With Kissing the Witch running in the Freimann Black Box Theatre this weekend, we asked guest lighting designer Drew Yerys a few questions about his process working on the show.

Drew Yerys first began lighting design in college when somebody suggested he try it. Having dropped his electrical engineering major for a degree in English, he felt like he was still missing something that would satisfy his interest in technical work. Yerys says that the first lighting project he worked on had “one of those first really satisfying feelings where from start to finish I had an idea, made it happen, and it looked exactly the way I imagined it. It was kind of a great experience and it hooked me.” Since then, Yerys has been working as a lighting designer in various parts of the country.

When it comes to working on shows, Yerys says that his process always is sparked by the writing and the vision of the director. As he reads the play, he tries to take notes on what he is envisioning in his head, and then slowly builds the lighting, making changes whenever he receives new information about the space and the actors. The final changes always happens in the performance space as Yerys polishes the lighting to reflect the shifts in emotion and location within the play.

Yerys’ favorite part of Kissing the Witch is during the Tale of the Rose, where three of the characters are spread out on stage and the lighting succeeds in carving out the depth in the space that Yerys is always looking for. He describes it as “sculpting with light as opposed to just throwing light on a scene.” Despite some challenges that inevitably come with working in a new space, Yerys has presented a final product that is beautifully crafted. 

To see how Drew’s lighting brings the show to life, buy tickets at the Harper Joy Theatre Box Office prior to the show! Kissing the Witch runs March 2-5 in the Freimann Black Box Theatre.