Welcome!

Stage Lighting for Students is provided by Judy Kupferman and Jeffrey E. Salzberg, and hosted by Theatrical.Net. It discusses glossary terms, functions and qualities of light, basic formulas, and other essential stage lighting information, with an emphasis on lighting design as an art form, with chapters on the design process, the principles of composition, and other subjects. Throughout the site, we highlight the differences in the ways that Jeff and Judy approach the creation of a lighting design. Design philosophies vary widely, and as we state below, "There is no one 'right' way to do anything in theatre; the only wrong way is that which is unsafe, unethical, or illegal."

To see what's been added since your last visit, click "What's New on Stage Lighting for Students?" in the "Contents" menu. Additions and changes will also be posted on our Facebook page, so, to get notifications by email, "like" the page and then click "Notifications" in the Header and choose to see "All posts" (There aren't many posts; it won't spam your mailbox).

We appreciate your comments and suggestions. Please click here to send email to Judy and Jeff.

Note to Students:

Design philosophies vary widely and so do teaching methods. No web site can be all things to all syllabi.

If any material on this site contradicts something that your professor or instructor has told you, go with what you've learned in class (this will certainly have a more beneficial effect on your GPA). There is no one "right" way to do anything in theatre; the only wrong way is that which is unsafe, unethical, or illegal.

Note to Teachers:

If you use Stage Lighting for Students in your curriculum or syllabus and find it helpful, please take a moment to send email to that effect; this will make it easier for the authors to obtain and maintain academic employment, which in turn will furnish the resources to keep the site online and to continue to improve it. Of course, suggestions for additions and improvements are always welcome, as are content contributions.

You should certainly feel free to link to this site, or to quote it in your online or print syllabus. We have only two requests: please give us the authorship credit, and please spell our names correctly.

Preface

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.

Links
Graphics:

Tutorials/Educational:
  • How to Work with a Lighting Designer
  • HSTech.org — A site to assist High School Technical Theater students.
  • Learn Stage Lighting — A website featuring many articles on basic stage lighting, lighting ideas and advanced lighting techniques.
  • LightingTrainer.Com — Free online video tutorials on the operation of various consoles, moving lights, and lighting software..
  • The Modern Educational Technical Theatre Initiative (METTI) — publishes a free theatre lighting curriculum and offers workshops and training around intelligent lighting technologies.
  • On Stage Lighting — A useful resource to help those new to lighting and hoping to gain more knowledge of lighting in theatre, corporate events or live concerts. Written by stage lighting educators and professionals with particular specialism in modern lighting systems programming and control.
  • Stage Lighting Design 101 — A comprehensive overview of the art and science of lighting design, for entertainment lighting applications. This series is intended as a quick reference for the lighting student, educator, or professional.
  • Stagehand Primer — Created for the professional stagehands of NE Wisconsin, but with useful information for others, as well. Has information on many topics, including different types of theatre spaces and an excellent overview of the structure and function of the IATSE.
  • The Technician's Toolbox is an online based non-profit organisation that aims to educate users in the art of Light, Sound and Rigging via its website and Facebook page.

Reference:

Lighting
Archives/History:

Lighting Control/Programming
Facebook Groups: 		These Facebook discussion groups are valuable places to ask (and answer) questions about programming your console.
Miscellaneous:



To submit your stage lighting-related link, click here. Please include a one-line description. Descriptions are subject to editing for style and size.

If any links appear to be broken, please email Jeffrey E. Salzberg.

Online Forums
There are several online forums for stagecraft-related discussion. This is a partial list:

  • The Stagecraft Email Mailing List. Probably the best all-around resource for online discussion of technical theatre. Participants range from community theatre technicians and designers to people with serious Broadway and international credits. Participants are located in almost every part of the world. This website came about as a result of a discussion on the Stagecraft list and we are hosted by the same provider. The list frequently has content that is very valuable to college and high school lighting students. The list has an unofficial companion group on Facebook.

  • The Blue Room. A discussion forum for technical theatre. Most participants are from the UK, but there are users from other countries as well.

  • Criticaldance.com's Backstage forum.

  • Controlbooth.com provides "a venue for discussion, information exchange, and technical advice, related to technical theatre, in a casual and fun atmosphere that fosters friendships among its membership."



To submit a stage lighting-related forum, click here. Please include a one-line description. Descriptions are subject to editing for style and size.

If any links appear to be broken, please email Jeffrey E. Salzberg.

Acknowledgments


Photographs of Altman lighting fixtures courtesy of Altman Lighting (Yonkers, NY USA).
Photographs of Compulite control equipment courtesy of Compulite Systems (2000) LTD (Hod Hasharon, Israel).
Photographs of Electronics Theatre Controls lighting fixtures and control equipment courtesy of Electronics Theatre Controls (Middleton, WI USA).
Drawings and photographs of Rosco products courtesy of Rosco Laboratories Inc. (Stamford, CT USA).
Graphics Standards links provided by Steve Shelley.
Some glossary definitions provided by Mark Thomason (Admiral Theatre Foundation).
Some content suggested by Scott C. Parker.


Stage Lighting for Students is hosted by Theatrical.Net.
Please contact auditions@theatrical.net regarding discounted
hosting for non-profit and volunteer-based performing arts groups.


Comments or suggestions? Email Jeffrey E. Salzberg.

What's New on Stage Lighting for Students
 

About the Authors
Dr. Judy Kupferman is an American-born Israeli lighting designer, technician and educator. She also holds a Ph.D. in physics. She has lit over 600 plays, ballets, opera, outdoor spectaculars, industrials, fashion shows, museum exhibitions (favorite was one of dinosaurs with real skeletons),and just about anything else that needed to be seen.

Jeffrey E Salzberg has designed lighting for theatre, dance, and opera in the New York City area and also in the United States of America. His portfolio can be seen online at www.jeffsalzberg.com and his work was the subject of a Rosco Labs online tutorial entitled, "Lighting Aerialists, Puppets and the Sahara Desert." Jeff's favorite stage direction is, "Freud picks up the telephone. It turns into a lobster."