In addition, theatrical lighting designers employ variations in color temperature to simulate a more natural environment (mimicking the angle of sunlight, or the moon through a thick forest), and set a mood with “cool” or “warm” looks. Zoned lighting draws attention to activity in one area while minimizing it in another, and also emphasizes scenic elements. Most often, these regions are upstage (back of the stage), mid-stage, and downstage (front), but may also include specials for contrast, or direct down-lighting during an aria. However, no matter how many lights are used, a stage lit only from the front will lack depth, and have a certain “un-natural” quality to it.īeyond simple presentations or unstructured performances, theatrical lighting goes a step further by breaking the stage up into zones. This setup usually consists of enough fixtures to cover the width and height of the riser, with additional tightly-focused beams used as “specials” to emphasize a lectern or a soloist. Strictly functional, a front wash simply illuminates the talent (and usually the entire platform) so the audience can see them, for example when the house lights are dimmed in a ballroom. The most basic stage wash is accomplished by deploying one or two fixtures from one or two points in front of the stage. Defining the appropriate lighting design is not just a matter of taste it impacts everything from the viewpoint of the audience to the functionality of cameras, and even the safety of the performers. Without appropriate lighting, the outcome of a performance can range from underwhelming to potentially disastrous. Okay, maybe quoting John Milton out of context is a little heavy-handed, but it doesn’t much matter what’s happening onstage if the audience can’t see it. “…light shone, and order from disorder sprung”.

Stage lighting design 101