Examining the theories behind stage lighting practice to help students learn to analyze the aesthetic and critical impacts of light in performance, this book traces the development of lighting practice, focusing on important developmental shifts in technology and aesthetics from the classical period to the modern era. Key to this study is the shift in the modern era toward the production objective of a synthesis of elements, including text, actor, movement, light, sound, set and costume within the performance.

It also explores the contribution of New Stagecraft" theorists and designers Adolphe Appia, Edward Gordon Craig and Robert Edmond Jones, alongside the work of other designers and theorists. Case studies include Loïe Fuller’s combination of light, dance, movement and costume, Robert Wilson’s Einstein on the Beach, and Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki’s The Trojan Women.

Case studies also examine the use of light in non-theatrical areas, focusing on phenomenology, community engagement and the evolution of contemporary technology. These include the installation work of James Turrell and Refik Anadol, the Winston Salem Light Project, and David Byrne’s American Utopia.

This study addresses the gap between theory and practice by concentrating on major innovations in the field. A companion website features links to images, chapter summaries, questions and further resources for study.

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