lighting design Archives - Dramatics Magazine Online

The Basics of Good Stage Lighting Design

Andrew Koch — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:52:08 +0000

The spotlight is one of the most iconic symbols of the performing arts, and just one of many tools at the lighting designer’s disposal. In this article, we’ll introduce some principles of lighting design and the ways they can enhance your production. How you achieve these effects will depend on your troupe’s experience level and access to lights and tech, but these basics will help you understand the “what” and “why” of lighting design.

What is stage lighting design?

Lighting design is a kind of blueprint for the show’s light fixtures. Just like a script tells actors what to say and choreography tells dancers how and when to move, lighting design informs your technicians how a scene will be lit.

Through cues, technicians mark how and when different lights will go on and off. Cues often hit at the beginning and end of a scene but could also occur when a character enters or leaves the stage, a musical number begins, or the main action shifts from one part of the stage to another.

What makes for good stage lighting?

At a basic level, your lighting should make it easy for the audience to see what the director wants them to see, and when done well, it is both practical and creative. A blog post by Illuminated Integration, an effects consulting group, highlights four roles lighting design plays:

Illuminating the stage: Allow the audience to see the actors, set, and props so they can understand the action on stage. For safety reasons, it also allows performers to see each other and their surroundings.
Highlighting different areas: Draw the audience’s attention to a particular character, action or sub-scene, or pan from one part of the stage to another.

Setting the scene: Enhance the setting to reflect the place and time a scene is depicting. Perhaps wavy blue lights to suggest an undersea environment, or a flickering streetlamp for a seedy alley. Also consider time of day: Is it evening or morning? Can the lighting help indicate that time has passed—a sunrise, or sunset?
Controlling the mood: Hint at the character’s emotional state or provide a suggestion for how the audience might be feeling. Warm, cozy light might convey happiness, but harsh strobe lights indicate danger or excitement.

In the first video of a webinar series all about lighting design, Electronic Theatre Controls (or ETC, a manufacturer of lighting equipment) adds a fifth role: composition. Theatre is an art form. Like other visual arts, lighting designers can use the tools available to them—texture, lines, colors, shapes and so on—to aesthetically frame a picture of the action on stage.

And, like other parts of a production, effective lighting design supports the wider show’s creative vision. Make sure you stay in contact with your director and consider how lighting will affect other aspects of the show: blocking, choreography, sets, sound, and costumes.

Tools of lighting design

The specific kinds of lights and the technology you use to schedule and deploy cues will vary by troupe. But these are some of the creative levers you’ll have available to you as you put together a light design:

Intensity: Bright lights are more revealing than dim ones and can help convey a tone.
Color: Many colors are associated with emotions—red for anger or passion, blue for sadness, and so on. Also consider how colors will interact with sets and costumes, and how they can enhance the setting (e.g., a warm orange glow to suggest a sunset).
Movement: How do you transition from one lighting scheme to another? Is the light static, or does it flash or come on/off at meaningful times? Does the light need to move to follow a character or some action?
Distribution: Does the light come from one source, or many? Is it directly above the stage, or at an angle? How focused is it?
Shadow: Consider where light won’t be. Is a character half in shadow because they’re withholding information or can’t be trusted? Can you use shadows to create texture?

ETC has a helpful guide to many of these elements. And you can read how one student lighting technician approached her role.

Example: The Phantom’s Reveal

Note that good lighting design doesn’t necessarily show everything on stage. Indeed, there may be times in which you want a certain character or action to be in shadow. Consider the filmed production of Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall.

During “All I Ask of You,” Raoul and Christine sing of their love for each other in conventional lighting. As they exit the stage, the Phantom appears from behind the proscenium arch, lit overhead by a bright light. Unbeknownst to the lovers—and the audience—he watched the whole scene from the shadows.

The lighting choice is both functional and thematic:

Functional: The change in lighting draws the audience’s attention to this unusual part of the stage, helping reveal the Phantom’s presence.
Thematic: The lighting is eerie, unexpected, and unsettling. And the audience sees the Phantom as he sees himself—brutal, mysterious, and bitterly alone.

