Lighting in theatre history First 2,000 years of theatre history, it took

place mostly outdoors during the day – that didn’t give people a lot of control over light

Playwrights used the imagination to suggest nighttime, or shifts of lighting

Playwrights also used language in place of lighting

Around 1600, theatre began to move indoors▪ Candles and oil lamps were used for illumination, but

there still wasn’t a lot of control 1803, the theatre in London installed gaslights 1879, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb

Objectives of lighting design1. Provide visibility2. Help establish time and place3. Help create mood4. Reinforce the style of the production5. Provide focus onstage and create visual

compositions6. Establish rhythm of visual movement

Elements of stage lighting Intensity Color Direction Form Movement

Given Circumstances What are the major

cues? (Scenes, time shift)

Specials – any light that is used to light a very specific part of the stage for just a couple special moments

Available resources Budget and schedule Style/Concept of the

show Color palette

Discussion Research Sketch Discussion (Computer

Simulation) Light Plot Hang the lights

and create the cues. Discuss. Adjust.

This is a section of a light plot. This is what designers use to show the master electrician

where every instrument is going to

hang and how it should be pointed and circuited. The series of symbols stand for

different kinds of lights, the circuits they’ll be plugged

into, where they’ll be placed in the theatre… it’s a whole language

all its own!

The lighting designer’s resources Types of stage lights▪ Ellipsoidal reflector spotlight

The lighting designer’s resources Types of stage lights▪ Soft-edged spotlights

The lighting designer’s resources Types of stage lights▪ Floodlights, strip lights,

and border lights

The lighting designer’s resources Types of stage lights▪ Automated or moving light

Gels – thin plastic sheets that are placed in front of the light to cast different colors

Gobos – thin metal slides that are inserted into an ellipsoidal light to cast a pattern like leaves or a window

Barn Doors – an attachment that is placed on the front of some lights to help shape the beam of light

Shutters – a piece of some lights that can shape the beam of light

Practicals – electric elements that are plugged in on stage and really work, like a real lamp or a real toaster

Lighting controls Lighting changes, or cues, are arranged

ahead of time▪ Black-out: all the lights are shut off at once▪ Fade: lights dim slowly▪ Cross-fade: one set of lights come down

while another comes up▪ Split cross-fade: lights that are coming up

are on a different fade count from the lights coming down

The lighting designer’s collaborators A Master Electrician – in charge of hanging

and wiring the lights and then maintaining them during the run of the show

Spot Operator – the person who runs the spotlight (when necessary)

Light Board Operator – the person who pushes the “go” button to move from light cue to light cue during each performance

The sound designer Responsible for arranging and

orchestrating all the auditory aspects of a production

Consults with director to determine sound requirements, including sound effects and amplification

Given Circumstances What are the major

cues? (Scenes, time shift)

Do you need music the play in the audience before and after the show and at intermission? What kind?

Available resources Budget and schedule Style/Concept of the

show

Discussion Research Discussion Search

for/Record sounds

Sound Plot Program the

sound cues Discuss Adjust

Understanding sound reproduction and sound reinforcement Sound reproduction: use of motivated or

environmental sounds▪ Motivated sounds: sounds that are directly

called for by action or lines in the script▪ Noise of a car crunching on gravel to signal someone’s

arrival▪ Phone ring

▪ Environmental sounds: noises of everyday life that help create verisimilitude in a production▪ Street traffic in a city▪ Crickets in the country

The Process of Sound A list is made of all sound effects required Recordings are made and the sounds arranged

in order of appearance in script Sometimes the sounds are run from a CD,

sometimes they are put into a computer program that programs the cues in a lot of detail – just like the light board

During the performance, an operator controls the cues when the stage manager tells him/her to go