Tag Archive: Dialogues des Carmelites

1. Charlie Morgan Jones and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – 5 Years in the Making…

   20 June 2019 14:20 Leave a Comment

   

    Mansfield Park (2019)

   For the past five years, lighting designer Charlie Morgan Jones has lit the bi-annual opera at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This year marks the final one in which the original creative team will work together, having formed a formidable relationship in 2014. As White Light has supplied the lighting for most of the shows, we thought we’d look back on the history of the opera and speak to Charlie about how it has evolved over the years.

   The Beginning 

   The story starts back in 2014 when Charlie, not long out of Rose Bruford and still finding his feet in the real world, applied for a job in Birmingham. He recalls: “There’s a website called StageJobsPro which a lot of people within the industry use to advertise jobs. I’d seen a post about lighting a show called Dialogues des Carmelites at the Birmingham Conservatoire. It was quite well paid so I imagine every person who saw it applied! I was astonished then when I received a phone call from the director Michael Barry just a few days later”. Little did Charlie know that the  call would forever change both his personal and professional life.

   He explains: “Speaking to Michael, we hit it off straight away. It was a case of something just clicking and he asked me to come up to Birmingham and work on the show. I didn’t hesitate and accepted immediately!”. Charlie made his way up to Birmingham and, more specifically, The Crescent Theatre where the show was being performed. He recalls: “At this point, I was still extremely young at only 24. I hadn’t lit Avenue Q nor had I done Cool Rider in the West End. Walking into that space and meeting Michael and the team was the first time I thought to myself: actually, this is something I can do. I also saw viably how this could be my career”.

   

    A Little Night Music (2014)

   The initial rig for Dialogues des Carmelites was somewhat elementary, with Charlie hiring only 10 fresnels. He explains: “It might not have been the most extensive rig but it was perfect for this show. There was virtually no stage depth within the space and we had, maybe twelve profiles overhead doing most of the work. Thanks to brilliant work of all of the creative team, we managed to create something very special and I remember being really impressed by what I saw, from every department”.

   It has always been the same team that Charlie has worked with at the Conservatoire. This consists of director Michael Barry, set designer Colin Judges, and costume designers Jennet and Alan Marshall. Charlie comments: “We were such a good team. We all just gelled and understood how one another worked and managed to do so holistically. I believe this is the reason we’ve collaborated so successfully over all of these years”.

   Forever Growing…

   Since the first show in 2014, it would be fair to say that each production has grown significantly. That said, Charlie is keen to emphasise how this happened organically. He states: “The show has gotten bigger yet this is all down to Michael and his vision. He’s allowed us to evolve by experimenting and constantly trying out new things. We’ve never, ever jumped into anything without thinking and, each year, the design comes about in a natural, cohesive way”.

   

    Venis and Adonis (2015)

   The team have created some memorable shows over the past five years; so much so that it’s difficult for Charlie to pick a favourite – although he does have a few highlights: “One of the shows in 2016 was Riders to the Sea which was part of a triple bill. It offered a completely new experience for me as it was lit it in neutral colours with no saturation whatsoever. The story was set in an Irish village where fishermen would go out to sea and potentially not return.  The music and setting demanded that we had no colour. This was a complete departure for me as I had always used highly saturated colours so it really challenged me to go out of my comfort zone and experiment”.

   Another memorable show includes A Little Night Music. Charlie recalls: “This was a large, Sondheim musical which I loved. Not only was it a fairly big rig but the first time I’d ever used a Viper! I was able to try a lot out on this show too and take some ridiculous ideas which were then turned into a reality”.

   This year is set to be just as memorable with the main show being an operatic version of Mansfield Park. Charlie explains: “Mansfield Park is a genuinely beautiful show composed by Jonathan Dove. It may also be the most interesting of all the rigs I’ve used at the Conservatoire. This year, we’re in traverse in the studio space. As a result, I’ve literally had to position lights everywhere in order to light the singers. It’s also an almost entirely LED rig, whereas back in 2014 it was all tungsten”.

   

    The Magic Flute (2019)

   Supplied by WL once again, the rig consists of 12 ETC Lustr Source Fours, 8 par cans and 3 VL2600 profiles, which Charlie describes as his ‘favourite light in the whole world’. The VLs will be working along two ends of the space as well as providing a centre special. Par Cans will be positioned as booms down the side, with four on each end and a Lustr at the bottom. The remaining Lustrs will be offering general cover.

