Mr. McCroom, our department's Technical Director and Set & Lighting Design instructor, recently did the lighting design for a New York production of "The Whipping Man". Here is part of the review of that production, highlighting the design team, including Mr McCroom:
"Scenic Designer William Bloodgood had his work cut out for him, considering that the entire action of the play takes place in the ruined foyer of an antebellum-style mansion in Richmond. We see the crumbling grand staircase, the partially caved in roof and broken windows. The once formal chairs have been disassembled for firewood; the once beautiful china is now chipped; the crystal chandelier is gone — all symbols of the destruction that war has wreaked on this place (and by extension the people and culture that once inhabited it). Bloodgood has done an incredible job of crafting the production’s visual details to evoke the proper sense of place and a time. The incessant rain that falls through the broken roof and which can be seen and heard through the windows during the play is masterfully done.
Since the majority of the story takes place at night, Lighting Designer Darren McCroom had to find a way to evoke the soft, flickering nature of candlelight. Indeed, lighting (which when done right should be virtually unnoticed by the audience) plays an essential part in forging the emotional backdrop to any play. McCroom succeeded admirably in creating such an atmosphere for these actors, enabling their characters to blossom. The same can be said for the work of Costume Designer Gretchen Darrow-Crotty and Composer Michael Keck."