Drowned Madonna: Hi Peter, Welcome to DrownedMadonna.com. Before working on light design, you started out in the music business, singing, writing music, playing guitar and producing other artists. Please, tell us about this incredible experience.

Peter Morse: Well, I started singing professionally at the age of 16. I’m afraid it was a LOOooong time ago!! I was a folk singer, which was “in” at that time. I had my first record deal at the age of 16, and was touring small clubs and small theatre concerts soon thereafter. While in college, in fact, I was making appearances on weekends while still studying pre-med during the week. In the mid- ‘60’s I became a member of the then-famous group: “New Christy Minstrels”, which performed commercial (at least at the time!) American folk music. Also in the group with me at that time were Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and a few other performers who went on to form the “First Edition” with Kenny. After leaving the group (after 3 years of world tours), I went back into the studio and recorded for several years with little or no real success. I did, however, begin a rather lucrative career as a session singer and a song writer….This lasted for several years until I drifted into the “behind-the-scene” area of performing --- tour managing and lighting design/direction.

Drowned Madonna: Do you still play music?

Peter Morse: Well, occasionally….. I am in the midst of preparing to recut some of my early demos --- more out of curiosity, than for any real practical purpose. However, the guitars and piano still occupy a “place of honor” in my office!

Drowned Madonna: Why and when did you go another route?

Peter Morse: It was during my solo recording and song writing period. I was offered the opportunity to work for a talent agency that booked college concerts throughout the U.S.. My job was to serve as the agent’s representative, and care for the artist --- assuring they travelled and appeared on schedule, and consummating the contractual arrangements. An additional “perc” was that I was also the opening act! This gave me the opportunity to go on stage and do what I loved, while earning a rather steady salary. This is, perhaps, where I really started noticing the importance of the production elements to the various performers with whom I toured.

Drowned Madonna: What are the differences in touring as a singer and now as a light designer?

Peter Morse: The differences are way too numerous to list! Primarily, I would say the potential income is vastly different. Also, the obvious difference would be that in the singing role, one is ON stage, “selling” your talent and “vision”, while in the Lighting Designer role, one is attempting to visually support the singer/artist’s “vision”.

Drowned Madonna: Does your musical background help you relate to the artists you are working for and understand their artistic needings?

Peter Morse: I feel my musical background helps me immensely. Not only am I able to understand the musical intricacies of many of the arrangements --- thus allowing me to reckognize important moments for lighting changes and accents; but I feel it has also served to give me a better understanding for each individual artist and his or her passion/music.

Drowned Madonna: What do you do when you are on tour with singers? Do you always do light rehearsals before every different gigs?

Peter Morse: Well, I don’t really tour so much anymore. Currently I design the initial lighting layout (including positions, choice of fixtures and their components/colors), I rehearse and program the lighting cues, then send it on the road with a lighting director. However, occasionally I will stay on tour as LD, or lighting director, as I did several years ago. In that role, we are mainly confronted with a daily focus of all the fixtures, and general maintenance of the programmed cues. With some artists (Usher and Madonna specifically), daily changes in music or choreography or lighting cues are more frequent.

Drowned Madonna: Have you ever sang and played guitar with the singers you are working for during some break? Some anecdotes?

Peter Morse: The simple answer is “No”. I have never felt proper about confusing my role in their eyes.

Drowned Madonna: What was the first important production you have worked for as a light design?

Peter Morse: That’s difficult to specify, as even the smallest jobs were as important as the larger, more visible shows. However, some of the early highlights for me were: Tina Turner; Lionel Richie; Michael Jackson; and, of course, Madonna!!

Drowned Madonna: You have worked with some of the largest productions and the most important artists of the world. What does it feel like?

Peter Morse: It really feels no different than working with smaller, less famous artists. After all, regardless of their fame or impact on the concert “community”, their production values are all equally important them and their fans. I will say, however, that the one experience that stays with me in my memory is that of Madonna or Michael Jackson, in stadium concerts in Europe, where we were playing to 100,000 people in one show. It would take us, sometimes, up to 45 minutes to make our way from backstage to the control tower in the middle of the field, in order to run the shows….. quite a memorable experience!!

Drowned Madonna: Do you prefer working with large productions or small ones? Which is most challenging?

Peter Morse: While I’ve become labelled as a designer who specializes in the large productions, that is certainly not always my preference. Indeed, some smaller productions offer more challenges. It’s not always the size of the show that is most impressive to me, but the content. There have been smaller shows that have been far more complicated than the large physical productions. Madonna, however, has always succeeded in keeping the challenge of a well thought-out production, with continual images and emotional highs and lows, while maintaining a physically large production.

Drowned Madonna: Peter, can you describe us the artistic process when you are working on a new tour?

