Essential Lighting Design Tips for High School Theater Productions
Lighting can make or break a theater production. Painting with light sets the mood, directs the audience’s focus, and ensures that performers are visible. But for high school theater directors with no lighting experience, it can feel overwhelming. Don't worry! With a few key principles and simple techniques, you can create a lighting design that enhances your show without breaking the budget. I started as a lighting designer in college in a studio theater in the basement with homemade coffee can lights (do not recommend), and a twelve channel light board we borrowed for the show.
The goal of lighting, as with any design, is to enhance the story telling. Once the actors are visible, then you can get into the fun of painting with light.
Beehive at Bradford HS, 2022. Lighting by Jodi Williams, Photography by Beth Smith
Understanding the Basics of Stage Lighting
Lighting is more than just making sure people can see the actors. Good lighting design supports the story and helps guide the audience’s emotions. Here are the four main functions of stage lighting:
Visibility – Your audience needs to see the performers clearly. Unless it is intentional, shadowy faces and “hot spots” all over the stage are not going to support the story.
Mood – Lighting influences the emotional tone of a scene. Bright and airy or single candle on a table, you can create it all with light.
Composition – Lights help guide the audience’s eyes to important action on stage. If your lead is in the dark, but your chorus is standing in a hot spot created by a light you can’t focus because it's bolted to the ceiling, your audience will not be watching your lead. And because human brains are funny this way, if they can’t see the person, they will have a hard time hearing them as well.
The Key Types of Stage Lights
Understanding different types of lights will help you make the best choices for your production. These are the most typical conventional (non LED) instruments you will find in a school setting.
Spotlights – Lights of a swivel. Focused beams to highlight key performers.
Fresnels – Soft-edged lights great for general washes of color. The size of the pool of light can adjust, but you will not get a “crisp” light with fresnels.
Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights (Lekos, Source4s)– Adjustable lights for precise control and shaping. These instruments have shutters to help shape the light you see on stage and can adjust to have a very “sharp” edge or a “soft” edge.
PAR Cans – Bright, broad lights that fill large areas of the stage. These instruments don’t have lenses, and are actually being phased out in many places, as lamps are no longer being manufactured in the US. You can still order them, though. Pars used to be a staple or concert lighting. They are very “Point and shoot”. Lamps come in Narrow, Medium, and Wide flood and create an oval of light on stage. Orientation of the oval can be changed by rotating the lamp inside the instrument.
Strip lights – 6’ to 8’ long lights that have multiple cells and usually have colored glass filters (rondels), most often red, blue, green, and amber.
Most school theaters have a mix of these, so knowing how to use them effectively is key.
Setting Up Your First Lighting Design
Start with a basic lighting setup using these simple principles:
Choose a color scheme: Warm colors (reds, oranges) create an inviting or intense feel, while cool colors (blues, purples) suggest calm or mystery. This is SUPER basic, but will get you started. There are many great books on color theory and what different colors mean culturally and physiologically.
Use the Rule of Three: Light actors from three angles – Key (main light), Fill (softens shadows), and Backlight (creates depth). Then branch out to five points. This is called the McCandless system, and is the starting point for many designers.
Work within your budget: If you don’t have many lights, focus on key areas and use gels (colored filters) to add variety. Sometimes you only have enough lighting instruments to have front light. Start there, visibility is important, and play with color and levels to create your looks.
Mastering Lighting Cues and Transitions
Lighting transitions should be smooth and intentional.
Plan your cues before rehearsals so they enhance the action. Write down where you want cues prior to tech. This will take time, but will save frustration when everyone is on stage.
Use fade-ins and fade-outs to make scene transitions seamless. Cross fades are even fades from one scene to another, split fades are when you take one scene out on a different count than you bring the next scene up. Your fades and fade times can create moods all on their own.
Communicate with your lighting operator to ensure smooth execution during performances. Ideally, your stage manager has all of the cues and is “calling” the show to your light board operator, who can focus on making sure the lights are executing properly. Regardless of who is running the lights, make sure they have adequate rehearsal time to learn the show.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Lighting Design
Lighting mistakes can distract from your show. Watch out for these:
Overlighting or underlighting – Too much light washes out your scene; too little leaves actors in the dark.
Using too many colors – Keep it simple; two or three main colors are enough.
Ignoring shadows – Be mindful of how lights hit your actors to avoid odd or unintentional shadowing. Costumes will affect this, hats especially.
Simple Lighting Hacks for Small Schools
Not every school has a full lighting rig, but you can still get great results:
Use LED lights to save energy and add flexible color options. We started with inexpensive LED pars and grew from there. These instruments are coming down in price. Keep in mind LED instruments require a separate type of control. MOST control consoles will have DMX capabilities, but you will have to get the console and the individual units connected for the instruments to function.
Repurpose existing lighting – Classroom or gym lights can work in a pinch, as can rain lights you put out in your yard. Check wattages to make sure you aren’t going to pop a breaker or start a fire.
Get creative with effects – Use flashlights, projectors, or simple light bounces to create special looks. Be creative! We’re artists. Its what we do. You could light a whole show with house lamps if it tells your story.
Conclusion
Lighting doesn’t have to be intimidating! With a basic understanding of lights and a few key techniques, any high school director can create effective lighting designs. Start simple, experiment, and have fun—lighting is an art, and every show is a chance to learn something new.
FAQs
1. What’s the easiest way to improve my lighting without buying new equipment?
Rearrange your current lights for better angles and use gels for variety.
2. How do I prevent shadows from covering my actors' faces?
Use front lighting from two angles to eliminate harsh shadows.
3. What’s a good beginner lighting board to learn on?
ETC Express and simple LED DMX controllers are great for starters. ETC is a fabulous company based in Wisconsin. They have excellent customer support.
4. How do I make a dramatic lighting effect with limited resources?
Use side lighting or backlighting to create silhouettes and depth. Footlights (lighting from the floor in front of the actor) can make creepy faces and wild shadows on your set.
5. How do I train my students to operate the lighting system?
Let them shadow experienced techs, and give them hands-on practice with cues. The more complex your console, the more guidance they will need. SAVE YOUR WORK before letting students “play” on a console. Trust me on this one. It will save you a lot of heartache and rewriting.
With these tips, your high school production will shine—literally! Happy lighting!
Need help with lighting on your stage? Send me an email! I am passionate about lighting and would love to help you or find a designer in your area who can. [email protected]
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