Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1999 - 68

BOOK

7?eviews

Sylvia J. Hillyard Pannell

edilor

Stage Lighting Design:
the Art, the Craft, and the Life
by Richard Pilbrow, New York: Design Press, 1999.
ISBN: 0-89676-235-1, 528 pages, $34.95 (hardbound).
I was a little nervous when I was
asked to review Richard
Pilbrow's 1997 book, Stage
Ligbting Design: tbe Art, tbe
Craft, tbe Life. After all, who
am I to make any critical comment on the work of such a celebrated designer and author?
The book was nominated
for the 1998 SITT Golden Pen
Award and won a 1998 Theatre
Craft's International Lighting
Product of the Year award.
There is no question about the quality of the material or
the merit of the author. I finally decided the best approach was simply to describe the contents of this long
awaited expansion of Pilbrow's 1970s book, Stage Ligbting Design.
Early in the book Pilbrow writes: ''The creative approach to the problem of stage lighting-the art, in other
word, of knOWing where to put the light on the stage and
where to take it away-is not to be found in textbooks or
precepts. There is only a goal and a promise. We have the
mechanism with which to create tlus ideal, exalted, dramatic light in the theatre. Whether we can do so or not is
a matter of temperament as well as technique. The secret
lies in our perception of light in the theatre as something
alive."
Does this mean that we are to carry images of poetry
and vision and lugh passion in our minds wlule we are
shouting out orders to electricians on ladders inlight-rehearsal? Yes. This philosophy seems to embody Pilbrow's
approach to both lighting design and writing a book on
the topic. Stage Ligbting Design is a very personal book.
The lighting design process is described in the first person and uses the work of the author and contributors as
primary examples. The contents have been generated in
response to Pilbrow's own professional experiences. For
example, Pilbrow's background as a theatre consultant is
quite evident in sections discussing lighting positions and
control room placement.
Stage Ligbting Design focuses on the aspects of
lighting design that are important to Pilbrow for his work
as a designer. The discussion of the physical laws related
to lighting, electricity, and color are condensed into five
pages. There are no pictures of circuits or plugs and no
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discussion of fuses versus circuit breakers. All of the basic physical laws are covered, along with line drawings
(except there are no drawings of lenses next to the Law of
Refraction). Drafting techniques and computation of
throw distances are treated just as concisely.
The real glory of the book is the extended discussion of the art of lighting design and the design process.
Pilbrow gives an excellent overview of the design process
in general, and then outlines what he refers to as the
"Pilbrow Philosophy" so the reader gets a true sense of
his work process.
While the technical aspects of lighting technology
are condensed, the subjective discussions of light and
color are expansive. Equally valuable is tlIe inclusion of
interviews with a number of professional designers from
a variety of genres including Ken Billington, Jules Fisher,
Luc Lafortune, Tharon Musser, Jim Moody, Ann Militello,
and Andrew Bridge. The perceptions and concepts of
these working professionals offer a real look into "the
life" of the lighting designer.
The book includes many color plates of design
work by Richard Pilbrow and these contributors as well
as other professional designers. Instead of being scattered through the text, the pictures are grouped together
in the interview section. This offers the reader an opportunity to compare the work of numerous designers in
various genres.
Like Lee Watson's Ligbting Design Handbook,
Pilbrow's book offers a unique perspective by addressing
the issues of both commercial and resident theatre. He
also makes a point of addressing the concerns related to
the professional marketplace such as possible training
options and lIIuon affiliations. The information about
touring and rental productions is particularly valuable
for those who normally work in producing houses.
One major feature of Stage Ligbting Design is the
extensive treatment of lighting special effects and advanced technology including projectors and moving light
fixtures. Once again, the reader is aware of Pilbrow's
own personal experience when reading the sections
about projection techniques and optical effects. Pilbrow's
first work on Broadway was as a projection designer.
Pilbrow has chosen to include picnlres, photometric data, and technical information on many control systems and fixtures because these elements have such a
tremendous impact on the designer's options. Much of
the information is condensed into tables that would allow
the reader to calculate beam size and intensity at specific
throw distances. Some of this same information about
lighting fLxtures is presented in an expanded version in
the Pbotometrics Handbook by Robert Mumm. In fact,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1999