Son et Lumiere: an epic reading

Son et Lumiere: AN EPIC READING traces the evolution of a son et lumiere production of Coleridge's epic poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" performed in the Hope Theatre, University of Wollongong in July '92. This production explored the manner in which those crafts and skills loosely grouped under the term 'theatre technology' (e.g. lighting, sound and scenery) could enunciate an interpretation of the poem, a role more usually considered the province of performers. Symbols and images used in this production were the product of inter-disciplinary collaboration and were designed to generate in audiences a better appreciation of Coleridge's message in contemporary terms by engendering close associations with F.C.Lovelock's Gaia Hypothesis. My intention was to encourage a re-consideration of the potential for artistic expression by purely technical areas of theatre, to foster son et lumiere as a viable component of theatre's interpretive 'palette' and to promote a higher degree of collaboration between all areas of theatrical endeavour.