Richard III is a historical play by William Shakespeare. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. The Director wanted to set this as a traveling circus production set in the mid 1800s. The lighting created a textural atmosphere to depict the dusty and grimy atmosphere while cueing pushed the theatricality to emphasize Richard's antics. As Richard III moved up the ranks, the lighting condensed in on him and became less saturate to enhance the increase in paranoia and his alienation from the people.