Theatre Lighting Basics: A Beginner’s Guide to Lighting a Stage
Theatre lighting (or stage lighting as some call it) is designed to make the stage performance visible to the audience, but the method used to light the stage will impact on the way the stage picture is perceived and should reinforce the overall dramatic impact of the production.
Understanding the McCandless System for stage lighting
The most common method for lighting a theatre stage is called the McCandless System. Stanley McCandless wrote about this method in his 1932 book ‘A Method of Lighting the Stage’. His method was not meant to be the definitive method, but it is a useful guide based on his experience.
It can be described as a 3-point system: 2 lighting fixtures are placed in front of the subject and 1 fixture behind. The front fixtures (often profile spots) are located at a 45-degree angle to the left and right of the subject and at an angle of 45-degrees above the subject. These locations illuminate the features of the subject well and ensure they appear natural and have 3-dimensional form. The angles of the light provide definition of form without causing deep, dark shadows under the eyebrows, nose, or chin. The location and angle also provide visibility as the subject turns their head from side to side.
Colour and intensity added to the front lights will provide visibility and definition. McCandless recommended using a warm colour in one front light, and a cool colour in the other. The colours blend for a natural appearance and contrast with each other to provide definition. The third light, or ‘backlight’ (usually a Fresnel), is placed behind and high overhead the subject, without being directly over the subject or shining in the audience’s eyes. This causes the subject to stand out from the background and further defines their form by lighting the back of the head and top of the shoulders. The colour of the backlight is usually “colouring the shadows” cast by the front lights, however, a halo effect can be created by using intense, warm backlight.
While the McCandless System relies heavily on front and back lighting, many productions also use side lighting to create shape, texture and atmosphere on stage.
Side lighting positions luminaires to the left and right sides of the stage, usually mounted on vertical booms or ladders at different heights. Instead of illuminating the face directly, side light highlights the contours and movement of the performer’s body.
This technique is particularly common in dance productions because it reveals muscle definition and movement very clearly. In dramatic productions, side lighting can also create a more sculpted or mysterious appearance and is often used to produce strong shadows or dramatic contrast.
Coloured side lighting can significantly affect the mood of a scene. Cool colours may create a sense of isolation or tension, while warm colours can create intimacy or energy.
Using LED lighting in stage designs
Modern theatre lighting increasingly uses LED lighting fixtures instead of traditional tungsten lamps.
LED luminaires offer several advantages:
- lower power consumption,
- reduced heat output,
- longer lamp life,
- and the ability to produce many different colours without using gel filters.
Many LED fixtures use combinations of red, green, blue and sometimes white, amber or lime LEDs to create a wide range of colours electronically. This allows lighting designers to change colours instantly during a performance, rather than having to change gels in frames.
LED lighting has also made moving lights and colour-changing fixtures, which are mainly used for special effects and dynamic stage looks, more affordable and practical for schools, amateur theatre groups and smaller venues.
Theatre stage lighting design has four main functions in a theatrical performance, these are: Visibility, Motivation, Composition and Mood each of which is described in more detail below.
Visibility:
doesn’t really need further explanation; the basic concept is that the stage lighting needs to illuminate things on stage that the audience should see and keep the lighting off parts of the stage the audience shouldn’t see.
Motivation:
ensures that the stage lighting looks natural for the setting for example for a realistic interior scene at night the stage lights should appear to come from practical light fittings on the stage such as table lamps or chandeliers.
Composition:
is also a part of Scenic Design and is the Lighting Designer’s attempt to enhance the possibilities the Scenic Designer and Director have provided.
Mood:
is also a part of the other three functions – composition, motivation and the amount of light and kind of visibility all affect the mood of a production.
Lighting in acting areas
In order to provide good quality theatre stage lighting design most lighting is designed as a group of acting areas. The luminaires lighting each acting area are arranged to achieve the desired visibility, to adequately reveal the actor’s form and to make sure the actor appears separate and distinct from the scenic background. This approach helps create consistent coverage across the stage, so performers remain clearly lit as they move between different positions during a scene.
