The light control panel is in the stage left wings where Susan and Turell are checking out the lights before the rehearsal begins. It looks like one of the overhead spotlights is out and needs a new bulb. Those lights are 750 to 1000 watts each and the bulbs don’t last as long as your light bulbs at home, and there are lots of them up there. No wonder it gets so warm on stage with what amounts to a barrage of heat lamps on overhead. Susan (don’t dare call her Suzy) is the stage electrician also known as ‘Sparks’ responsible for lighting the stage and operating the stage’s aging dimmer panel. More than making the stage and actors visible, she manipulates the color and intensity of the lights to reinforce the mood of what is happening in the scene. And she is the one who gradually dims the house lights preparing for the magical moment when the curtain goes up. Susan wears a head set to hear from the house manager who watches the seating of the audience and the stage manager who gives the cue to start fading the house lights, first to half until the murmur from the audience dies down and then the rest of the way for the curtain to rise. She also is prompted for lighting cues synchronized with action on stage like turning on a light switch or even lighting a candle. Susan knows the play by heart by the end of rehearsals and can follow most of the action by just listening to audience reaction. She also acts as assistant stage manager during rehearsals and performances coordinating activities in the stage left wings. JM Trey for M4 is from DAZ along with the L75 Crew Sweater. Stage right coming up next.