Good lighting design requires thoughtful consideration of how to best use the properties of light to help the show. And it requires practice—get started!

Andrew Koch is a writer and editor from Cincinnati. He volunteered to hang stage lights in a community production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

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A Meteoric Rise in the World of Lighting Design

Patty Craft — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:58:50 +0000

Jack Cannon is the principal designer at the company he founded, Cann Light. Jack is just 20 years old and the youngest graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, which means if you’re a high school or early college reader, Cannon was recently right where you are.

So how has he built a career in the world of lighting design and what advice does he have for students looking to do the same? Read on as Jack shares his story and actionable tips to chart your path beyond the school stage.

Focus Delivers Results

Jack Cannon Headshot – Photo By Meredith Adelaide

At age 14 Cannon got involved in theatre and quickly “fell in love,” and realized he strongly disliked having to turn down theatre work gigs because he had to finish high school first. So Cannon graduated early in 2020 as a 17-year-old junior.

Even before he’d graduated from high school, Cannon was focused on his dream. “I taught theatrical design for the first time when I was 15, at the Illinois Community Theatre Festival,” he said. “At age 16, in January 2020, I taught at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival and the Indiana State Thespians Conference where I also adjudicated the [state] Thespian Excellence Awards.”

During the pandemic, Cannon completed his CalArts degree plus an associate’s in Business Management and Administration.

Seeing is Believing

Students experimenting with lighting design at the California State Thespian Festival Workshops – Photo by Cann Light

While not everyone knows so early in life what they’re passionate about, Cannon knew what he enjoyed and saw opportunities that became stepping stones to his current career. If you know it’s theatre you love but you’re still not sure what you want to do, check out this post.

At the end of the 2020 Illinois High School Theatre Festival where Cannon taught six workshops, a participating teacher told Cannon, “It’s one thing when an older professional comes in to teach. Students see what they can become in 30 years. It’s a whole other thing when a student sees someone who is literally their age; a working professional and teaching.”

That experience has led to much of his success in lighting design and has also led to countless other opportunities.

Jack Cannon’s Tips for Theatre-Industry Success

1: You Be You.

“The best advice I can give to students is to never let anyone put you in a box or try to keep you in a box. You have to force yourself to push boundaries,” says Cannon. “It’s the only way you can explore your art and the art form that you enjoy most.” So be brave enough to figure out who you are and courageous enough to bring a unique set of skills to the table.

2: Think Like a Business Owner.

“Another piece of advice is that you must learn the business side of entertainment. Art programs struggle to effectively teach the business of being an artist,” he said. “It’s important that you take the time early in your career to understand business management, client development, accounting, and contracts.”

3: You Must Network. Period.

NBC Universal Virtual Production – Photo by Cann Light

Cannon admits, “All of my work can be traced back to asking and having coffee with an industry professional.” Who you know, who knows you, and who knows what you can do, makes the difference in getting gigs. In a world full of so many choices, it’s human nature to choose someone you know – or at least think we think we know. Introduce yourself and talk to people at every gig you do.

Choose the social media platforms where your decision-makers are hanging out; you don’t have to have a profile on them all. Then present a polished, on-brand profile with clear and easy ways to communicate with you. Interact in a general way on social. That is, don’t leave your profile to gather dust from inactivity.

Go to trade shows and meet people; leave a positive impression on them along with a way for them to remember you and contact you. And believe it or not, email is still one of the most effective ways to connect with people. Grow your email list and use it wisely. Reach out via email with a clear reason for someone to respond and have a conversation with you.

Jack Cannon teaching lighting design at California State Thespian Festival Workshops – Photo by Cann Light

4: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

“Photography of your work is key. Start building a portfolio as soon as you have work to showcase,” Cannon says. Become friends with photographers that you meet, because it takes a special skill to capture the right image in a theatrical environment. Make genuine connections so photographers can also get to know you and what you’re trying to convey through your photography.

You can contact Cannon who said, “I’m open to everything and can be reached for engagements via email at education@cann-light.com.” Find him on Instagram and LinkedIn, too.

Patty Craft is a regular contributor to the Educational Theatre Association.

