A lighting designer uses light to enhance theatrical productions by setting mood, indicating location and time of day, shifting emphasis between stage areas, and blending visual elements into a unified whole. The designer begins by reading the script and meeting with the director to discuss lighting concepts. They collaborate with the set designer to plan lighting placements. During rehearsals, the designer observes blocking and plans lighting cues. Tools like lighting plots, instrument schedules and cue sheets are used to design and implement the lighting plan. The designer works with the production team to ensure lighting integrates with sets and costumes to create a cohesive artistic vision.

1. Connor Newbury http://www.aact.org/lighting-designer
Lighting Designer
Lightingdesignersknowhowtomake the bestuse of the subtle andpowerful mediumof light,
creatingeffectsthatcan be changedat will tomatch the moodof the action.
At itsmostbasic, stage lightingfunctionstomake the actors and theirenvironsvisibletothe
audience.Butitcan alsobe usedto:
 Evoke the appropriate mood
 Indicate time of dayand location
 Shiftemphasisfromone stage areato another
 Reinforce the style of the production
 Make objectsonstage appearflat or three dimensional
 Blendthe visual elementsonstage intoa unifiedwhole
The lightingdesignerbeginsbyreadingthe scripttobe producednotingthe type of lightitcallsfor
ineach scene.Designerand directorshare theirideasabouthow lightcouldbe usedtoenhance the
productionconceptat theirfirstmeeting.Earlymeetingswiththe setdesignerare alsoimportant
because the setand lightingdesignersmustcollaborate onhow toachieve the desired"look"forthe
play.The planfor the set mayinfluence the placementanddirectionof the necessarylighting
instruments,soflagginganypotential problemsinthisareaas earlyas possible makessense.
Lightingdesignersattendrehearsalstogeta feel forthe lightingcuesandtoplanhow to lightthe
actors as theymove fromplace to place on stage.Whenthe blockingisset,the lightingdesignercan
start to workout whichlightinginstrumentswill be usedandwhere eachone willbe located.
Planning tools:
The planningtoolslightingdesignersuse include:
 Paintingsandphotosshowingthe moodandstyle of specificlightingtechniquesandare
gatheredthroughresearch
 A lightingplot:ascale drawingof the stage and setas seenfromabove showingthe planned
layoutof each lightingfixture tobe used
 A vertical sectionplot:across-sectionof the stage andsetdrawnto scale showingthe vertical
sightlinesandthe heightandpositionof eachinstrument
 An instrumentschedule:achart that listseachlightinginstrumentseparatelyalongwiththe
details of itstype,wattage,purpose,filtercolour,the dimmeritwillbe pluggedintoandthe
circuitthat will control it
 A cue sheet:a complete listof the variouslightingeffectsthe designerhasplannedforthe
showand whentheyoccur.

2. Connor Newbury http://www.aact.org/lighting-designer
Lightcontrol:
Lightingdesignersusuallycombine bothdirectandindirectlighttoilluminatethe actorsandobjects
on stage.Directlightingcomesfromadefinite locationandilluminatesspecificareas;indirect
lightingwashesoverthe entireareatobe litand doesn'tappearto come from anyone specific
location.
The amount of lightneededtoclearlyilluminate anobjectonstage dependsonthe objects:
 Reflectiveproperties
 Colour
 Contrastwithitssurroundings
 Size
 Distance fromthe personlookingatit.
Collaboration:
The lightingdesignerwillmeetwiththe directorandthe designteam(set, costume,
and sounddesigners),todiscussthe detailsof the setandthe director'sinterpretationof the play.
The set,costume and lightingdesignersalsomeetandwork togethertoensure the creationof a
unifiedlookandfeelforthe production.A livelyexchange of initial ideasandfirstimpressionshelps
clarifythe stepsthateach personneedstotake inthisintenselycollaborativeprocess.
Once the showopens,the designer'sworkisessentiallycomplete.Now it'snormallythe jobof
the stage manager andlightcrewto make sure thateveryaspectof the productionrunsjustas the
designerintended,time aftertime,until the productioncloses.