Rachael Hemm
Lighting Designer — IT CAN HAPPEN HERE
Rachel looks forward to traveling around the world and experiencing new art. Some of her greatest artistic influences are Austin Kleon, Leonid Afremov, and Natasha Katz. She feels the reason she was so drawn to theatre, and more specifically lighting, is because there is freedom to adapt and play with a blank space to create endless possibilities.
Rachael is originally from Chicago, IL, has recently graduated from Ball State University in Indiana, and is now based again in Chicago, IL.
IT CAN HAPPEN HERE was choreographed by Audra Sokol, Rebecca Pappas, and Melanie Swihart for Ball State University in December 2017.
How does a society survive when its people cannot accept each other, or even themselves? Derived from the Sinclair Lewis novel “It Can’t Happen Here”, this dance production operates on the through line of internal and external tension. The goal of the design team was to relieve and exaggerate that tension in a synergic space. By leaving an open stage without any masking, the show aimed to be self aware of its place in the life of the audience and the world outside the theater. Inspiration for these ebbing environments came from watching bodies move through different diffusions and hues of light in real world scenarios, hyper controlled spaces, and how life naturally finds a balance.