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Lighting Design: The Magic Backstage

Natalie Clare — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 21:09:23 +0000

Alex Vasquez Dheming is an International Thespian Society alum who works her magic backstage. She works primarily as a lighting designer and production manager. She also works as a lighting programmer, master electrician, production coordinator and sometimes stage manager. Alex puts all her talents to work bringing the story on stage to life!

She says each of these specialties has their own unique challenge and appeal. With lighting, she says, “I love … enabling people to feel, be it euphoria or despair. I think a lot of people don’t allow themselves to feel enough.”

She embodies a healthy work/life balance and says, “I don’t believe in ‘the show must go on’ anymore, if physical or mental safety is at risk. A professor of mine used to say ‘we’re not curing cancer,’ and I still believe that! I constantly work on keeping a sense of perspective on the work that we do, while maintaining respect for the craft.” Read more below about Alex’s multifaceted career in theatre.

SCAD Savannah – Spring 2016 – Performing Arts – Performances – “Rent” – Hamilton Hall – Photography by Justin Chan

Lighting Design: In the Designer’s Own Words

As a lighting designer, I create worlds and environments for stories to live in. We have so little control over what lighting does to us. For example, red light quickens our heartbeat. Blue light soothes us. The absence of light can make us afraid. A sudden blackout can take our breath away. I love creating art within this sensory and color theory knowledge.

Production management involves a lot of logistics: facilitating conversations, connections, communication, designs; creating schedules; arranging transportation; booking crew; creating riders for touring shows; maintaining budgets; working in tandem with both executive and artistic directors, and more! But the most important aspect of this job is setting the stage for how a production will run. It is non-negotiable for me to be in and to create a room where everyone feels empowered to ask for what they need, and to move with intention and care.

As a “younger” woman of color in this position, it brings me joy to bring together more diverse people with diverse points of views and lived experiences. I love working together to create art that speaks to historically underrepresented groups.

I also love having an impact on how sustainably we can create theatre. From small actions like limiting single-use plastics in the rehearsal room to reusing shipping materials. I believe that every action helps better the ways we create. Theater doesn’t need to be a wasteful art form.

Lighting Design: The Winding Road

My original plan was to study law in Nantes, France. Then I would get a Master’s in environmental law and practice law. But a few weeks before moving to France, I realized I really did not want to study law or become a lawyer!

Photo by Richard Termine

So, I took a sabbatical year to find what I really wanted to do. I continued taking language classes (French and Italian) and began teaching visual arts and dance to kids. I also continued dancing. (I danced from the ages of 4-19 and ended up getting a minor in dance in college).

Then in December of that year, I got into a car accident that required minor surgery on my elbow. I was crushed realizing I couldn’t perform in the holiday performance I had been rehearsing for.

To stay near the production I hung out backstage and tried to help. I had never paid attention to the technical elements and the energy backstage. I felt quite at home in it!

A New Direction is Found

Around the same time, I was reapplying to colleges, and the production design major at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) caught my eye. It covered a lot: scenic design, costume design, lighting design, makeup design, film production, theatre production, themed entertainment, and more.

I honestly wasn’t 100-percent sure I understood what the career paths available were with a BFA in production design. But I had the support of my parents to do “whatever I wanted, as long as I gave it my all.”

Coming from a developing country where the arts aren’t really respected or valued because of the real threats of violence, poverty, corruption, and hunger, I struggled with the decision. I wondered whether I was “wasting myself” or whether I was being selfish by not dedicating myself to becoming a social worker or doing something to help with climate change.

SCAD offered me a very good scholarship, and with the support and advice of many older artists and mentors, I went for it. After the first year, even though I LOVED being immersed in art and creation, I still felt guilty and considered transferring to pursue a “real career.” Ultimately, I’m happy that I didn’t, because I do feel like this is where I belong, and I do believe that being in the arts is a “real career” and is important. Art is what makes life worth living, and where we as humans find solace and are allowed to dream.

See more of Alex’s work at her website.

Natalie Clare is a Cincinnati-based writer who composes original content for brands, organizations, and publications. As a storyteller, she writes fiction and nonfiction, and she directs and produces works of film. Visit her at nataliecwrites.com.

