THEATRE 250

The development of
LIGHTING DESIGNERS
and
LIGHTING PAPERWORK
In the USA
PART 12.4

GARY DECKER
FALL 2020
 The development of
LIGHTING DESIGNERS
and
LIGHTING PAPERWORK
In the USA
 1905 THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST BELSCO THEATRE NYC
DAVID BELASCO AND LOUIS HARTMANN CREATED NATURALISTIC LIGHTING
EFFECTS FOR THIS PRODUCTION
LOUIS HARTMANN IN A LIGHTING REHEARSAL 1913
BY THE MID 1930s, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT
OF BETTER DIMMING SYSTEMS AND NEW
TYPES OF LIGHTING FIXTURES, LIGHTING
BECAME MORE COMPLEX. MORE DIMMERS,
MORE LIGHTS, MORE CUES.

WITH ALL THIS, DESIGNERS BEGAN TO MAKE

DETAILED PLANS AND SKETCHES TO SORT OUT
THE EQUIPMENT AND DESIGN CHOICES. AT
THIS TIME SPECIALIST LIGHTING DESIGNERS
BEGAN TO APPEAR.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIGHT PLOT
 ABE FEDER WAS THE FIRST SPECIALIST LIGHTING DESIGNER.
HE CREATED THE FIRST SCALE DRAWING LIGHT PLOTS AND OTHER NOW STANDARD
LIGHTING PAPERWORK
1956 MY FAIR LADY LIGHT PLOT -ABE FEDER
THE TYPICAL STEPS IN CREATING A LIGHTING DESIGN
1) READ SCRIPT AND DO RELATED RESEARCH
2) GATHER PRODUCTION INFORMATION
A) PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
B) PRODUCTION BUDGETS
C) THEATRE DRAWINGS

3) CREATIVE TEAM MEETINGS

4) MEET WITH DIRECTOR TO DISCUSS SPECIFICS
A) ESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS (TIME OF DAY, ETC.)
B) STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS (CUEING, SPECIALS,
PRACTICALS ETC.)

5) CREATE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

A) LIGHT PLOT
B) CHANNEL HOOK-UP
C) INSTRUMENT SCHEDULE
D) SHOP ORDER
THE TYPICAL STEPS IN CREATING A LIGHTING DESIGN
6) ATTEND RUN THRU AND HAVE ADDITION
DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR
7) CREATE CUE LIST
8) REVISE PLOT BASED ON RUN THRU
9) SUPERVISE FOCUS
10) ATTEND CUEING SESSIONS
SUPERVISE WORK CALLS (FOCUS, COLOR, AND CUEING
NOTES)

11) ATTEND TECHNICAL REHEARSALS

SUPERVISE WORK CALLS (FOCUS, COLOR, AND CUEING
NOTES)

12) ATTEND DRESS REHEARSALS AND PREVIEWS

SUPERVISE WORK CALLS (FOCUS, COLOR, AND CUEING
NOTES)
Lighting Design for Gaetano Donizetti’s opera
L'elisir d'amore
Power Center Theatre