theaterverlichting

Theaterverlichting, or stage lighting, is the art and craft of illuminating a theater production to reveal performers and settings, shape mood, indicate time and place, and support storytelling. It involves planning a lighting scheme in collaboration with the director, set designer, and other technicians, and executing it through a combination of fixtures, controls, and rigging. The field blends artistic design with electrical engineering and safe operating practices.

The basic components include lighting instruments (such as Fresnels, ellipsoidal reflector spotlights ERS, PAR cans, strip lights), color media (gels or LED-based color mixing), dimming equipment, and control systems (consoles) along with power distribution and rigging. In modern theaters, LED fixtures and moving lights (intelligent fixtures) are common, offering color, beam shaping, and automated focus.

A lighting designer creates a lighting plan that defines cues, intensities, colors, and timing. The plan is implemented by electricians and lighting technicians who install and focus fixtures on the stage, program cues into a lighting console, and run the show with operators. Control protocols like DMX512 enable devices to receive channel data; newer systems may use multimedia protocols and integration with sound and video.

Theater lighting includes front, side, back, and effect lighting, as well as specialty follow spots. Safety considerations include proper rigging, load calculations, electrical codes, and crew training. Lighting design continues to evolve with energy-efficient technologies, such as LEDs, and with increasingly sophisticated automated and networked control.