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Lighting Design for the Theater OpenCourseWare: MIT's Free Bachelor Level Course on Theater Lighting Design

Published Feb 10, 2009

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'Lighting Design for the Theatre' introduces students to the technical side of stage lighting while stressing the importance of using artistic and collaborative skills to enhance the entire theater experience. This Music and Theater Arts course is offered through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's OpenCourseWare. It is free to anyone interested in pursuing knowledge through self-study.

Lighting Design for the Theatre: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
No Yes No

Lighting Design for the Theatre: Course Description

Professor Karen Perlow taught this Bachelor of Arts in Music and Theater Arts class using a hands-on approach. Besides attendance at scheduled lectures, she expected her students to spend time in the theater practicing the craft of lighting design. Students were taught the technical side of lighting and how to use that information to create an artistically effective final light design for a theater production. Through the use of photographs and theater tours, students explored the use of color and how it affects mood, and the connections between music and light. They also learned to hang and focus lights with a view toward designing a lighting plot and finding ways to approach different spaces and script situations. Students also learned to write cue sheets.

This Music and Theater Arts course includes a complete list of class assignments with examples from past students' work, readings and additional study materials. If you are interested in this Theater Arts course or others like it, please visit this theater lighting design course page.

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