Instructor: Lenore Doxsee
Lighting I focuses on how the lighting designer makes design choices in relation to specific texts. Students investigate the process of lighting design from the beginning steps of reading the playscript, through developing initial images, to the formulation and documentation of the design. The students create images to help define their individual interpretations of each play. Through an ongoing discussion of equipment and technology, as well as experimentation with color and composition, the class investigates various techniques for realizing the students’ images on the stage. Emphasis on communication skills is central, as lighting designers must clearly express themselves to directors, other designers, stage managers and technicians. These skills will include learning the conventions of drafting for lighting, sketching, visual research, and written and verbal presentation of design ideas. Lighting II broadens the investigation to include the relationship of music and light. A significant portion of the semester is devoted to light lab projects, experimenting with the movement of light through cueing. The course culminates in fully-drafted design projects for a musical performance event and either an opera or a musical.
