Drama, Theatre, and Lighting.
Stage lighting, in dramatic and theatrical performances, is meant for visibility of stage occurrences. It is important to note that the lighting method influences the stage appearance, the overall perception, and is intended to reinforce the production’s impact. Beyond making sure that the stage is visible enough, lighting can establish location and time of atmosphere, as well as creation and enhancement atmosphere and mood. Several factors have to be considered in lighting; for instance, the complexion of the performers, the effect of the light will have on the audience, and the design of the theatre. This review will assess the interaction of theatre lights with skin color, the meaning of light in the drama and theatre context, the necessity of various lighting scales to people of darker complexions, and the function of multiple designs of lighting.
Meaning of light in drama
Stage lighting is one of the most essential aspects of theatrical performances. The lighting craft is applied to opera, dance, theatre, and production of other achievements. The lighting context was first used in the ancient Grecian and Roman theatres. In those ages, they built the theatrical halls facing east towards the west, and performances would occur in the afternoon to ensure natural light from the sun hits the performers while the audience meets the opposite side in the orchestra. As written in “ Theatre Lighting Before Electricity “ by Frederick Penzel in 1984, early theatres were built roofless for natural light to the stage. The more theatres get enclosed and built amphitheater formation for the achievement of an indoor arena, artificial lighting designs became imperative, and have developed over the centuries. Initially, dipped candles were used across European theatres. Further opinion suggested chandeliers that would serve as well as the sunlight used to. They were placed in the front, above the stage. Dipped candles were placed in the chandelier compartments. The candles were made through repeatedly submerging wick into hot wax to achieve cylindrical candles. Unfortunately, the candles had to be trimmed often and needed to be relighted since they kept dripping on the performers and their audience. Furthermore, chandeliers blocked some of the patrons from properly viewing what was happening on stage. In the 1670s, footlights were developed, followed by gas lighting in the 1800s. In 1837, limelight became popular until it was displaced by electricity generated light in the 1860s.
Over the years, the theatre lighting system has advanced with filters and angles getting improvised to accommodate both performers and actors. The light should be minimal on hurting and blinding everyone involved. At the same time, it should create visibility of the performers to bring out their physical appearances, skin complexions, and facial expressions. A commonly used lighting method of a theatre stage is known as the McCandless system. Through his 1932 fourth edition book dubbed ‘A method of lighting the stage,’ Stanley McCandless describes his idea of the system which mainly resolves around coloring shadowing and portraying the performers as they are, by clearly defining their features and complexities, which will favor them and those viewing the performances to gain perspective of their actions and the attitude or mood of a scene from reading their expressions.
Interaction of theatre lighting and diverse skin complexions
According to ” Stage Lighting ” by Fuchs Theodore, various actors actresses and other performers have diversified skin complexions, and lighting has a different effect on every person. Based on basic color science, darker surfaces tend to absorb more light than surfaces with lighter complexions. In the same context, more luminous surfaces have been proven to bounce light. The same applies to skin complexions, where different people have different reactions to light. Not only about black or white appearances, but the shade also matters too because there are melanin dark people, chocolate skin color, and brown-black people. For white complexions, some are Caucasian white, while others have a tan to their skin. Hence, the shade of the complexion matters, a factor that is highly considered in stage lighting as well as make-up, in situations where a performer has to be turned up for specific expressions, characters, roles, and stories to be depicted clearly. For several decades, lighting has pandered towards white complexions. In the modern era, directors and lighting designers try as much as possible to make sure everyone receives the glow they deserve while maintaining their stage performers. There are several factors to put into consideration while considering lighting and the interaction of a performer’s skin complexion.
In an indoor performance set up, there is a strong color tint that makes teeth, eyes, and skin look different, which might make one look sickly. For a person of deep melanin color, they are absolutely disadvantaged if the angle is not right. When exposed to too much lighting, their faces tend to reflect the light, which makes it hard for the audience to fully depict their facial features and necessary expressions for various scenes. In an article by Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts, the students noted down do’s and don’ts of lighting design, in which they expressed that there are different angles to which an actor’s facials and expressions can be captured better. When the lighting is set from the front to hit the actor’s face directly, it flattens the lookout and achieves maximum expression regardless of skin color. However, the lighting scale also matters because dark performers will appear too shiny, oily, and glowing. Brown people are favored by this form of lighting, given that their skin complexion is not too pale nor too dark. Caucasian white people will appear paler when they face direct front lighting setups.
The necessity of different lighting scale for dark skin tones
Controlling light is essential in creating an appearance for performers on stage and defining all their features correctly. If the skin tones are diverse, a lighting designer can quickly get away with placing a person of darker skin closes to the light. Due to inverse square law, light exposure fades away quickly if brought near the vital source of light and slower as it pulls away. If a dark skin person is close to the light, he or she will get more light, and it balances the exposure. In extreme cases, there may be a necessity for extra lights and flags to create a different light scale or filter. In a 2020 article by Rubidium Wu dubbed “ Tips for lighting different skin tones in the same shot,” lighting is discussed at length with various ideas of balancing the light scale to serve individuals of darker complexions as well as the light-skinned ones. Wu explains that lighting designers may opt to use flags or cutters closer to the performer so that the key strikes a dark skin actor more than a light one. By this method, two lighting zones are achieved, with one being brighter. Hence, the performers are forced to always be on their marks to avoid altering the setting.
As tempting as it may be for a designer to expect a flag to solve the issue, ratios are also an essential aspect. This is unless one is using a front light. It is almost a no-difference situation shining a light on one side of the face. The darker side also needs to be lit to avoid falling into a dark shadow. Wu further explains that there is difficulty in moving scenes but can be quickly resolved by devising several flags and lights that will help the favor of each position. The ultimate solution that Wu offers is post lighting. The lighting designer can draw the window close to the dark skin actors and raise levels in post. This solution best applies because colors can be less optimal or muddy; hence the act needs to have enough dynamic level for manipulation in post.
The function of lighting design
According to a 2019 article by David Martin Jacques titled “Lighting Design Critique; The Good, the Bad and the exceptional, ” he expresses that the most important function of lighting design is visibility. It is the primary aspect that the lighting designer should bear in mind. In the absence of light, the elements of production are barely visible. As odd as it may sound, seeing an actor is significant in understanding what they are trying to say or present. The aspect of visibility encompasses intensity contrast and modeling. A designer may install hundreds of footlights on the stage and fails to achieve visibility modeling, and distinction is not considered. Most times, the designer might opt to use selective visibility because there exists a striking balance between elements that the audience sees and what they fail to see. Light and shadow contrast to create visual style, shape the dimensions of scenic and actor elements to present them in a three-dimension state, and allow emphasis and de-emphasis of focus. Hence, Jacques expresses proper lighting as an essential aspect of stage lighting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, drama and theatre performance rely on proper lighting for audience and performer interaction. It is essential for lighting designers to bear in mind the complexion appearance of various performers; actors actresses, musicians, or dancers. In this way, people of darker complexion and those of paler skin tones can be portrayed best as they showcase their talents. Proper lighting ensures that dark skin does not glow too much or appears more dismal than usual. It also ensures white people do not look overly pale. Lighting provides maximum interaction of the audience and performers. The audience can clearly depict the actions of the performer, and in the case of acting, they can tell the mood through facial expressions.