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Henrick Ibsen’s audacious classic An Enemy of the People was given new life on Broadway in 2024 with a fresh adaptation written by Amy Herzog, directed for the stage by Sam Gold. Earning five Tony nominations, the production starred television greats Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli as two brothers divided after a grave discovery forces them to decide between saving the economy of their small town or the health of its residents. The production earned Lighting Designer Isabella Byrd a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut, skillfully programmed by Parker Conzone on an Eos console.
Byrd’s designs took inspiration from the naturally cinematic quality of Nordic daylight. Norway’s proximity to the Arctic Circle means that the sun hangs low on the horizon, providing slow, rich transitions from day to night and long, soft shadows throughout the day. This chilly starkness was contrasted by an abundance of live flame on stage in the form of oil lamps and candles. “We really got to play with contrast,” says Byrd. “Having the warmth of literal flame on stage in this cold world that surrounds the characters as they struggle with truth, with their relationships, and responsibilities to their community.”
“Isabella has such an eye for little nuances in color. When we work together, I have what I call ‘The IB Palettes’, which exist primarily in the L206 to L200 realm, touching on all of the facets in between,” says programmer Parker Conzone, who has been a frequent collaborator of Byrd’s. The IB Palettes translated perfectly to the show’s ETC Source Four LED Series 2 fixtures with the Lustr array. “Lustr has impeccable color calibration. It’s so easy to call up gel references just by typing in 3/202 if you want Lee 202 for example,” says Conzone.
Byrd’s gift for sculpting darkness on stage was brought to new heights with the challenge of designing in the round. Working with the scenic collective Design by dots, Byrd says she was “really excited to bring my very directional, sculptural tastes into the architecture that we built. I like to be engaged early on in the design process to help cater to the geometry of the set and find the holy geometry that can be achieved if there's a really prime point on stage that an actor can stand in and be lit dramatically with dramaturgical intention.” Configuring the rig to hit the perfect angles every time was made a breeze with Wireless DMX Multiverse® technology from City Theatrical. A single Multiverse Transmitter’s Ethernet input allows it to transmit up to ten DMX/RDM universes, enabling seamless communication between a lighting team and their rig.
Conzone emphasizes the importance of a gentle touch during this show’s programming process: “Every focus in Enemy is very soft and delicate. Truly, if there weren't haze in the air, you wouldn't be able to tell where the light was coming from at all,” he says. “I had to be very careful with how I’d bring lights up during tech since it's such a dark, intimate play. I love the highlight button, but when you blast a fixture at full in someone's eyes it really breaks them out of the scene.” Using an Eos Ti, Conzone was able to finely tune each cue to its delicate sweet spot. “The Ti is definitely my workhorse. It's a great size for me, and I think the encoder design is perfect.”
It was a thrilling debut Broadway season for Byrd, who was also nominated for her spellbinding work on Cabaret at the Kit Kat Klub. “I’ve collaborated with Isabella a lot over the years, so we’ve been able to hone our communication style and our process,” says Conzone. “She's deeply in tune with the art of it all, and very collaborative.”
After a buzzy first Broadway season, Byrd certainly has a busy future on the horizon, but she can take it in stride equipped with ETC gear and the unmatched support that keeps it running. “It's a relief when I walk into a theatre and see that the rig is vastly ETC supported,” Byrd says. “My work is deeply connected to the ETC technology space, and I think I would work very differently without those tools.”
