Overview
The very first thing you need to do as lighting designer is familiarize yourself with the script, read it (probably more than once). Pick out themes that you think are important and might be able to translate into different looks. (I find contrasts to be the easiest to work with; winter vs. spring, Egypt vs. Rome etc.) Meet with the director, find out what s/he wants to emphasize and if they have any ideas about how they want the stage to be lit. At this stage take in all suggestions you can get, feasibility can be worked out later. Once you have an idea of how you want the stage to look (which takes some creativity and luck, generally after the semifinal set design is due) you need to figure out if you can do it. The two main spaces the Ensemble uses are Kresge Little Theater and Sala. KLT has an enormous stock (an inventory can be found on the inside of the electrics closet door or you can ask Karen Perlow kperlow@mit.edu for a copy). E-mail other student theater groups or Campus Activities (CAC) for Sala inventory (Chris Nayler: nayler@mit.edu). At this point you should also meet with the Set designer to see what his/her designs are. This way if there is something that needs to be rigged from the pipes you know to avoid that area. Also you need to know about major set pieces that may need to be lit or different levels that you will have to deal with. You should also see a run through of the show so that you know of any special areas that need particular lighting. You should also decide if you are going to use a cyc. Next you must come up with a plot (specifics as to where each light will be hung). This is probably the most difficult aspect of lighting design. You need to pick what kind of lamp and where it should be hung to illuminate a specific part of the stage in the desired manner, needless to say this takes a bit of trial and error. Your next job will be during put-in/prod week. As a lighting designer your job will be to tell your electricians where to focus each and every instrument once it's hung and circuited (which happens during hang). Once the lamps are focused you need to sit down with the director and write the cues. This process is often called "paper tech". During Q2Q you need to refine the cues and during subsequent run-throughs during prod week you need to continue to refine the cues and if necessary, the focus of particular instruments (during this time realize that much if not all of your free time may be spent in the theater). Finally sit back and enjoy the beauty of your work.
The Lighting Plot
As I said creating the plot is probably the most difficult thing a lighting designer does. Translating what you want to see on stage into where you want a particular instrument and how you will focus it is an arduous task that takes time. Each designer has his/her own method and you will develop yours as you go along. The important thing is that you understand your plot and that it works to create the look you want.
There are various instruments available to you: Source 4 ellipsoidals, pars, fresnels (in KLT only), strip lights and cyc lights. If you don’t know what these are or are not sure of their properties there are many sources of information (even if you are sure it’s good to remind yourself). Karen Perlow (kperlow@mit.edu) is the theater arts faculty member and excellent lighting designer you can get information from. You will also need to know the heights of the different pipes and distances. Floor plans of both KLT and Sala exists somewhere in the ensemble office. If you cannot find them you can ask someone at MIT theater arts to print you another copy. The Sala plot can be found here: Sala Plot. As for heights Sala has a uniform pipe height of 20ft. KLT has heights that vary; Karen can give you an elevation map of KLT.
While creating your plot you should decide channel number for each instrument. A channel is a complete connection of instrument, circuit and dimmer. This is one way of organizing your instruments, for example giving your instruments channel numbers in order starting from downstage right to upstage left. During focus and afterwards you will probably refer to channel numbers (example: “can you bring up channel 19”). It is important that the numbers make sense to you the designer so you can refer to the correct instrument/s quickly and easily.
You should also make copies of your plot to be used during hang. Theater arts has a blueprint machine that you can access.
If you choose to make your plot electronically (This is highly recommended and will save you hours of precious time), you can download a student version of vectorworks for your computer by creating an account here. You may have to send them a picture of your student ID, but it is completely free. Once you have vectorworks, ask someone in the ensemble with experience in the area to help get you started in Vectorworks Spotlight. If you are having trouble finding a mentor, Karen Perlow (kperlow@mit.edu) is happy to teach newcomers.
Paperwork
Before starting put-in you should have some paperwork done. A channel sheet that tells what channel corresponds to what instrument, the focus of that instrument and which gel or gobo (if any) and any extra notes. Additionally which circuits correspond to a channel is also stated on this sheet.
You should also make a magic sheet that shows each lamp organized by purpose. This sheet shows the lights in their general positions and which direction their beams will point.
Patch
Patching is simply telling the lighting board what channel corresponds to what circuit. Once you have patched you can refer to a channel and both you and the board knows which instrument you are referring to. This is necessary because cues will be written using only channel numbers and the levels you want for those channels
Color
Picking general the colors of your light is not difficult however deciding which particular gel to use is. Rosco, Lee and GAM are the three major types of gels used, with Rosco being the most widely used. Some of the questions you have to ask when picking a color are: what effect will this color have on stage? (Example R02 is warm but not overpowering, the feel will be sunny but not yellow). How will the set/costumes/actors look under this color light? (No one looks healthy in green light). Picking through hundreds of various gels is fairly frustrating, advice can be found on the Rosco website (they have good descriptions of what effect each gel has) and by asking those who know (again Karen is a good source). Color is part of what makes lighting design an art form; don’t leave the decisions to the last minute. The Ensemble has a collection of gels: you can buy more at Backstage Hardware or order from ALPS. Someone will probably have to go to Backstage Hardware for something else at some point: coordinate with the TD to save trips.
Hang/Focus
Ideally the lighting designer would not be deeply involved in hang, s/he would hand over the plot to the master electrician and the lights would get hung and circuited as desired. Of course this doesn’t happen. Even with the best of plots and paperwork something might seem perfectly clear to the designer and not to anyone else. During hang you should be around to help and answer any confusing points of the plot.
Focus is the time for the LD to be the star. You are responsible for each light being focused in the correct position, you make sure that each lamp is casing light in the way and in the area you intended when making your plot. However you decide to run focus is fine as long as you get each lamp to do what you want in a reasonable amount of time.
Programming Cues
Once everything is focused you need to write the cues. Having a well-organized channel schedule will make this easier. Essentially you need to listen to what the director wants for each cue and find the levels for each light that make that look. During Q2Q pay close attention to how the cues look with the actors and the timing between cues. Once you’ve seen what the cues look like with actors adjust them as necessary. Also it is important that you are available to watch run-throughs during prod week this way you can find any holes in you washes or a scene that isn’t quite right. Keep adjusting the cues until you (and the director) think you’ve gotten the best you can.
Sala has an ETC Ion board. The manual can be found here. It is pretty straight forward and EXHAUSTIVE (it'll answer any question you come up with).
KLT has an ETC Express. Its manual can be found here.
Contacts
1. e33: a student run production company. You can rent instruments from them (like 19 degree Source 4 ellipsoidals or strobes, which do not exist in Sala inventory). Email e33@mit.edu.
2. Karen Perlow: MIT Theater Arts ("Rinaldi") Lighting Designer. She is very approachable and can help you with design concepts, vectorworks, plotting, magic sheets...you name it! Email kperlow@mit.edu
3. ALPS: A lighting company located in Randolph MA, about a 20-30 minute drive from campus. Useful if you want to rent more exciting equipment: like a black-light, strobe, etc. Visit their website here.
4. Chris Nayler, CAC Manager. He can help you with any logistical issues you run may run into. Email: nayler@mit.edu
5. Mike Bromberg: Class of 1970, does lighting for G&S and MTG. Can be spotted in the wild by his tie-dye plumage. Extremely knowledgeable, also owns lots of equipment and will rent to student group for cheap. Here is his price list and inventory as of Spring 2012.