Stage Lighting Class Projects

Lighting is an important part of theatre.

Every stage performance must have some aspect of lighting. The lighting design can range from a single light to a multitude of color arrangements, gobos (stencils for lights), strobe lights and even videos. Light designs add mood, atmosphere and clarity to a scene. It can make the difference between a mediocre and a powerful production, according to David Corlette on his website Lighting Design at Harvard. There are different aspects to learning lighting design and usage, and different types of projects that could be done in a classroom.

Pseudo Light Design

Have the students create a theoretical lighting design.

A pseudo light design is when the students design a lighting scheme for a production--but only in theory. As the instructor, you can either choose a common play for the whole class, provide a list of plays for the students to choose from or allow the students to choose their own plays. For shorter projects, choose one-act plays or one scene from a longer play. Have the students read the play and design a lighting scheme for the scene, act or play that encompasses mood, atmosphere, action and other important aspects of the play. If the students have been using a particular theater, you can have them keep in mind the technical limitations of that space, such as the amount of available lights or size of the lighting grid. Including a budget or a list of available supplies also adds limitations and guidelines for the project.

Lighting Presentations

Explore the different aspects of stage lighting.

Each student or group creates a presentation to give to the class that teaches one aspect of lighting. Teaching a topic helps students learn a subject in more depth because they have to become experts in the subject before they can teach it to others. Having different presentations also allows each group or student to show their creativity. Topics can include: lighting for mood/atmosphere, lighting for visibility, lighting as a part of the story, types of lights, lighting colors, the lighting board, history of stage lighting and planning a lighting design.

Practical Lighting

Use lights to create effects.

Using the lighting board is an important part of lighting knowledge. In order to be a successful designer, you need to know how to use the equipment that is available. Have each student or group design a short series of light changes to evoke a mood, environment or special effect. The student or group must then put the lights in the proper positions, use the correct gels or gobos and input the levels and changes into the lighting board. The final project should be a smooth transition from one lighting design to the next.

References

• Lighting Design at Harvard
• Stage Lighting Project