Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2010 - 75

(ERSs) and the newer enhanced forms of the
spotlights (although a photograph of a Source
Four Enhanced ERS is provided). There also
is no mention of the enhanced PARs and other
unique fixtures like the PARNel.
For more elaborate building projects
some will probably find that the practices presented throughout Stage Lighting: A Guide to
the Planning of Theatres and Auditoriums to
be a bit oversimplified. Remember, however,
that these design guides typically represent the
minimal recommendations for a given application. This information should prove exceedingly
helpful to an architect or electrical engineer
who gets assigned to designing smaller auditoriums like those typically associated with churches, public schools, and corporate or community
buildings. For larger projects, where you would
want to consider more elaborate hanging positions, like multiple beam and additional box
boom positions for each side of an auditorium,
you can place a heavier emphasis on the advice
of a knowledgeable consultant.
The concepts and terms presented throughout this design guide are clearly explained in a
comprehensible manner that should allow acceptable solutions to be developed by the construction professionals who design entertainment
lighting systems for these spaces. On occasion,
general information is missed that a stage designer would pick up on, but that probably won't
have much impact on the understanding of the
material by an architect or other construction
professional. Some examples include the omission of dowsers or referring to color booms as
color changers in follow spots. Overall, this is a
good introduction to the specialized equipment
of theatrical lighting systems and a solid description of common practices like placing various hanging positions in a facility or discussing
techniques for bringing general illumination to a
stage. A glossary is included that introduces the
reader to many of the staging terms that an architect or electrical contractor/engineer would not
normally come into contact with.
Especially helpful, and probably new to
most theatrical practitioners (though quite familiar to illuminating engineers) are the design

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2010
