Parish Episcopal’s Cooper Hardeman illuminates the stage in ‘Chicago’
Musical theatre conjures up visions of dazzling costumes, soaring voices, and charismatic performers.
But beyond the footlights lies a critical element that often goes unnoticed, said 18-year-old Cooper Hardeman.
“Lighting can be a multi-dimensional, behind-the-scenes tool that helps convey emotions from the stage to the audience,” the recent graduate of the Parish Episcopal School said.
On May 6, he received a Best Lighting Design award for his creative use of the technique in the school’s production of Chicago.
A panel of judges, consisting of professional theater artists and educators, viewed dozens of productions from area high schools. The panel made nominations and then voted to determine the winners, who were honored by Lyric Stage during its 16th annual Schmidt & Jones Awards.
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With several productions now under his belt, Hardeman has become adept at affecting a performance through lighting. But he concedes it wasn’t something he knew much about when the Parish Theater Department approached him about serving as its lighting operator after watching his success on the school’s NASA Rover Team.
In the school’s performance of Chicago, a musical set in the 1920’s Windy City, Hardeman was tasked with helping shape the stage, highlight the characters, and convey emotion.
“I had to emphasize change but make the transitions natural to alter the mood and set the tone for the scenes, moving from dreary to upbeat,” he explained. “In one scene, when a character faints, the timing had to be impeccable, while in another, the lighting changes to hide or introduce props.”
Hardeman said he wasn’t even expecting an award nomination, so winning came as a surprise. The judges were impressed with many aspects of his lighting design, but he admits he discovered one by chance.
“After the final scene on opening night, one of our Cyc lights had a mind of its own and wouldn’t turn off for an intended blackout, so instead it cast a golden silhouette over the actors,” he said. “So, I just went with it, and the judges loved it.”
As soon as they wrapped, he discussed with his director how to incorporate the “golden” effect in upcoming shows.
Fittingly, Hardeman is attending college in a town named Golden, where he’ll be pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
He hopes to continue illuminating audiences from behind the scenes in college, he said. “I think it’ll be a great creative outlet during the times I’m suffering through a tough engineering class.”
