Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 76

USITT RP-2
Recommended Practice for Theatrical
Lighting Design Graphics (2006)
USITT's lighting graphics standard, first published in 1985 and revised in 1991, has been updated again and was formally adopted by the USITT Board of Directors during their meetings in
Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2006. Now titled USITT RP-2: Recommended Practice for Theatrical Lighting Design Graphics (2006), this set of guidelines continues to provide the entertainment industry with valuable recommendations for drafting light plots and sections.
USITT RP-2 (2006) is published for the first time here and is also available as a free download from the USITT Web site at www.usitt.org/bookstore/. Everyone is encouraged to follow
these recommendations and adapt them to their individual needs.
The differences between USITT RP-2 (2006) and its predecessors primarily reflect fastchanging trends in lighting equipment. New in this revision are additional beamspreads for enhanced ERSs and PAR units, alternate symbols for gobo accessories, more detailed indications
for cyc and ballasted units, more precise specifications for booms, additional automated units/
accessories, and the introduction of symbols related to fluorescent tubes and LED luminaires.
Two somewhat controversial changes relate to the layout of a color boom for followspots and a
revision in the manner that circuit, dimmer, and channel information is indicated on a plot.
USITT RP-2 (2006) was developed through an accredited process that gives interested parties-lighting designers, equipment manufacturers, and specifiers-a major say in the final
document. Members of the USITT Lighting Commission's Graphics Standards Committee conducted five canvasses to gather input and discuss changes. Each canvas provided a call for public
comments and was posted for a period of no less then ninety days. Once a canvas period ended,
all the comments were compiled and discussed by the committee and revisions were written into
a new draft. We struggled most with two issues: differences in regional practices and symbols for
three-dimensional visualization environments. The former was resolved through consensus and
the latter was set aside because we finally agreed that our purpose was limited to establishing
guidelines for light plots and sections, which are inherently two-dimensional processes. (We did
note, however, that most visualization software could use USITT RP-2's symbols when the software is used in a drafting rather than visualization mode.) The committee believes that USITT
RP-2 (2006) is an accurate reflection of the most commonly practiced drafting conventions
used in the entertainment lighting industry today.
I want to thank everyone who took time to be part of the review process, including those
members of the USITT Lighting Commission who worked on various aspects of this project over
the years. Most importantly, I want to thank the members of the Graphics Standards Committee
who gave generous amounts of time to answering my hefty e-mails with their thoughtful comments as we responded to the canvases. These individuals include Will Bellman, Robin Schraft,
Vickie Scott, Steve Shelley, and Craig Wolf in addition to myself. A special note of appreciation
should be extended to Steve who drafted and re-drafted numerous versions of the symbols
throughout the process. Another special thanks goes to Mitch Hefter, Jerry Gorrell, and the Standards Committee who provided valuable guidance throughout the review process.
Finally, this document is a work in progress and is subject to review in another three to five
years in order to adjust to new technologies. We believe that USITT RP-2 (2006) brings most
lighting graphics conventions up to date and hope that you too find it to be a much improved and
needed set of guidelines for the lighting profession. I expect that you will be seeing revised templates (both plastic and CAD symbol libraries) based on USITT RP-2 (2006) in the near future.
Rich Dunham, Committee Chair
Sr. Lighting Commissioner
THEATRE
SUMMER

2006

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

http://www.usitt.org/bookstore/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006