Miniature lighting rig makes a big impact for theatre students
Changing a line or an actor鈥檚 delivery is a simple thing.
Test the changes during rehearsals and continue refining until perfect.
Changing a lighting setup is much more complicated.
Don鈥檛 like the shade of blue illuminating the sky above? Bring out the ladder and try a different hue. Shadows too harsh? Grab the ladder.
鈥淲e used to have things like lighting renderings, which were black construction paper, crayons, and colored pencils,鈥 said Professor of Theatre Matthew Hallock. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to communicate to a director ahead of time what it鈥檚 going to look like.鈥
Some unexpected lighting issues can be avoided through sheer expertise鈥攕omething that only years of practice can bring. But for students learning the ropes, it can be a labor-intensive process.
鈥淥ne of the reasons it鈥檚 such a high-stakes question is that the lighting for a show comes in almost at the very tail end of the process, so there鈥檚 very little time to change it if you鈥檙e wrong,鈥 Hallock said. 鈥淚f you as a lighting designer have the wrong idea, sometimes you can鈥檛 know until you turn things on.鈥
That鈥檚 where the miniature lighting rig in Hallock鈥檚 classroom comes in. He built it after seeing a similar setup constructed by Professor Kenton Yeager at the University of Tennessee. The first version came together some 20 years ago. The current setup (version 2.0, as Hallock calls it) has been in use for the last 15 years, receiving periodic updates.
鈥淲hen it started, we had some rudimentary small fixtures鈥攁lmost like novelty lights,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut over time, lighting equipment manufacturers started developing scaled-down versions of full-size rail lighting fixtures.鈥
The rig features scaffolding, curtains and an array of miniature theatre lights. An intricate control panel rests on a table nearby.
鈥淵ou can put scale scenic models in there and light the show,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou can put costume fabric swatches in there and see how the color in light impacts the costume color differently.鈥
The control panel includes a USB port, allowing for lighting cues to be saved and later imported into the Norton Center for the Arts鈥 Weisiger Theater or grand Newlin Hall.
Easing the trial-and-error learning process for students has been invaluable since the rig was constructed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge because students are able to manifest their ideas without needing three friends and a ladder,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he black box theatre used to be the light lab. We鈥檇 teach lighting classes in there, and we had a 14-foot, 800-pound ladder that students had to learn to set up, break down, and move around safely. They would haul heavy lights, cables, wrenches, and everything else.
鈥淎nd here it is, standing on the ground. 鈥橪et鈥檚 move it two feet to the left.鈥 And boom鈥攄one.鈥
This time-saving tool allows students to experiment more, learn faster, and gain experience in a shorter period of time.
鈥淭he gap between having an idea and seeing it realized is so much shorter.鈥
Hallock built and refined the miniature rig. But as he enters retirement at the end of the year, he鈥檚 excited to see how it will be used by future students.
鈥淚 will be excited to see what the next person in my job does with it,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a great tool, and I think it will continue to be鈥攁s long as we have students eager to study light.鈥
