Nora is the story of a woman struggling with her agency in a world in which men dominate. My lighting design for the play was embodied by a vast sky made of light with a low- hanging sun that symbolized how the power of women held back by their circumstances of time, place, and the strict gender roles therein. Contrasted by the harsh lighting of her home, the lighting heightens Nora’s feelings of oppression and underlying desire to break free from societal norms and take agency over her life.

The following report examines the point of view, inspiration, development, final execution, and a self-critique of the lighting design by Caitlin C. Eby for California State University, Long Beach Theatre Arts Department’s 2017 Cal Rep production of Nora by Ingmar Bergman. It is submitted in partial fulfillment for completion of the Master of Fine Arts degree option in Lighting Design.