Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1979 - 31

entirely, and is a good place to make significant cuts for
tou ring).
The side light placed behind each wing is inadequate to
cope with diagonal crosses, so a high wattage instrument
should be placed on the floor behind the first wing aimed
diagonally up and across the stage-these are controlled
together from down left and down right. The use of color
varies, and often they are left clear to use with color in the
side positions. These two instruments play more than any
others.
In lighting the dance one must consider backlight: it isolates the dancer from the surroundings and tends to make the
shape more direct. It cannot increase texture or movement
within the body, but the movement of each body in relation to
others and to the background is heightened. Backlight in
three colors should be mounted on pipes from midstage and
upstage, and can be reduced for touring to a single color.
The background is often lighted with cyc strips (or borderlights), although ellipsoidal floods or scoops are preferable as they are lightweight and prOVide easy mounting and
focusing. These are filtered in primary colors alternating as
are the strips.
Area control is little needed. After careful study of the
dance, pools of light are valuable, focused from directly overhead or slightly to the front (on 1st electric pipe, and 2nd
electric pipe located approximately one-third upstage). The
fronts could also give adequate area separation but should
not be used at an area intensity that would make area division
significant. The pools can be colored to work with the side

lights or they can be left clear. For specific colors in these
pools, some tri-color system can be devised, leaving much to
individual taste.
The layout of the control board is most significant. It should
reflect the method in which the cues will be taken. The board
layout should be designed to allow the cues to make statements with color, grouping the "vectors" by master (i.e. side
from stage right, or front, or back) and the colors by dimmer.
Touring is very rough on a control board so it should be
chosen to stand up to punishment, even though some control
may be sacrificed. Autotransformers are recommended, as
repair is simple if needed and a good supply of internal fuses
can be carried in an envelope.
Pre-made bundles of cables should be carried-each pipe
should be laid out and the cables assembled in an umbilical,
one for each pipe, one for each side, and one for the front.
These should be bound with tape so that their placement on
the pipe is a guide for the placement of the instruments.... I
generally drop the cables used on the side booms or stands
to the floor behind the legs, and incorporate them into bundles for the floor.... Note that the plot is symmetrical so that
it can be hung in reverse, whichever side of the stage the
board must be placed. (See Fig. 14.)
A touring company (especially if playing small towns)
should carry enough lamps and cable to replace 10% of the
used equipment, plus spare instruments in case any are
damaged beyond immediate repair. Spare lenses, C-clamps,
bolts, electrical tape, duct tape, and other items are also
standard equipment.

Figure 14
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MINIMUM LIGHTING & CABLE DIAGRAM

JAMES C. WRIGHT

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1979