Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012 - 83

Stage Lighting

Fundamentals and Applications

By Richard Dunham; Boston, Allyn & Bacon,
2011. 416 pp. Paper, $81.20.
Reviewed by
Bill Browning

When I was asked to review Richard Dunham's
Stage Lighting: Fundamentals and Applications,
I jumped at the opportunity. My motivation was
purely selfish. I have been teaching a fundamentals
of stage lighting course for many years at the University of Delaware, but I have yet to find a suitable
text that fits with the way I organize the material.
My hope, of course, was that perhaps this was the
text, and since I am currently teaching a section of
that class this spring, I could evaluate it even as I
prepared for some of the early classes.
Alas, it was not meant to be. My course is
intended for the very early beginner and focuses
on the nuts and bolts of stage lighting rather than
stage lighting design. OK, so the book won't fulfill
my needs, even though there are several chapters
which would be very useful. This book is clearly
aimed at the advanced undergraduate or even
graduate student who is seriously interested in a
career in either the entertainment lighting industry
or one of the many related industries which Dunham references regularly throughout the text.

organization around a central theme that all of
the other chapters do. Initially it appears to be a
more detailed discussion of the controllable qualities of light, but then it drifts into topics that don't
relate so much to the controllable qualities. Furthermore, I was disappointed with the section on
form and shape because of the poor quality (low
contrast) of the photos which illustrate the various
lighting angles being discussed.
Chapter three is an excellent discussion of
color in light and includes two very useful sidebars on "Spectral Analysis of Gel" and "Designer
Considerations of Color and Light." Chapter four
is a good discussion of who does what jobs in
the various related industries of lighting professionals, and it concludes with discussions about
labor unions and professional organizations.
Chapters five through nine cover the technical elements of electricity, lamps and light
sources, luminaires, control fundamentals, and
advanced equipment. The coverage of the topics
in chapters five through eight struck me as both
competent and up to date; however, as a visual
learner, I would have liked more illustrations
to support some of the discussion. "Advanced

Equipment and Personal Computers in Lighting"
are dealt with in chapter nine. While I have had
some experience with moving lights and digitally
controlled gizmos, I feel somewhat at a loss to
speak with any authority as to the timeliness of
this treatment. I did find it engaging and seemingly comprehensive-no small feat in this rapidly changing area of technology.
Chapter ten, "Essentials of Lighting Design,"
marks the beginning of part three, "Light: Design
Fundamentals." Important topics in the discussion include themes, dramatic form, genre, style,
etc. And then there are all those essential procedures of lighting design. After reading this chapter I imagined myself at a meeting for Lighting
Designers Anonymous at which I blurt out, "I'm a
lighting designer, and I don't do all these things!
Where did I go wrong?" Yes, of course, this is
a text for students. Without question, these are
useful procedures to expand and strengthen the
student's lighting design muscles.

Real gem
Chapter eleven, "Basics of General Illumination," is a real gem. It is wonderfully illustrated

Overview
So let's have a look at the book. Chapter one is
somewhat traditional in its treatment of the "Controllable Qualities of Light" and the "Functions
of Lighting." On the other hand, the treatment of
"What is Light?" is quite fresh owing to the inclusion of numerous ways of measuring and quantifying light. Chapter two, "Light and Perception,"
seemed a little unfocused to me. It isn't so much
that the discussion isn't valid or interesting, because I found much of the discussion on the
various effects of intensity to be quite engaging.
The chapter just didn't seem to possess a clear

spring

2012

theatre design

& technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012