KaLightOScope

Galt House Hotel | Louisville, KY | 2015

Guests at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY, were treated to a one-of-a-kind interpretation of the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol.

What It Was

Guests at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY, were treated to a one-of-a-kind interpretation of the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The show, which ran from Thanksgiving to the new year featured more than 100 super-sized silk lanterns made by Chinese artisans that told the story of Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the ghosts of Christmas as guests walked through.

What We Did

Lightswitch designed the illumination for the show with designer, producer, art director and our long-time collaborator Hotopp. The hotel wanted a new lighting concept for the show, but budget and time restrictions prohibited changing the lighting equipment specification from the previous year. So we worked with the existing equipment to create an entirely new look. Rather than just rely on internal illumination of the lanterns as in years past, we added detailed layers of light on top of them. For instance, when Scrooge appeared too dark in the vignette where he sees Marley’s ghost, we added shadowy illumination that backlights him and engages the audience in the haunting scene.

Why It Worked

Simply taking a different approach to illuminating the show without changing the equipment, budget or timeline made all the difference. By treating the lanterns as characters in a theatrical production and the environment as an immersive attraction we transformed the show for guests, making them feel part of the experience. By listening to the client and their concerns, we designed a show they were so happy with that they have already enlisted Lightswitch to work on next year’s production.