Question

may 21, 2021
the world of lighting designer jeanette ol-suk yew
by paulette beete (excerpt)
(1) listen to a theater audience leaving a performance of, say, lin-manuel miranda’s hamilton or katori hall’s the blood quilt, and you’ll near them talk about a lot of things: the story itself, how much they liked (or didn’t like) the costumes, whether the music was as good live as it is on the official cast album, or how they wish they owned some piece of furniture from the set. what you probably won’t hear them talk about is the production’s lighting design. while most people get excited for the moment that the house lights dim and the stage lights start to shimmer, very few can articulate how the overall lighting design affected their experience of the show.
(2) this is no surprise to veteran lighting designer jeanette ol-suk yew who’s long made her peace with the fact that audiences rarely have an idea of what her work entails—or even that her job exists. “i’ve been to many different gatherings with people who are not necessarily in the theater. when i say i work in theater, they’ll say, ‘oh, are you an actor? are you a director? are you a playwright?’ and then they kind of stop there.”
(3) she observed that part of the difficulty in understanding what she does is that the work isn’t tangible. “if i said that i make costumes, they’d go, ‘oh, i get it. that’s what they’re wearing.’ or if i said that i made the set, people get it. but with lighting design, it’s sort of like, ‘oh well, aren’t you just turning lights on?’
(4) for a recent project, for example, yew had to imagine the world of a cemetery waiting room. she explained, “the core of the story was about two people suffering a lot of grief and trying to make a connection with each other in a very unusual and sterilized space. so that is what i’m thinking about a lot as a designer. what is this space? what is this environment that this story is unfolding within? my thinking is very architectural-based in some ways.”
(5) lighting design is in fact equal parts art and science and involves a lot more than just turning the lights on and off. as yew described her
select the correct answer from the drop - down menu.
read the excerpt.
(10) yew calls lighting design “the last jigsaw puzzle piece because we don’t get to my anything earlier. the responsibility becomes about, ‘okay, am i creating a total picture onstage? there’s nothing i can try out at all until i am in tech because we just don’t have the resources to set up lighting or be in the theater early. so all of my work is completely public. it has to be done with everybody in the room.’
how does the author use the phrase the last jigsaw puzzle piece to emphasize the responsibilities of a lighting designer working on a theater production?
the author uses the phrase the last jigsaw puzzle piece to emphasize that a lighting designer
works in the same room with the rest of the cast and crew involved in a theater production
tries to make sure that everyone involved in a theater production is paying attention when the lights are arranged
ties all the elements of a theater production together in a final step before the first performance
never has enough time to meet all their goals for designing the lighting for a theater production

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context of the phrase "the last jigsaw puzzle piece" in relation to lighting design in theater production:

1. Analyze the options:

• Option 1: Talks about working in the same room, not about the role of lighting design as the "last piece." Eliminate.
• Option 2: Mentions ensuring everyone pays attention, which is not related to the "last jigsaw piece" metaphor. Eliminate.
• Option 3: States lighting design ties all elements together before the first performance. But the metaphor "last jigsaw piece" implies it is a final, unifying step. However, re - reading the excerpt: Yew says lighting design is done late (no early access to lighting/tech), and it has to be done with everyone in the room. The key is the timing and finality of lighting design in the production process. Wait, no—let's re - evaluate. The phrase "last jigsaw puzzle piece" is used to show that lighting design is the final element that completes the production. Wait, no, the correct option (third option in the dropdown, the one about "ties all the elements... before the first performance"—wait, no, let's check the exact text. Wait, the correct reasoning: The "last jigsaw puzzle piece" emphasizes that lighting design is the final step to unify all elements of the theater production before the first performance. Among the options, the one that says "ties all the elements of a theater production together in a final step before the first performance" matches. Wait, no, looking at the options again (from the image):

The correct option is the one that says: "ties all the elements of a theater production together in a final step before the first performance" (the third option in the dropdown, likely the last one in the box). Wait, no, let's re - check the excerpt. Yew says lighting design is the "last jigsaw puzzle piece" because they don't get to it earlier, and it has to be done with everyone in the room. The metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle piece implies that lighting design is the final element that completes the production. So the option that says "ties all the elements of a theater production together in a final step before the first performance" is correct.

The phrase "the last jigsaw puzzle piece" is a metaphor. A jigsaw puzzle piece that is last implies it is the final element to complete the whole. In theater production, lighting design, as the "last jigsaw puzzle piece", ties all elements (set, costumes, acting, etc.) together in the final step before the first performance. Other options either focus on unrelated aspects (working in the same room, attention to lighting) or misinterpret the metaphor.

Answer:

The option (likely the third one in the dropdown) that states: "ties all the elements of a theater production together in a final step before the first performance" (exact wording from the dropdown menu's third option in the box).