Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2022 - 36

warming the performers. This lighting
source performs a number of functions,
including illumination and visibility, a
source for roasting the animal killed
in the hunting and yams brought to the
playing ground, a source of warmth, and
of lighting cigarettes. Also, the Ogrinye
lighting source only emits one color of
light: yellow. It cannot produce different
colors to enhance the beauty of costumes
and other performance elements (see image
on p. 35).
The Kwagh-hir performance also
Ogrinye dance in the controlled lighting experiment. | Photo courtesy of Jerry Idah Odeh.
makes use of bonfire as its source of illumination,
using a corn cob (Apusuakyureke)
fixed on a slim rod and soaked
in either kerosene or diesel before it is
lit. However, corn cobs were not the first
source of lighting this performance. It began
with the use of wood logs (Mbohom),
kept and lit at the center of the stage to
illuminate performance. Later, bushes
used in roofing thatch houses (Apitan)
were burnt to illuminate performances,
then rags (Azemba) tied to a stick and
soaked in kerosene
Performers also make use of haloShaba
mam Puul in the non-controlled lighting experiment. | Photo courtesy of Jerry Idah Odeh.
To rig lights for the Ogrinye performance,
six poles were fixed around the
performance space. Surrounding trees
were used as well (see image on p. 34).
Note that the performance space of
the Kwagh-hir is surrounded by buildings
and the floor of the space is hardened
with cement, which made it difficult to fix
poles for the lighting. To solve this challenge,
lights were rigged on the roof of
the buildings (see image on p. 35).
As indicated, both performances were
presented twice, first with the traditional
lighting systems and the second with the
combination of both the traditional and
modern lighting systems.
Following the performances, researchers
asked audiences for their opinions on
the impact of the lighting experiment.
Research Findings
Findings from the research study reveal
that Ogrinye traditional performance
makes use of bonfire and sunlight as
sources of illumination, and while there
are elements of lighting control, there
are also elements of tradition involved
in keeping the natural light sources. In
all performance instances, the firewood
for the bonfire is set in the middle of
the stage. The study revealed that the
Ogrinye performers are able to control
their lights by withdrawing the firewood
from the fire to reduce intensity and
adding more wood to increase intensity,
brightening the performance space and
36 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | SUMMER 2022
gen bulbs to light the Kwagh-hir performance-motivated
by growing pressure
from audiences to provide better illumination
for the performance. In some
instances, a combination of bonfire and
halogen bulbs are used. In older performance
instances torch light was used.
The bonfire is used to lead or direct the
movement of performers and to light
the performance. As seen in Ogrinye,
the Kwagh-hir performers also are able
to control their lighting source, adding
or reducing kerosine or diesel to the
corn cob to increase or reduce intensity.
Again, only one color of light-yellow-is
produced.
The second, controlled performances
enhanced the Ogrinye and Kwagh-hir
performances by using both modern and
traditional lighting systems.
Visibility is low in the non-controlled
lighting experiment. The entire body of
the performer is not visible to the audience.
Only the part of the performers'
bodies that fall within the path of light
are revealed. This is a challenge to an
audience seated on all sides of the stage.
In addition, the beauty of costumes and
masks are lost in the blurry and dark
environment. However, in the controlled
lighting experiment, performers are lit
from all sides of the stage and clearly
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