Outside reading...
John L. Bracewell. Sound Design in the Theatre. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1993
J. Michael Gillette. Theatrical Design and Production, 5th edition. McGraw-Hill. 2004.
Jean Rosenthal. The Magic of Light. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1972.
1. Before electricity, what was used to light the performer?
From 500 BC until the 1600s, theatrical performances generally took place outdoors in the afternoon so the actor was lit by sun light. When theatre moved indoors during the Renaissance (Europe: 1550-1700) and the English Restoration (1660-1700), the performer was lit first by candle light and later by oil lamps. In the beginning of the 1800s, gas light which could be controlled, replaced oil lamps as the major source of illumination. The world's first gas stage-lighting system was installed in 1818 in Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre.
2. What was the gas table?
A collection of valves used to control the intensity of the light. With the advent of the gas table it became possible to dim the "house lights" focusing the audience's attention on the actor on stage.
3. When did the electric lamp become the major source of theatrical light?
In the 1880's. London's Savoy Theatre, the theatrical home of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas, was, in 1881, the first theatre to be totally lit by electricity. The following year, 1882, the first American theatre, the Bijou Theatre in Boston, was electrified.
4. What are the five purposes, or functions, of light?
5. What are the five controllable qualities, or properties, of light?
Note how the qualities of light (color, direction, distribution, and intensity) in the color photographs on pages 196, 200, 201, 202, 203, and 204 of Wilson and Goldfarb create mood, reveal form, establish time of day, and focus the audience's attention.
6. What is gel?
The sheet of plastic (or color media) used to color the beam of light.
7. What is the difference between a flood light and a spot light?
A flood light produces a large, almost uncontrollable wash of light; A spot light, on the other hand, produces a small (up to 12' diameter), highly controlled, pool of light. I would classify the two lamps on page 205 and the bottom lamp on page 206 of Wilson and Goldfarb as spot lights. The top light on page 206 is a flood.
8. Which is primarily used to light the actor?
Spot light.
The scenery?
Flood light
9. When was the computer-assisted control board introduced to the Broadway theatre? What was the show?
November 1975, with the Broadway opening of Chorus Line at the Schubert Theatre.
10. Where should the lighting control board be located?
In the back of the auditorium.
Why?
So the board operator has the same view of the stage as the audience.
11. What is a lighting designer's responsibilities?
12. What is a light plot?
The light plot is the lighting designer's primary working drawing. It is a plan (or top) view of the stage showing where each lighting instrument (spot light or flood light) is located.
A hook-up chart?
The hook-up chart tells the electrician into which dimmer each lighting instrument is to be plugged.
A cue sheet?
The cue (or Q) sheet is the electrician's "script." It outlines each lighting change (a cue) and describes how it should be executed.For more information on light plots, hook-up charts and cue sheets, link to the "Light Plot, Lists and Schedules" unit of the Lighting Design web page. Use the Back Button to return.
13. When did the sound designer join the production team ?
The first person to receive a Broadway credit as Sound Designer was Jack Mann., The show was the 1961 production of Show Girl. the musical-comedy-review by Charles Gaynor which ran for 100 performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Seven years later, Dan Dugan received Sound Design credit in the 1968-69 Season Program for San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), a commercial regional theatre.Electrical sound reinforcement and sound reproduction has been used in the theatre since the 1940s. A turntable would be plugged into the theatre's PA (public address) system for pre-show music and a couple of microphones were set on the front of the stage to pickup the lead singer's voice. Sound equipment was usually specified by the stage manager and set up by the electric (or light) crew. Most sound effects (gunshots, door slams, thunder) were produced manually by a member of the property department.
14. What is the difference between sound reinforcement and sound reproduction?
Sound reinforcement is the amplification of the performer's voice, sound reproduction is the reproduction of recorded music and sound effects.
15. What type of theatrical productions tend to use sound reinforcement?
Large modern musicals, especially those with a full pit orchestra.
Why?
Most singers need amplification to be heard over the orchestra.
16. How is pre-recorded sound used in the production of a play?
The Sound Designer (or Director) will typically select and record pre-show, scene change, intermission, and post-show music. Normally the music will reflect the period and mood of the play. Many dramas will also use recorded sound effects: thunder, a passing train, waves breaking on the shore... These sounds are available from commercial effects libraries or on the Internet. Link to A1 Free Sound Effects for an idea of what's available on line.
17. What is a sound designer's responsibilities?
18. What two types of microphones are used to "mike" a musical?
19. Where in the theatre are speakers located for sound reinforcement?
In a large theatre with a permanent sound system, a speaker cluster is generally hung over the center of the orchestra pit. In a temperory setup, speaker columns are usually placed on each side of the proscenium opening. It is generally recommended that every member of the house be able to see at least one of these speakers.
Sound reproduction?
Back stage near the "source" of the sound. If a character reacts to gun shots being fired off stage right, the sound should come from a stage right speaker.
20. Where should the mixing console be placed?
In the auditorium. Just like the light board operator should have a clear view of the stage, the sound board operator must be able to hear the same sound as the audience. In most commercial theatres, the mixing console is placed in the rear of the orchestra under the balcony overhang.
21. What has traditionally been the source of sound effect cues?
A reel-to-reel tape deck. Sound effects and music cues were recorded onto tape. White leader tape was cut in (edited) between each sound Q making it possible to quickly locate a specific piece of music or effect. Because the entire show was recorded on tape, it was easy to add additional Qs or to rearrange the existing Qs.
22. How have computers effected sound reproduction?
Today, most sound designers record the music and sound effects on a computer's hard drive. The individual cuts can then be manuplitiated and edited with an audio editing program, and cut to a CD, recorded onto a MiniDisc or played back in the theatre from the designer's computer.