Peter Morse: First of all, we have a general discussion with the artist, set designer, show director, choreographer…wherein we lay out the idea for the production and the general design and function of the set. Once we’ve all contributed our concerns and needs, a set is designed. Eventually we refine the show and script it. At this time, I begin laying out the lighting design. I have to consider the actual set and how to illuminate it; the artist’s performance and choreography; and the actual song content. All of this affects choice of fixtures, patterns, color, and actual position of trusses and lights therein. Once the design is established, it is budgeted and then constructed for the start of rehearsals. Then, while in rehearsals, we make changes as necessary once we look at the real setup…we then begin the process of programming the lighting cues. When looking at a show such as Madonna’s --- with as many as 400 moving lights (each utilizing up to 24 different channels of control), we are prepared for spending an average of 3 hours of programming per 1 minute of performance. If you do the math, you will realize that a 90 minute show can take upwards of 270 hours of programming!!

Drowned Madonna: Which is your favourite colour?

Peter Morse: I don’t really have a favorite colour, near as much as I have favorite combinations of color. However, if I really must admit to favourites, I do tend towards teal, mauve, and --- quite often--- congo blue. I like Congo Blue, because it serves well as a base backround “filler” for adding dimension to the lighting levels on stage.

Drowned Madonna: There’s no doubt that light design is art. How would you describe it?

Peter Morse: I definitely consider the light design as an artistic endeavor----perhaps even “living art”, as it is instantaneous and in motion for the moment. It is a fusion of color, beamage, and motion that reflects music, lyric, and choreography. The lighting, itself, is not so much the “art form”, as is the melding of the lighting with all the other elements that are going on.

Drowned Madonna: What are your inspirations?

Peter Morse: My inspirations are simple: the music; the lyric; the choreography; the overall emotion of the moment and the piece that is being performed. Additionally, I try to keep in mind the flow of the show, and the placement therein of the song with which I am working.

Drowned Madonna: Usually live tours are broadcast in TV. Obviously you have to design the light so that the show works well in TV. Which are the secrets?

Peter Morse: There really is no secret. The real problem is that there are many elements of “live” lighting---meaning lighting for the live performance --- that do not work well for the camera. The best example is the fact that many colors and patterns that may appear on the artist’s face while performing live, will definitely look absolutely horrid when the camera is zoomed in for a closeup! So, the basic rule is to eliminate any “contamination” that would destroy the natural look and complexion of the artist. Then, of course, there is the continual balance of lighting and color levels, so that the artist always appears in the best possible environment, and the colors appear as intended when in the broadcast mode. Broadcast lighting is far more critical than “live” lighting. So, much time and care must be taken to refine the “live” cues prior to going on camera. Fortunately, with the advent of live “I-Mag”, or Image Magnification, in concert, we have generally gotten a headstart on preparing for the demands of the closeup camera, while in the midst of lighting for the live performance.

Drowned Madonna: Let’s talk about the difference between live concerts being shot for TV and live show created for TV… Do you change something when the show is being filmed for TV and/or DVD or the light set is just the same?

Peter Morse: There is a definite difference in the way a show is lit for camera/tv or for live. Basically, if a concert is to be shot for TV, it will appear as a live concert that is, indeed, “televised.” However, if the concert is created initially for a broadcast, then it could quite easily have a “television” look, as opposed to a “live” look. One must be careful in this sense. There is a “grityness” or edgy look to live lighting that is usually not present in a show that is specifically designed for the camera (a good example being the award shows). So, while I am careful to adjust lighting for the camera, I am also doubly careful to preserve the original feel of the “live concert”.

Drowned Madonna: You have worked with many important artists, but you confessed that Madonna was “the most challenging”. Why?

Peter Morse: Madonna is one of the most challenging, because of several reasons…primarily:

A) the diversity of her production numbers within the scope of her show

B) the complexity of her music and choreography

C) the importance of knowing when to be intense, and when to be basic in feel

D) her awareness --- and, thus, her demand for perfection --- of every element of the show as it progresses around her (from the overall “feel” of the lighting, to the actual cueing/timing; spotlight pickups; sound….ALL elements. She doesn’t miss a thing!!

Drowned Madonna: Is it true that she doesn’t want to repeat herself also regarding the lights?

Peter Morse: Madonna’s first (and lasting) rule for me in “Drowned World” was: “I don’t ever want to see the same lighting “look” more than once".

Drowned Madonna: Which way does she make you understand what she wants?

Peter Morse: Fortunately she has always left me alone to create the initial cues. Eventually she then sits through the show, and watches as a standin does her routines. At that time she would give me corrective notes. As a rule, I feel we’ve been in general agreement on what I’ve created. I suppose her most common concern (rightfully so) has always been the use of spotlights/followspots. This is, of course, the most important element, as without it we would not see her properly in the midst of the production surrounding her. Bottom line, she is very easy to understand. She knows what she wants, and has never had a problem explaining or defining this to the people around her. That is a rare attribute that few artists possess.

Drowned Madonna: Peter, you have done all of her tours except the first and the re-Invention. Which was Madonna’s most challenging tour you have been involved with? And why?

Peter Morse: There is no way to define which was most challenging. Each of Madonna’s shows has been unique and presented challenges that were different from the others. Generally, I would have to say that the most intriguing element of Madonna’s shows is that each presents its own list of challenges. I have always enjoyed the level of challenge and commitment on her productions.

Drowned Madonna: And what about you favourite one?

