Lighting design

This article is about lighting design in theater. For lighting design in architecture, see Architectural lighting design.

Lighting at the 2005 Classical Spectacular Concert

The role of the theatre lighting designer (or LD) within theatre is to work with the theatre director, set designer, and costume designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, but bearing in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost. In very large shows, the LD also works closely with the stage manager on show control programming.

Some eminent lighting designers working in the US today are: Ken Billington, Howell Binkley, Peggy Eisenhauer, Jules Fisher, Paul Gallo, David Hersey, Donald Holder, Natasha Katz, Chris Kuroda, Allen Lee Hughes, Brian Mac Devitt, John McKernon, Ken Posner, and Jennifer Tipton, many of whom have been honored with a Tony Award for Best Lighting Design.

English Lighting Designers include Mark Henderson, Rick Fisher and Neil Austen http://mckenzieelectronics.com/neilaustin.com/

Pioneers in the industry include: Stanley McCandless, Jean Rosenthal, and Tharon Musser.

refer to: Category:Lighting designers

During pre-production

The role of the lighting designer varies greatly depending on whether a production is professional or amateur. For a Broadway show the LD is usually an outside freelance specialist hired early in the production process, but most permanent theatre companies will have a resident lighting designer responsible for most of the company's productions. At the amateur level the LD will often be responsible for much of the hands-on work (hanging instruments, programming the light board, etc.) that would be the work of the lighting crew in a professional theatre.

The LD will read the script carefully and make notes on changes in place and time between scenes - such changes are often done just with lighting - and will have meetings with the Director, Designer and production manager during the pre-production period to discuss ideas for the show and establish budget and scheduling details. The LD will also attend several later rehearsals to observe the way the actors are being directed to use the stage area ('blocking') during different scenes, and will receive updates from the stage manager on any changes that occur. The LD will also make sure that he or she has an accurate plan of the theatre's lighting positions and a list of their equipment. The LD often takes into account the show's mood and director's vision in creating a lighting plan.

All this information is vital for the preparation of an accurate lighting plan and lighting plot.

The plan is a scale drawing of the theatre's stage and auditorium lighting positions with the show's lanterns marked on it. Next to each lantern will be information for any color gel, gobo, animation wheel or other accessory that needs to go with it, and its channel number. Professional LDs usually use special computer-aided design packages to create accurate and easily read plans that can be swiftly updated as necessary. The LD will discuss the plan with the show's production manager and the theatre's lighting chief to make sure there are no unforeseen problems with the plan before the latter places a hire order for any specified extra equipment.

The lighting plot is a list of the lighting states that the LD intends to use for each scene during the show. Ideally, a pre-production lighting plot will have levels specified for every instrument and fade times for each lighting state, or cue, but it is accepted that there will usually be many changes during the technical rehearsal of the show.

During fit-up(Load-In/Focus/Cue to Cue) and technical rehearsals

The lighting designer is responsible, in conjunction with the production's independently hired "Production Electrician" who will interface with the theatre's Master Electrician, for directing the theatre's electrics crew in the realization of his or her designs during the technical rehearsals. The LD will direct the focusing (pointing, shaping and sizing of the light beams) and gelling of each lighting unit. Then the LD usually sits at a temporary desk somewhere in the auditorium where they have a good view of the stage and work with the lighting board operator/programmer, who will either be seated alongside him at a portable control console or talk via headset to the control room. After lighting, if scheduled, and depending if the production is following closely on schedule there is a period of one to two days that might be allowed for pre-lighting. At an arranged time the actors arrive and the play is worked through in chronological order, with occasional stops to correct sound, lighting, entrances etc. The lighting designer will work constantly with the board operator to refine the lighting states as the technical rehearsal continues, but because the focus of a "tech" or "cue-to-cue" rehearsal is the production's technical aspects, the LD may require the actors to pause ("hold") frequently. Nevertheless, any errors of focusing or changes to the lighting plan are corrected only when the actors take a break.

Once the show is open to the public the lighting designer will stay and watch several performances of the show, making notes each night and making desired changes the next day. Normally they only make changes during the preview process of the show; once it officially opens hopefully the lighting designer will not make further changes.

Changes should not be made after the job is done. Sometimes that is before opening, most of the time that is by opening. But sometimes changes are made after opening. Such situtations occur for a number of reasons such as, casting changes, changes to the show after reviews, or maybe the tech and/or preview period (if there was a preview period) was too short to accommodate as thorough a cueing as you might have wanted (this is particularly common in dance productions). The goal should be to finish by opening, but what is most important is that not only you think your job is done, but also the director and producer think your job is done. If that happens to be by opening night, then after opening no changes are made, to that particular production run at that venue.

NB: There are different protocols between European technical theatre and American technical theater.