1. B Y L U C Y A N D R E W
LIGHTING GENRES

2. THEME PARK SHOW
I decided to look at theme park shows as they contain a
lot of different elements of lighting technique. In particular
I will be looking at Fantasmic, a show from Walt Disney
World Resort as lighting plays a big part in this show
throughout. The show is staged end on and the stage is in
the centre of a lake. The show involves large pieces of set,
projection, pyrotechnics and also water fountains and
sprays. The complexity of the effects is a running theme
throughout the show as it contrasts busy scenes with a lot
going on and a lot to see with quieter scenes where the
main focus is clear to the audience. Set changes tend to
take place out of audience view as they are either
covered by fountain and lighting effects together or by
relevant video clips being projected onto water sprays.

3. THEME PARK SHOW
The set itself conceals various
lighting stands which appear
throughout the show, however
the majority of the lights are on a
rig directly above the audience
and the rig runs the length of the
stage. This is so that all areas of
the stage and lake can be lit if
needed and also doesn’t
distract from the performance as
they are not in the audience’s
eye line.
This is an example of a quieter
scene where the focus to the
audience is clear. The stage is lit
in a dark blue as the blue
contrasts the bright orange of
the fire on the boats making it
stand out even more. The blue
also creates a sombre effect
which fits to the music that it
playing at this moment in the
piece. The lights on the
overhead rig are being used at
this point as any of the lighting
stands on stage would distract
from the boats.
This is an example of a
scene change where
projection onto water is
used to disguise the stage
and divert the audience’s
attention. The stage at this
point is not lit as it would be
seen through the projection,
however the surrounding
lake area is lit in a medium
blue which fits in with the
water and doesn’t distract
from the projection.

4. THEME PARK SHOW
This is an example of the fountains
being used to conceal a large
scene change. There is a spotlight
on a character in front of the
fountains to catch the audience’s
attention. The fountains are lit in
light blue and light green, this
contrasts not only the open white
of the spotlight but also the
previous scene which is mainly lit
with reds and purples with the
reds signifying danger.
This is an example of the different
elements of the show all in use at the
same time together to create a chaos
within the scene. The contrast of fire
with the water fountains and sprays
takes place over the lake as there is
already a lot taking place on stage.
On the stage itself bright lights are
being contrasted with the dark purple
of the dragon which is just out of view.
The purple and blue in the lights
contrasts with the orange of the fire
making each element stand out on its
own.
For this scene black light was
used to highlight the colours
on the animal puppets, this
contrasted the bright colours
with the dark setting. This also
gave the scene a more exotic
effect like the animals would
be in a jungle. Animal sounds
and music were also added
to this scene to add to the
effect of the setting.

5. MUSICAL THEATRE SHOW
Musical theatre shows are typically bright with lots of colour
when it comes to lighting. The lighting states are kept simple for
the acting scenes and become more complex throughout the
musical numbers. Not many effect are used other that a smoke
machine and sometimes small pyrotechnics are used. This is as
the show is meant to be telling a story that happens in day to
day life therefore it is kept quite naturalistic. Musical theatre is
typically staged end on using the over head rig for lights and
boom stands in the wings which would be out of the audience
view. Set changes normally take place during a blackout unless
it is necessary for the audience to see these set changes taking
place. In particular I will be looking at In The Heights as this
musical is set in reality and the lighting must signify different
times of the day whilst also being able to be dynamic and
exciting during musical numbers.

6. MUSICAL THEATRE
This lighting state is during
one of the many musical
numbers. The pink mixed
with the blue on the back
drop gives the feel that the
time of day is in the evening
when the sun is setting.
However the all over pink
creates a fantasy feel, that
in the moment they are not
currently in reality.
This lighting state is also
during a musical number,
however this number
involves dance, the dark
blue indicates that it is
taking place at night,
however the downstage
area is much brighter, this is
to highlight the dancing that
is taking place and make
that the focal point on
stage.

7. MUSICAL THEATRE
This lighting state clearly
shows the set as a whole
with the lower levels been
shown in brighter light to
highlight the key areas
which will be used
throughout the show. The
open white at the lower
levels contrasts with the
orange at the higher levels
from light to dark
This lighting state clearly
takes place in the
evening due to the dark
background, however the
main area in the space is
bright light mainly in open
white, this lights the
extremes of the space
ensuring that all of the
characters are lit and can
be seen.

8. COMPARISON
Although both staged end on the lighting was used differently in
both shows. Although minimal with the lighting effects In The
Heights achieved reality and depicted to the audience the time
of the day when necessary, where as Fantasmic! the theme
park show had a multitude of effects used throughout which
also achieved the fantasy aspects it needed which matched
the large pieces of set. Although both of the shows used an
overhead rig they were staged differently, for the theme park
show it didn’t matter that the rig could be seen, it was crucial for
the musical theatre show that it still gave the realistic element
therefore the rig had to remain hidden meaning that nothing
could be moved and they needed to work around the set,
where as with the theme park show the different lighting bars
meant they could light from and angle of the stage they
wished.