Peter Morse: I must say that “Blond Ambition” remains one of my favorite productions of all that I’ve done for any artist. However, please don’t misunderstand this. By being my favorite, it in no way diminishes the artistic importance, in my mind, of any of the other Madonna shows. The reason it remains a favorite has to do with, not only the intense production elements at the time, but also the timing of the event and the impact it had on my career. I felt I really had a “handle” on the premise of the show, and shall never forget the excitement of running that show on a day-to-day basis. It was, indeed, a high-point for me at the time. Furthermore, it was a show that was totally conceptualized by Madonna, and maintained her vision to the very end.

Drowned Madonna: Can you say few words to describe each of the her tours you have done?

Peter Morse: “Who’s That Girl”: I was actually brought in to do a complete relighting, with only about 10 days left in rehearsals. It was a formidable task, as the actual lighting layout was not my design. I had to basically repair what had been done. Somehow we accomplished it, and went on to Turin, Italy later in the tour to shoot the concert for video. That is still very hard-to-find footage. This was also an early attempt at front projection onto the set. We used “levelor” type blinds as a projection surface. A great deal of lighting adjustment had to be done to accommodate the projection, and not overpower it.

“Blond Ambition”: Dramatic, mezmerizing choreography (Vincent Patterson), beautiful set (John McGraw)…. Extremely theatrical presentation of Madonna’s original concept. It was an amazing tour and show! As I said in the prior question/answer, definitely a high point for me as a designer and lighting director.

“Girlie Show”: This was another wonderful transformation for Madonna---from the highly commercial and theatrical presentation of her numbers in “Blond”, to what was now a display of surreal images, and rearrangements of her songs, including a large selection of her less familiar music. She was not as interested this time in doing the “hits”. We definitely pushed the visual envelope with this show. There were no “rules”….it was totally interpretive, and helped introduce a new level of visual “theatre”. Madonna’s brother, Christopher, was the artistic director of this show, and we had some extremely unique and challenging sets and props with which to work.

“Drowned World”: Here, again, we “pushed the envelope”, and took Madonna’s music to another level visually. Jaimie King directed and conceptualized the show. From the beginning, he deluged me with images --- photographic, paintings, etc….--- that helped illustrate the feel he wanted for each number in the show. This was a challenge that, once again, took us in a totally different direction that we had ever travelled before with Madonna. I attended a lot of early rehearsals in order to better grasp the physical and artistic needs for designing the lighting rig. Bottom line, what I feel best describes this show lighting-wise is: the success of the visuals were that it was less about what was actually lit, than what was NOT illuminated!! Darkness, shadow, and mystery prevailed.

Drowned Madonna: How much interaction do you get from her?

Peter Morse: Madonna has always been thoroughly involved in every aspect of her shows. As I stated before, she never misses a beat!! In the earlier shows, she was more reactive than proactive---sometimes not saying anything unless there was a mistake. However, in “Drowned World” she was positive and supportive, and --- while challenging in her demeanor --- always offering suggestions. I have said many times that we worked very hard to get it right for her---mainly because we dared NOT get it wrong!!! From the very beginning, it was obvious that Madonna’s work ethic is unlike any other performer that I’d ever worked with. She was in rehearsals long before any of us arrived each day, and many times she was working long into the night. I have nothing but respect for her, and, thus, always listened intently to her comments. In fact, it got to a point where I could read her expression during a performance, and I could predict comments she would make during the following day’s sound check about any lighting mishaps in the show.

Drowned Madonna: What have you just finished working on?

Peter Morse: It’s been a varied and busy year. I designed Prince’s “Musicology” tour; Usher’s “Confessions” world tour; Bette Midler’s “Kiss My Brass” world tour; Shania Twain’s world tour; Yanni’s world tour; and two Ice shows for Disney!!

Drowned Madonna: What are you working right now? And what about your upcoming projects?

Peter Morse: I am currently taking a 2 month vacation, and will start back up in August with “The Incredibles” on ice---again for Disney. This will be the 4th ice show I’ve done for them. It is quite a different world from the concert stage, but really a lot of fun. In the fall, I will be back at work on several concert projects, which I can’t name yet, as the contracts haven’t been signed!!

Drowned Madonna: Anyone you’d like to work with that you haven’t yet?

Peter Morse: Yes, of course!! Annie Lennox tops the list. I would also love to work with Peter Gabriel and ColdPlay…

Drowned Madonna: What would you like to do in the future that you haven’t done yet?

Peter Morse: I really don’t have an answer to that. I feel I’ve been blessed with the opportunities I’ve had. I only wish for it to continue, as each project brings new experiences, which enriches me professionally.

Drowned Madonna: Thank you so much Peter for dedicating your time with us. We are very honoured and proud. Would you like to say something to Madonna’s fans?

Peter Morse: You are very welcome. Thank you for the opportunity. All I can say to Madonna’s fans is that you are following someone who has helped alter the world of popular music, and certainly has had a dramatic impact on the world of theatre---both technically and politically. You should be proud of your allegiance, as we who have worked with her. It’s a nice family to be part of… All the best.