It is important to remember that, although stage lighting may rely more heavily on technology than do most
genres, it is no less an art than are singing, acting, and dancing. The lighting designer — like the
choreographer, director, and actor — is an artist.
There is a tendency to become bogged down in the technology — to concentrate on that aspect rather than on
the art. This is the equivalent of an architect's fixating on the wood and brick rather than on the overall
appearance of the building.
Any designer who doesn't admit that her/his designs have on occasion been saved by good technicians is probably either
very new to professional theatre, or lying. Being a technician is an honorable and admirable vocation, but
there's a difference between designers and technicians. The technician is in no way "below"
the designer; the two positions are equal in importance, but they are not the same.
One person may well be both, but not necessarily so.
You should always remember that the designer is primarily an artist, and you should be kind enough to help
your colleagues who are actors, dancers, musicians, and directors to remember it, also.
