Lighting should accent faces and action, not curtains or set pieces.
Every year parents and members volunteer to "do the lights" for schools or amateur groups. The lighting designer and technicians do more than light a big, three-sided room, though; they illuminate the meaning and characters of the play.
Function
Stage lighting illuminates faces and movement in a natural way that mimics the light of the sun, moon or interior lighting. Lighting defines stage areas that the directors and designers identify for actors so that the progression of scenes can be underscored by changes in lighting.
Features
Each acting area needs at least one set of three lights; a "key" light on one side elevated 45 degrees and a matching "fill" light from the other side, also elevated 45 degrees. The third light serves as fill and may come from a back-light or from batten-mounted strip lights, common fixtures in many schools. Key lights are colored white or a warm color such as amber; fill is usually colored in cool blues.
Equipment
If the school or auditorium does not have equipment, production budgets should include money for rental equipment and control modules that make transitions between scenes smooth. Even if equipment is present, newer digital control modules are quieter and easier to operate.
