White Light recently supported lighting designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán on The Manningtree Witches at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. The production, adapted by Ava Pickett from A. K. Blakemore’s acclaimed novel, presents the Essex witch trials through a lens that feels current, vivid and emotionally immediate. Sánchez Roldán’s lighting design responds directly to this, shaping a strong and expressive visual environment.
From her earliest conversations with the creative team, Sánchez Roldán felt a powerful connection to the material. “The story needed to feel muscular and strong,” she explained. “The novel is full of poetry and rhythm, and Ava’s adaptation carries that same intensity. It is witty, angry and human. I wanted to not let the story down.” She was struck by how alive and contemporary the narrative felt, even though it is set in the 1600s. “It is really easy with historical events to feel a sense of detachment. What Ava has done is make the characters reachable and current. It is rare to come across a story so vivid and fast paced.”
Sánchez Roldán worked closely with director Natasha Rickman to find a visual language that could hold both naturalism and movement. “We knew it needed a sense of reality to ground the audience. But with the pace of the piece and the movement from Frantic Assembly, I started looking at it more like a poem or a dance piece than a straightforward play.”
The production embraces a blend of time periods. The dialogue feels entirely modern while the costumes sit firmly in the period. The set includes an upside down field of wheat suspended above the stage. “Historical authenticity became less important than emotion and feeling,” Sánchez Roldán explained. “To achieve that, we needed modern technology.” She drew particular inspiration from painter Artemisia Gentileschi. “Her painting Judith Slaying Holofernes shows so much passion and anger. That was the energy I wanted this play to feel like.”
Designer Sara Perks created a bold, architectural set that offered Sánchez Roldán a strong canvas to work with. “It is stark and muscular,” she said. “This is my favourite kind of design, where the space can transform with each scene and emotion. It means lighting becomes integral to the story.” She chose to begin with a familiar, more traditional lighting language before gradually shifting into deeper shadows and abstraction. “I had a gut feeling that we needed that progression.”
Side lighting became one of the defining tools of the production. “Partly because of the ceiling, but also because it created dynamism and a sense of magical realism. It holds the actors in a different space.” Throughout the process, she let her emotional response in rehearsals guide the design. “My hope was for the lighting to reflect what the characters feel, especially Rebecca West. I want lighting to have a journey of its own.”
White Light supplied a flexible rig that supported this shifting visual landscape. Sánchez Roldán made extensive use of the Vari-Lite VL2600 Profiles, valued for their colour mixing and precise shuttering. “The sharpness of the shutters was vital for a scene where we needed to contain the lighting.” The GLP Wild Bar 16 fixtures formed most of the backlight and were used to create light curtains. “Their square beam shape helped us define corridors in the space.” Chauvet Colorado Panel Q40 fixtures were hidden under the steps, acting as both blinders and silhouette sources. “They punctuated key moments in a really effective way.”
The Mercury Theatre’s layout added further complexity. With the unusual ceiling feature, side masking and limited overhead positions, the rig became a puzzle. “It was a difficult rig to figure out,” Sánchez Roldán recalled. “Any constraints made me come up with different ways of achieving the final product. We relied more on side lighting and combined the limited overhead positions with front of house.” Despite the challenges, she found the project energising. “This show was a joy to light. It was hard work and we had very limited time, but having a flexible and responsive rig was vital.”
Sánchez Roldán highlights the contribution of White Light throughout the process. “Working with White Light was a wonderful experience. Sam Knight worked so fast to help me find the equipment we needed.”
WL’s Hire Team Leader Sam Knight added: “It’s always a pleasure to work with Lucía, and we’re proud that she’s the first lighting designer to use the GLP WildBar 16. Being able to offer cutting‑edge technology that supports designers’ creative visions is always exciting. The GLP WildBar 16 is one of the latest additions to our rental fleet, and we’re thrilled to see it already making an impact.”
