Lighting

Lighting in the theatre is controlled by the lighting director, who plans all the different types of lighting for each scene in a play. Lighting in a play contributes to the atmosphere and mood that an audience feels. It can also be used to indicate what time of day it is and even what the weather is like. The lighting director may decide to create dark, moody lighting for a murder scene or bright, colourful lighting for a wedding scene. Floor lights, spotlights and floodlights are some of the types of lights that a lighting director might use to create an effect or atmosphere on stage.

COMMUNICATING: GROUP DISCUSSION

Look at the examples below of interesting lighting effects used by lighting directors in performances. Divide into small groups and discuss what you can tell about the mood of each of these shows just by examining the lighting.

WRITING

If you were the lighting director of a show, how would you light the scenes described below? Write a paragraph to explain your choices for each scene. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 A romantic scene between two people sitting on a car bonnet watching the stars A tense scene where a soldier is trying to make it across no-man’s land under heavy fire from the enemy in the trenches on the other side

A gripping scene with an old man on stage on his own, recounting stories from his youth ©The Educational Company of Ireland