   Charlie explains: “These shows have allowed me to realise who I am as a designer. Michael has been absolutely fantastic in letting me light the shows ‘my way’, which has meant a lot of experimenting and testing what works and what doesn’t. To have such an opportunity in a professional environment is extremely rare and I feel blessed that I was given the chance to grow and develop in this way”.

   Friends for Life 

   Whilst the shows have allowed Charlie to grow as a designer, it is the personal relationships he developed during his time in Birmingham that he is most grateful for. He explains: “Putting it bluntly, Michael Barry is the reason I’m at the point where I am today – he’s totally changed my life. He’s been my mentor and opened doors for me that would otherwise have remained closed. For instance, in 2016, he text me saying he’d recommended me for a job but ‘not to get too excited’ as nothing may come of it. I thought ‘fine’, but then half an hour later received a phone call from Pawel at the Polish National Opera asking if I wanted to light Tristan I Izolda. At the time, I was 26 years old and lighting for the Polish National Opera which has the biggest stage in Europe. I remember walking out onto the stage which was 30m wide and 80m deep and thinking ‘why am I here?’. He’s also responsible for recommending me to the wonderful Amy Lane who I lit Das Rheingold with at Loughborough this year; a role I will continue with the rest of The Ring Cycle until 2023. Essentially, Michael has been incredible to me and none of the above would have happened without him”.

   

   Charlie and Jack on one of their many adventures 

   He continues: “I’ve also met my closest friends through the show. Jack Ramplin was Technical Manager at the theatre at the time and, over the years, he’s become the brother I never had and always wanted…as clichéd as that sounds. We holiday together and hang out during work ‘down time’. We’ve worked together on virtually every show since and he’s currently touring Avenue Q. He’s also my sounding board for every design I draw”.

   This year is the fifth and final Conservatoire show that Charlie has worked on and marks, what he describes as, ‘the end of an era’. He explains: “Michael is now stepping down from the Conservatoire and, as we are such a tight-knit group, we felt it was right we should all do the same and allow a new team to come in with their creative vision. It does feel like a chapter being closed but what an incredible journey it’s been. What’s brilliant is how the shows and I have evolved simultaneously over the years and it’s such an honour to have played a small part in these productions. I can’t wait for audiences to see Mansfield Park and to end this brilliant adventure on a high”.

   Photos by Graeme Braidwood.

2. Leading Light with…Charlie Morgan Jones – Part 2

   5 April 2018 10:33 Comments Off on Leading Light with…Charlie Morgan Jones – Part 2

   

   3am at Leicester CURVE was Charlie’s first professional production after graduating.

   Charlie graduated and was left to find his own way in the big wide world. It was here where his work at the Vaudeville would prove useful: “I emailed every single producer I knew, along with all the DSMs I’d worked with from my time at the Vaudeville. They were hugely supportive and told me who to get in touch with. It was in those early stages that I’d take unpaid leave to go and work on shows on the London fringe. It was a case of slowly, but surely, getting my name out there”.

   Charlie’s first show out of university was 3am for the Curve Young Company at Leicester’s CURVE Theatre. He recalls:  “I was put forward by Rachel Nicholson who was the Head of Creative Lighting Control and was immensely lucky to go straight into a show like that. I really felt like a ‘professional lighting designer’ as I had a programmer and stage management team”. Charlie would the continue to work wherever he could. He recalls: “I did a show at the Edinburgh Fringe called Jump which was a brilliant experience. I also lit a show at The Met in Bury and remember just jumping on a train, heading up to Manchester and saying ‘I’m here to light your show’. At that age, you just turn up and hope for the best. Then again, you need to have that go-getter attitude as people are only willing to employ those with experience and that was something I needed”.

   It wouldn’t be long until Charlie got what he considers to be his first ‘big break’: “I worked on Dialogues des Carmelites at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Director was Michael Barry.  I was at his house for dinner and he showed me a prop from the Ring Cycle which he recently directed. As I knew very little about him, I presumed it was something he’d worked on at the Birmingham Local Opera. Fortunately I didn’t say anything out loud as Michael quickly informed me that it was a show he’d worked on at the Royal Opera House! A quick Google under the table and I realised he was quite a big name! We got on like a house on fire and Michael recommended me for various jobs including the Polish National Opera”. It was also at the Conservatoire where Charlie met Jack Ramplin who Charlie has used on lots of shows as his Associate. Charlie comments: “Michael foresaw a long creative relationship between Jack and I – he wasn’t wrong!”.

