Roslyn

Beatification of Area Boy was written by Nigerian author Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1986. The play is a series of vignettes, all strung together by a common event: the destruction of a shanty town to make way for modern oil-money demands. The overnight burning of the shanty town happens before the play begins, and thus is the cause of the "blood red sunrise" that starts the show. The Nigerian civil war is recalled by the Mother Courage type, Mama Put, who still carries the bayonet soldiers used to kill her brother. She warily greets the dawn with a premonition of the days events.
The play takes place throughout a full day, from sunrise to sunset with no blackouts or shifts in scenery or lighting. A full sunrise into overhead daylight and opposing side sunset was required. Creating a sunrise to evoke the Sub Saharian world of the play whilst carrying the weight of a opening monologue of woman with a sword was a challenge. Adding to that challenge was the capability to seamlessly transition into shades of gold and yellow as they day progressed which meant a gradual full stage wash that could blend without looking unnatural.