1. THOMAS ATKINSON 17/11/15
Lighting Roles
The lightingdesigner’sjobistouse lightingtodoguide the audience andenhance the piece in
several differentways:
Reinforce the moodorstyle of the production
Emphasise the importance of aspecificareaof the action or a specificcharacter
Showthe locationor time of day1
The designerwill beingwithreadingthe scriptandworkingoutat whichpointsthere shouldbe a
change in lighting,workingcloselywiththe director,aswell asthe otherdepartments,tomake sure
all of theirideasandvisionsgel together.The setdesignerispossiblythe mostimportant
departmentforthe lightingdesignertoworkwithapart fromthe directorhimself,since the set
positioningwillbe integral tothe positioningof the lighting. Afterthe setchoices,the lightingstill
cannot be completelydecided:atmosphericaspectsof the lightingmaybe plannedinsome capacity
but more focussedaspects,follow-spotsparticularly,cannotbe decidedonuntil the productionhas
beenblockedbythe director.
The designerwill have alightingplotforthe theatre,onwhicheverylight,itstype, itsposition,itsgel
colour, itsvoltage anditsdesignationnumberwill be listed. If the productiongoestoanothervenue,
the original plotisusedasa basisforthe lightingriginthe new venue.
The lightingoperatorwill have acue listwitha ‘Go’buttonto take themthrougheachcue.Before,
theywouldhave physicallyoperatedeachlight withthe fadersbutwiththe developmentof digital
technology,the lightswill insteadhave pre-programmedcueswhichare gone throughasthe DSM
callsthem.
The designerdoesnotoperate ortechnicallyengineerthe lights;thatfallstothe headtechnicianfor
the theatre or production. Each daythe lightsare cleanedandcheckedbythe team,andtheywill
make sure theydo not fail inthe course of the show.
1 http://www.aact.org/lighting-designer
