History of Lighting

[Tom_Robbo26]

I am currently studying A-Level Performing Arts and part of the course involves me having to research into the history of lighting in the theatre as lighting is the area I am specialising in.

 

I am looking back right into the victorian and georgian times lighting. I already know about the liks of shakespeares plays that in the Globe they put shows on in the afternoon and use the natural light. But they used candle light to create the effect of it being the night time if the scene was set this way.

 

Apart from this though I am failing to find much else out and was wondering if anyone here knew anything about the history of lighting. I would like to create a timeline of developments from georgian time to present day. So any help anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks again Blue Room!

 

TR

 

P.S I have read some of the guidelines and here I am not asking for people to do my homework for me, just simply provide me with some information in order to carry it out. I have to produce a large portfolio on this and I wouldn't use any posts as copy and paste, this is just research.

[Paul Graham]

Hi Tom,

 

Have a look at the works of Edward Gordon Craig and Adolphe Appia.

[dbuckley]

I found an interesting and possibly relevant book in the library at work: Theatre lighting in the age of gas / [by] Terence Rees

 

Published: London : Society for Theatre Research, 1978.

Description: x, 238 p. : ill., facsims., plans ; 25 cm.

ISBN: 0854300252

[Paul Roberts]

Electric Stage Lighting was first used in Paris in 1876. (Nice bit to include in your portfolio).

 

A quick look on Google came up with a number of sites. This one has someb old photographs if you're interested:

 

http://www.stage-lighting-museum.com/museu...ml/history.html

[paulears]

Electric Stage Lighting was first used in Paris in 1876. (Nice bit to include in your portfolio).

 

I didn't think it was as late as that - didn't they experiment much earlier?

 

If he's going to use it as a research source, he has to be able to cite where the information came from. I could easily be wrong (often am) but the date seems a bit odd.

[AndrewR]

This book might be worth a look:

 

The Speed of Light: Dialogues on Lighting Design and Technological Change

By Linda Essig

 

I can only find it on Amazon.com, not uk. It can be a bit dry, but covers the past 50 years or so. (And is how I actually got to understand tracking propperly)

 

I can't do the pic, but heres a linky:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Light-Dialogue...5763&sr=1-1

 

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0325005087.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

Moderation: Using the magic BR Amazon tags it seems to show up fine on the UK one, so feel free to click the image instead.

[paulears]

Moderation: Could I point out that information sourced from Google searches often needs verification. At uni, it's unlikely that without research that can be validated - and publishing in a book is still the common way - it wouldn't be acceptable. Google is a good as a starting point. Very often you will find conflicting evidence when doing Google based research. Sometimes someone makes an error - and the source could be a 9 year old or a university professor. Which one would you take as the correct one? Hence the comments on dates I made earlier - a subtle (perhaps too subtle) hint that a little more research could reveal new information. The OP wants it for a public examination, and if he states a date, based on what we have here today, and the examiner knows the real date - that is not a good scenario.

[andy_s]

just to say that in Shakespeare's day indoor performances also took place, for which some form of artificial light source would have been required.....

[Paul Roberts]

I didn't think it was as late as that - didn't they experiment much earlier?

 

On my earlier post the date was from memory, and yes you are quite right in that I was inaccurate with the date. According to the book 'Stage Lighting Design: A Practical Guide' by Neil Fraser, electricity was first used as a light source in 1846 in the Paris Opera, not 1876 as I thought. The reason for thinking the date was much later was because the Paris Opera was fully converted to electricity in 1886.

[DavidLee]

Electric Stage Lighting was first used in Paris in 1876. (Nice bit to include in your portfolio).

... and I believe that the first use in the UK was in the original production of Iolanthe, which opened on 25th November 1882 with Richard D'Oyly Carte reputedly smashing a burning electric lamp wrapped in a handkerchief onstage, to demonstrate the safety of the new electric light.

 

The chorus of fairies also wore strings of battery powered lights in their head dresses and the term "Fairy Light" has continued to the present day.

 

David

[boatman]

Stage Lighting Design by Richard Pilbrow has some good stuff in it.

[Grahame]

... and I believe that the first use in the UK was in the original production of Iolanthe, which opened on 25th November 1882 with Richard D'Oyly Carte reputedly smashing a burning electric lamp wrapped in a handkerchief onstage, to demonstrate the safety of the new electric light.