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Latinx Theatre Design Group Brings Positive Change

Patty Craft — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:38:12 +0000

The 2021 International Thespian Festival offers 50+ workshops on topics from becoming a lighting designer to hip-hop dance to audition techniques in the digital world. Meet Jorge Arroyo, lighting designer and Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at Boston University, who is leading a workshop called “Seeing the Stage” at ITF 2021. His career path started when a college friend snuck him into a theatre show.

How did you become a lighting designer?

In my junior year in college, a friend was ushering for The Crucible. He snuck me in to see the show. I didn’t even know the school had a theatre program. I was immediately hooked.

I’d been floundering around with a science major, knowing that my heart wasn’t in it enough to take the long journey to becoming a scientist. I was primed for a new career opportunity, and the theatre provided that. I joined the theatre program the following year and was cast as one of the prince’s entourage in Twelfth Night.

As a newly minted theatre major, I had to take a design class to graduate. I signed up for the only one that would fit into my schedule, which was lighting design. At the time I knew nothing about lighting design. Here I am, all these years later, a professional lighting designer and educator. And this journey, all started with a friend bending the rules to sneak me into a show.

Are you a Thespian alum?

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Theatre isn’t a widespread thing there, so very few high schools had theatre programs when I was growing up. My school didn’t, so I never had the opportunity to be a Thespian.

Students from Latin countries are in a similar situation, so few of us ever go into theatre as a career. Because of that, I’ve been part of a network of Latinx designers, managers, and technicians called La Gente: The Latinx Theater Design Network. We intend to raise our visibility, create engagement within Latinx theatre artists, and fight for advocacy for our community. There are some incredible Latinx theatre artists working in our industry, but the path hasn’t been easy for most of us. La Gente is working toward actively changing that. If you identify as Latinx and you plan on making a career working backstage in the theater, come join us!

What do you hope attendees will learn in your “Seeing the Stage” workshop?

I hope they’ll learn to see with fresh eyes. You need to understand what you’re seeing, and why. I’ll explain how your eyes deliver this information to your brain. This is a great place to begin the path toward becoming a designer. It’s about noticing and questioning the world around you in service of telling a story.

So much of design training in high school is about learning the equipment, technique, and terminology of the theatre. That’s only a small portion of what I do as a professional designer. For example, you can learn the names of surgical tools and how to use them, but that doesn’t make you a surgeon.

What training has made the biggest impact on your theatre skills?

Having found theatre, and lighting design specifically, so late in my college career, I had to do a lot of self-learning. This was particularly hard in the early days of the internet, so books became my teachers. I attended some workshops at Lighting Dimensions International (a yearly trade show for the lighting industry) as well as some master classes held in New York.

But the bulk of my training came from attending the MFA program at New York University. That’s where I discovered what it really means to be a lighting designer. It’s where I learned how to be a storyteller who uses light as the medium.

What makes you well suited to teach this workshop?

I’ve been a professional lighting designer for 25 years now and I’ve been teaching at the college level for 10 years to students from varied backgrounds. I’ve taught absolute beginners to graduate students pursuing their MFA in lighting design. My teaching philosophy has always been about teaching students to see things that have always been in front of them. Things they never stopped to notice, think about, understand, or question. I help them discover why they see what they do.

My science background comes in handy. I use those lessons and apply them to composition on stage in service of the text and the storytelling needs of the show. I purposefully stay away from teaching by the book. I’ve always approached lighting education differently to produce artists who have their own unique voice. Learning who you are as a designer and artist doesn’t come from a book.

And, just for fun, choose one from each of the following:

Hamilton or Hadestown?
I have good friends and colleagues who worked on both shows, so I’ll uplift them both.

Ballet, Hip-Hop, or Tap?
I love them all, but hip-hop makes for some fun light cues, so I’ll pick that.

Hero or villain?
Hero, for sure. Don’t we all need heroes right now?

The most dynamic performance you’ve seen?
I’ll cheat and pick a concert. Seeing The Police in 2007 made this child of the ’80s geek out hard. I knew every beat of every song for a solid two hours.

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