Date of Award
5-1-2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.F.A. in Art
First Advisor
Bert Foregger
Second Advisor
Dr. James Shollenberger
Third Advisor
Dex Edwards
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The profession of theatrical lighting design is a relatively young one. For many years the responsibility of lighting the stage fell on the shoulders of directors or technicians. In this ever-changing world, lighting, like so many other jobs, has grown not just with technology but with the functions lighting executes. Requirements of lighting now include: special effects, revealing as well as hiding, and texture of the stage. The need for illumination of the stage is a given; the people and things on stage must be seen. It is the artistry and technology that now goes along with this field that adds to and makes a designer necessary to a production. This change in the requirements of lighting necessitated a single person devoted to following the technology of the field while still maintaining the artistry involved in its creation. According to Richard Pilbrow:
The specialist lighting designer has emerged; part artist, part technician, he must possess the imagination to grasp the director’s and set designer’s concept of the production and have the vision to contribute something of his own. He must also have at his command the ability to plan and use light as well as knowledge of stagecraft and electricity in order to realize his vision. Finally, in our seemingly ever faster society, he must work ever more efficiently and economically?
The pages of this thesis contain the process of lighting Twelfth Night.
Chapter One describes the selection of the play. This tells what shows were under consideration and why Twelfth Night was ultimately picked. Chapter two is research found on Shakespeare. Chapter three talks about the play. It contains the history of Twelfth Night, a plot synopsis and a short plot analysis. These were all important elements to the lighting designer’s interpretation of the play. Chapter Four contains an analysis of the process. There are three sections to this chapter. Section one depicts the designer’s concept and how it was to be implemented. The director’s vision for the play as a whole is also talked about here. Section two outlines the venue and some unique characteristics of the theater in which the show was performed. These characteristics needed to be taken into consideration while establishing the design. Section three covers the design process. It is a daily account of what problems arose and how they were handled. In addition the reader will see how time management skills were used. The last chapter, chapter five, is a self-evaluation of the design and of the process. The Appendix contains the ground plan and section views from the set designer, the light plot and all paperwork pertaining to the design process. This includes an instrument schedule, hook up sheets, magic sheets, cue sheets, sketches and production photos.
The thesis closes with a bibliography of all references.
Recommended Citation
Alberts, Erin, "A Lighting Design Process for Twelfth Night" (2003). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2626.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2626