From A History of Light and Lighting

"Richard D'Oyley (often: D'oyly) Carte, was the enterprising manager of the new Savoy Theatre in London. In 1881 he opened the theatre and advertised that the Savoy was the first public building lighted 'entirely' by electricity. In fact, there were a total of 1158 of the new Swan lamps, used to light the auditorium, the dressing rooms, the corridors and the stage. The electrical and dimmer system was by Siemens Brothers and Company, one of the early pioneers in stage lighting control systems. There were six (6) dimmers in all.

 

An article published in 'Engineering, March 3, 1882' reported: "In an artistic and scenic point of view nothing could be more completely successful than the present lighting of the Savoy Theatre the illumination is brilliant without being dazzling, and while being slightly whiter than gas, the accusation of "ghastliness," so often urged against the light of the electric arc, can in no way be applied. In addition to this the light is absolutely steady, and thanks to the enterprise of Mr. D'Oyley Carte, it is now possible for the first time in history of the modern theatre to sit for a whole evening and enjoy a dramatic performance in a cool and pure atmosphere".

 

At the same time, the Grand Opera in Paris installed the Swan lamp. "

 

I'm not sure if this is correct - I thought that the Theatre Royal in Glasgow was the first to use electric lighting, but maybe that was just the first in Scotland.

 

DavidLee - love that snippet about the fairy lights - I didn't know that's where the phrase came from.

 

One book that I found very helpful when I did my lighting thesis many many moons ago was 'Theatre Lighting - A Manual of the Stage Switchboard' by Louis Hartmann. An American book originally published in 1930, reprinted in 1970. Hartmann was Chief Electrician to David Belasco.

It has some wonderful line drawings of early electrical gear, including one of an arc 'sunburst' effect from 1873 for use on cycs. I've just tried to scan it in but my scanner isn't behaving itself this morning.... I'll try again later.

 

**edit...following a reboot and a stern talking to....

 

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1513/hartmann1bf6.jpg

 

Electrical switchboard taking over from gas - Turner & Proctor's Theatre, New York 1889:

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/257/hartmann2ax1.jpg

 

The first scroller? A graduated silk used in front of an arc source by David Belasco for Madam Butterfly in 1900:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1377/hartmann3oc3.jpg

 

And in case you're wondering why some theatres still have no. 1 bridges and perches - Belasco's 'Return of Peter Grimm, Boston, 1911:

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2513/hartmann4ub7.jpg

 

Many more wonderful illustrations in this little book. I'll scan a few more if you're interested.

[Richard Bunting]

Because I'm feeling in a generous mood.......

 

http://www.mts.net/~william5/history/hol.htm

 

http://www.mylightingguide.com/garden/historylightingstage/

 

http://www.northern.edu/wild/LiteDes/ldhist.htm

 

http://www.str.org.uk/

 

http://www.theatre.psu.edu/facilities/lightlab.html

 

http://www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey/th1501dimmers.html

 

http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/BackstageIndex.htm

 

http://www.backstage.ac.uk/

 

 

HTH

Richard

[deranged-angel]

Oooh, thanks for these!

I've just stared a masters degree-it's a research one rather than a taught one and my sebject that I have chosen is outdoor theatre lighting through history. My idea is to reasearch various styles of lighting thorughout history then light a public performance using 3 or 4 methods :)

 

Will keep you posted and prob ask you folks some questions - particularly when it comes to modern theatre lighting for outdoor productions but this info has added to the stuff I already have so thanks!

 

Oh, and if anyone is lighting an outdoor production and wouldn't mind me coming to have a snoop around let me know please :)

 

Em

[Ken Coker]

" I already know about the liks of shakespeares plays that in the Globe they put shows on in the afternoon and use the natural light. But they used candle light to create the effect of it being the night time if the scene was set this way."

 

You might want to think about this again.

 

Avoiding some rather contentious statements, amongst the books you need to read, copies of which are on my desk as I write, are:

 

Lighting in the Theatre : Gosta M. Bergmann. 1977

 

Lighting the Shakespearean Stage, 1567-1642 : Paul Nelsen. 2001

 

Ruben also has important, or at least early, stuff on arenas.

 

You might also want to find Dr. Nigel Morgan's PhD thesis : "Who Started this Racket? Stage Lighting in Britain: the emergence of the lighting designer 1881-1950", University of Manchester 2003. (It is a very depressing thing to be writing a PhD with a copy of a completed one on the desk.)

 

Does that help?

 

KC