   Charlie’s second ‘big break’ was to come shortly after at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End. He recalls: “I was asked to light Cool Rider, which is the sequel to Grease. It was an all-singing, all-dancing musical with so much happening all the time – the first number had 80 lighting cues! For this show, I worked with an Associate called George Smith who was fantastic to bat ideas around with. It really changed my way of working and brought out the best in my lighting”. Shortly after this, Charlie and George formed Smith+Jones LX. Charlie comments: “We became friends but he sadly (for me) lives out in Macau now for work. That said, we’re still as close as ever, and I always visit him when I go to the Far East for work”.

   

                                                  Charlie lit Cool Rider at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End.

   The third break of Charlie’s was Avenue Q; the puppeted musical which is also one of Broadway’s longest running musicals. Charlie recalls: “I had worked with production company Selladoor Productions in their early days and remember touring Ibsen’s Ghost in the back of a van. They asked me back to light Avenue Q which was doing a three week run in Greenwich in April 2014. The run sold really well and got a lot of people talking – so much so that it turned into a six month tour. It then returned for a second tour in 2015, a third tour in 2016 and it’s recently been announced that it’s coming back next year. It was one of those shows that just ‘became a thing’ – when I told people I was lighting it, they were really impressed. It also got me an agent and opened so many doors for me as people were now able to see my work”.

   

                        Little Shop of Horrors is a personal highlight for Charlie.

   Whereas these are Charlie’s ‘big breaks’, I ask him if any other shows that standout. Safe to say, he has a fair few: “Little Shop of Horrors definitely sticks in the mind. Everything on this production just felt ‘right’ and all the creatives just clicked. We wanted the show to be zany, cartoony and over the top; similar to the feel of the film. I remember being sat in tech thinking this should be spectacular and it was. It was great to be a part of and the highlight was when it visited the New Theatre in Cardiff where I used to see shows as a kid. It was at that point when I was confident in telling people that I was a lighting designer”.

   Other shows include Derren Brown: Underground which Charlie describes as  “incredibly bizarre as it was a huge name and another show that everyone knows and recognises. It’s also amazing that it’s going to the Wales Millennium Centre which is where it all started in a sense – I can’t wait for mum and dad to see it!”. The Polish National Opera is another highlight of Charlie’s. He recalls: “I was the only non-Polish speaker so it was the case of being thrown in at the deep end. That said, I spent a lot of summers in Poland as a child and can understand the basics so was able to communicate with Mariusz the director”.

   

                     Macbeth at Theatre Severn was lit by Charlie.

   Charlie has managed to achieve a lot in a short time and, while it’s largely down to a hard-working ethos, he has been lucky enough to have the support and influence of some lighting legends. He comments: “As part of my drama course at college, we went to see the National Theatre’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle which Paule Constable had lit (you can read her Leading Light here). I actually phoned my dad during the interval saying how amazing I thought the lighting was; it was a character within itself. Almost without realising, Paule had become an influence. Flash forward a few years and I was back at the Millennium Centre working in between uni terms. It was 2010 and I was followspotting on the new Les Misérables which Paule had lit. When I was back in Wales, I went over to the production desk and said hello and she was just the most approachable and friendly person. We went out for lunch and she told me everything I needed to know about lighting. Another person who’s been a huge help is Rick Fisher (you can read his Leading Light here). During my second year at Bruford, he gave a talk and was kind enough to give me his email address. I emailed him that night (very eager!) asking if I could come and work with him on a show. He was lighting The Fantasticks at the Duchess Theatre and I sat behind Rick and the programmer and learned so much. I even got credited in the programme as Assistant to the Lighting Designer! Ultimately, both Paule and Rick are incredibly talented and equally kind individuals and I also show the same level of support to anyone who approaches me for advice”.

   Listening to Charlie talk about his journey and career, it’s easy to forget that he is still extremely young (not even 30). So what aims does he have for the future? He answers: “When I was 14/15, my main aim was to solely light West End shows. I’ve now had eight productions in the West End so my goals have changed slightly (as they should). I would like to light more dance and would definitely like to work at the English National Opera. I think it’s important to remember that the role of lighting designers is changing also. It’s no longer just theatre. For instance, last year I was asked to light the rainforest at the Eden Project – something I never thought I’d do. Ultimately, I want to continue my existing relationships with current designers, directors and production companies as well as push myself as a designer”.

   If the last few years are anything to go by, it’s safe to say that Charlie will continue pushing himself and cement his reputation as one of the most exciting lighting designers this country has to offer.

   Photos courtesy of Graeme Braidwood, Hywel Jones, Matt Martin, Pamela Raith, Rose Bruford College and Sven Worrow.