Technology and the Stage

Day One – Lighting

During this workshop we aim to offer an overview of lighting in a theatrical setting and examine the value and uses of lighting design as an important element of theatre production. By examining the aims of lighting design, as well as all the basic tools available to us, we take lighting from observation, to a ‘how to’ guide to basic lighting for theatre production. The course includes – instrument introduction, with hands on experience of rigging and focusing each lamp; use of the ETC control system to patch and create different looks (cues); choosing angles for lighting to greatest effect; looking at how to use colour; and a look at the development of a lighting design from script to stage.

By the end of the day we’ll be focusing lights on a basic set, and plotting lighting states that can move fluidly from one mood to another.There will be a short scene as prescribed reading for this course, to be advised in advance.

The course is a combination of presentation based learning and hands on experience of working with lighting equipment.

Day Two – Sound Design

This course takes you through how to create a Sound Design for a Theatre production. It will look at examples of Sound Designs in shows and explain the process of producing, editing and assembling the sounds in the show. Topics covered include:Sourcing, recording and editing sound effectsSound Systems- Mixing Desks, Speakers, EffectsBasic Microphone usePlayback using QLab SoftwareThe course will include a practical session where participants will work from a short section of script to produce and assemble a sound design sequence.

People who attend the Technology and the Stage course often progress to the one week Introduction to Stage Management and Technical Theatre course and/or apply for the Bachelor in Stage Management and Technical Theatre.