities of the laser.D

Terry Helbing is managing editor of The Drama Review, was guest editor for the gay theatre issue of Christopher Street, and is Northeast
Coordinator for the Gay Theatre Alliance.
16

Theatre Design & Technology

US ITT/Fall, 1978

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