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The Evolution of Lighting in Theatre Stage lights are just one of the components co mponents of a stage production which supports the overall enjoyable experience of performances in theaters. Stage lighting provides a dramatic effect for stage plays which highlight scenes of the story. story. Today, Today, lighting has become an art form due to the advancements in electronic technology. technology. However, it did not start that way. This paper will take us back to the times where the only stage lights were the natural light from the sun until the time when modern lighting has became available. Stage lighting in Ancient Times During the time of the ancient Greeks, plays were performed in open-air theatres. The theatre was circular in form with a “flat orchestra pit located in the hollow between two hillsides” (Questia).The plays were usually staged during the daytime in order to take advantage of the natural light from the sun. Further, the time of day for staging the play would coincide with the kind of scene that they envisioned for the play. The location of the stage should also be such that it could obtain the best effect of the natural light from the sun. “They would present their plays at different times of day da y, to take advantage of the different types of natural lighting. This type of planning was in essence, early e arly lighting design. The Theatre of Dionysus (Athens, about 330 BC) and the theatre at Epidaurus (finished about 340 BC) are examples of these early public theatre facilities” (Williams). They also used mirrors and other background materials that could reflect the natural light in order to change the lighting in the play. play. The use of torches was said to have begun with the Romans whenever they performed during the evenings. 15th Century
2 In the 15th century, “oil lamps came about and it made indoor theatres possible” (Norton). Candles were also used which were mounted over the stage and its wings. In 1545, Sabastiano Serlio introduced the use of “colored light liquids in bottles (red) wine, saffron (yellow), ammonium chloride in a copper vessel (blue)” (Wilson & Goldfarb, 2006, p. 121). This is the time stage lighting gained importance in the production of stage plays. Qualities of light such as distribution, intensity and color had contributed to the scenes which made them more dramatic and engaging. For Leone de Somi in 1550, happ y scenes were illuminated while tragic scenes were much darker through the subtle use of “candles, crude oil lamps, torches, and cressets (hanging lamps)” (p. 125). To distribute distribute the lights in the stage, there were stagehands that would walk around and would adjust lightings from candles by snipping their wicks. 16th to 17th Century In 16th century, Joseph Furstenbach latched on to the idea of footlights (floats) and sidelights. Other such innovative lighting techniques such as d imming the candles through the use of metal cylinders lowered on the candles c andles were introduced by Nicola Sabatini, a writer of theater books (Trumbull). Sabbatini designed a number of innovative stage lighting tech niques, such as a dimming mechanism to lower the whole stage lighting, adjustable spot lamps for lighting certain parts of the stage (it is thought that he invented the first spotlight (reflector), by attaching a polished sink behind a luminous source) and several others, thus effectively being, together with Sebastiano Serlio (1475-1554) and Leone De Somi, one of the architects of stage lighting for theatrical purposes, including scripting lighting changes in con cert with the play or opera. Chandeliers made up of candles were used in order to fully illuminate the stage as needed. Glass chimneys were also popular with the invention of the Argand Argand burner which was an an improved oil lamp with a burner and a nd a chimney.
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18th Century While candles had been the lighting of choice for many theaters, the invention of the kerosene lamp with adjustable wick in 1783 17 83 in France changed the lighting history of theaters. William William Murdoch, an engineer in England and Philippe Lebon of Paris in the late 18th century, had developed the use of coal gas which also became very popular as stage lighting. Coal gas was first used as an illuminant in the late 18th 1 8th century 19th Century The 19th century ushered in many man y improvements in stage lighting with the invention of the Bunsen Burner by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and the invention of the Welsbach mantle, mantle, “a device developed by the Austrian scientist Carl von Welsbach Welsbach that gives off bright light when placed over a flame, greatly stimulated the use of gas for lighting purposes” (Columbia Encyclopedia). The limelight, which was invented by Henry Drummond was developed by “heating a piece of lime with a flame of oxygen and hydrogen (for a follow spot or to indicate sunlight)” (Trumbull). The limelight has a greenish tint which was popularized by Paris Opera houses. Another invention in lighting that influenced stage lighting was the invention of the electric arc by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1810. Dav y was an English chemist who “discovered several chemical elements (including sodium and potassium) and compounds as well as inventing the miner's safety lamp” (Encyclopedia Britannica). It was in 1880 that a true electrical distribution system was invented by Edison, further improving the possibilities for stage lighting. While the electric light was not used in theatre thea tre lighting at this time, this century did contribute many concepts in the evolution of stage lighting.
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Modern Lighting With the development of the incandescent lamp late into the 19th century, century, “small safe, portable lighting fixtures that could be easily placed a nywhere around the stage, and then controlled by a remote electrical dimmer system” (Williams) came into use. This use of incandescent lamps replaced the cumbersome and odorous gas lighting which theaters used for many years. In 1881, Richard D'Oyley Carte opened the new Savoy Theatre in London with an advertisement saying that it was the “first public building lighted 'entirely' by electricity.” electricity.” In fact, there were a total of 1158 of the new Swan lamps (as invented by Joseph W. W. Swan), used to light the auditorium, the dressing rooms, the corridors and the stage” (Williams). It was announced by an article published in Engineering, March 3, 1882 that “in an artistic and scenic point of view, nothing could be more completely successful than the present lighting of the Savoy Theatre. The illumination is brilliant without being dazzling, and while being slightly whiter than gas, the accusation of ‘ghastliness,’ so often urged against the light of the electric arc, can in no way wa y be applied” (USD). This made the experience of going to the theater further enjoyable as the atmosphere was cooler due to the absence of gas and it smelled better. better. Spotlights developed by Louis Hartman were a “250 watt baby bab y lens used in David Belasco's production of The Music Teacher” (Wild). Since then, technology has rapidly developed; expanding the use of lighting in theater such as the development of the halogen lamps and high h igh intensity discharge lamps as well as computerized lighting effects and remote operation. Lighting has now become an art form where plot, costume, scenery and all other facets of production are integrated. It satisfies the three main concerns such as mood, focus and visibility as it becomes the effective tool that
5 director’s utilize today. today. Technology has provided to stage lighting the necessary tools to make dramatic stage performances an enchantment to watch.
Works Cited Columbia Encyclopedia. Lighting. 1 February 2008. http://www.bartleby http://www.bartleby.com/65/li/lighting.html .com/65/li/lighting.html
6 "Davy, "Davy, Sir Humphrey, Baronet." Encyclopædia Britannica. 200 8. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 January 2008 . >. Norton, J. There Wasn't Wasn't Always Electrical Lighting in Theatre Plays? How Lighting Has Evolved in Theatre. April 2007. Associated Content. 2 February 2008. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/215128/there_wasnt_always_electrical_lighting .html Questia. Scene Design and Stage Lighting. 2 February 2008. http://www.questia.com/library/music-and-performinghttp://www.questia.com/library/music-and-performing-arts/scene-design-and-stagearts/scene-design-and-stagelighting.jsp Trumbull, Eric. A History History of Stage Lighting. 4 February 2008. http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/spd130et/histlighting.htm University of San Diego. Hollywood Lighting. 1 February 2008. http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/filmnotes/hollywood-lights.html Wild, Larry. Larry. A Brief Outline of the History of Stage Lighting. Ligh ting. 1 February 2008. http://www.northern.edu/wild/LiteDes/ldhist.htm Williams, Williams, B. PART ART 1 - An Introduction to Stage Lighting. 27 January 2008. http://www.mts.net/~william5/sld/sld-100.htm Wilson, Wilson, Edwin & Goldfarb, Alan. Theater: The Lively Art, 5th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities. December 2006.
