Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1974 - 18

This difference, the difference between whether and
what, is as great as the difference between lighting a stage
and lighting a drama. It is as great as the difference
between "stage lighting" and "theatrical lighting"; the
first is a classification, the second is an attitude. A
prodigious amount of energy has been expended on the
codification of theory and rules for the illumination of
some 450 square feet of empty space. The theory is
extended to the actual dramatic moment, and the realities
of movement, emphasis, orchestration, and artistic point
of view collide rudely with accepted theory and traditional practice. The process of lighting becomes a process
of compensation for poorly placed instruments, arbitrary
color choice, uncontrolled shadow, lack of depth, and
gross spill light. The process becomes one of balancing
undesirables so as to make the least offensive statement
and still maintain that "unobtrusive" and "invisible"
quality that we are all told that good lighting has.
The curtain opens, the lighting cues are taken, the
actors speak the lines, and the picture is slightly curious.
The production is seen as though under water. The stage is
visible but the drama is not. The lighting illuminates the
space but does not revea I it.
The function of light in the theatre is more complex
and elusive than contemporary discussion suggests. It is so
because the realization of light as a means of theatrical
expression is an interconnected composition in time,
space, and emotion wh ich cannot be described by
isolating its parts. Any theory which attempts to define an
aesthetic of light by listing its presumed functions only
succeeds in viewing light in the theatre as a collection of
semi-related elements which may be combined in varying
proportions to suit the given problem. Lighting design
under this theory is only a variation of the same recipe
that has been used for years. "Take a full measure of
visibility, garnish liberally with realism, add a pinch of
composition, and color slightly with mood - serves 750
people."

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If light has a function on the stage, that function is to
be a part of the experience of the drama. "Lighting a
scene", Jones says, "consists not only in throwing light
upon objects but in throwing light upon a subject. We
have our choice of lighting a drama from the outside, as a
spectator, or from the inside, as a part of the drama's
experience .. The objects to be lighted are the forms which
go to make up the physical body of the drama - the
actors, the setting, the furnishings, and so forth. But the
subject which is to be lighted is the drama itself. We light
the actors and the setting, it is true, but we illuminate the
drama. We reveal the drama. We use light as we use words,
to elucidate ideas and emotions." If light has a function
on the stage, that function is illumination, revelation,
elucidation. That function is expression.
Light has this function on the stage. Its nature is visual,

18

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and the realization of this function comes only through
the process of visual design. Design in light is the
composition of a visible, fluctuating, but intangible
essence in time and space ex isting within the framework
of spatial and pictorial composition and revealing the
pictorial, spatial, and emotional content of the dramatic
moment.
For the designer, light must be a visual phenomena. The
essence, the form, the realization of light in the theatre
must be in terms of visual design. A theatrical lighting
design uses the elements of spatial and pictorial
composition, and light is composed and orchestrated
through the use of position and quality.
The design principles of light are illustrated by
examining the work of past artists working in varying art
forms. In sculpture, The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, by Bernini;
in painting, The Finding of the Body of St. Mark, by
Tintoretto; in etching, The Flight into Egypt, by
Rembrandt; and in theatrical design, the sketches by
Adolphe Appia for Tristan and Isolde, and The Ring of

the Nibelung. These examples are used because they
illustrate the ideas which shape composition in light. The
selection is not all-inclusive, nor even representative, and
shou Id serve only as a starting po int for further investigation. The perception of light by these artists, in
whatever form, is dramatic and expressive. Light, either
natural or artificial, is integrated into their work and
analysis of each of these works reveals the compositional
principles of lighting design.
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, by Bernini, is unique. It is
one of the only works of sculpture which deliberately
incorporates the controlled use of light as a part of the
composition. Bernini positioned a yellow glass filter above
this work to direct natural light in a composed nTanner
upon his subject. His use of light as a tool in spatial
composition serves a dual pu rpose. First, it reinforces the
focus created by the symbolic metal rays. The light is used
as an intangible line in space, reinforcing the tangible line
of the sculpture. Second, it reveals the form of the object
in a way that is in harmony with the emotional intent of
the work. The symbolic metal rays are not only a
dramatic plastic composition but also an indication of the
emotional or religious content of the work. The ecstasy of
St. Teresa is her vision of the love of God, symbolized by
a flaming arrow thrust into her by an angel. Bernini uses
all the symbolic material that is contained in the story,
but he knew that a mere rendition of the story in
symbolic terms wou Id not co'nvey the intense, mystical
nature of the vision to the spectator. The compositional
use of light in the work is an attempt to stimulate this
emotion.
St. Teresa looks up in this composition towards the
love that has burst upon her consciousness. The Iight is
positioned above St. Teresa. This direction is complemen-

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

OCTOBER. 1974
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