Welcome to the Lighting Archive
Modern theatrical lighting is a unique art form, whose history until now has been exceedingly difficult to study due to limited access to original lighting documents. The Lighting Archive website is developing a collection of actual plots, focus charts, cue sheets from real shows. We will place an emphasis on historical productions and designers who have made important contributions to our field.
These documents make evident the aesthetic development of the art form. The styles of the theatrical visual are affected not only by the personalities of the lighting designers but very importantly the interplay between what equipment was being manufactured and how the designers were inspired to use it. Another major force affecting the aesthetics and the equipment is the extreme time and reliability pressures that operate in the economics of the theatre world. How has the development of "the next big thing"; computer consoles, color scrollers, moving lights changed and enriched the visual possibilities? By a close examination of these documents, students and scholars can now witness the development of Lighting Design as it has made a greater and greater contribution to the theatrical experience.
We welcome Ken Billington and his lighting design for Sweeney Todd, with full support and permission from his collaborators, Eugene Lee, scenic designer and Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist. The Lighting Archive is proud to present the complete paperwork for the Broadway, London, National Tour and Bus & Truck. A curious scholar can study and trace Ken's lighting concepts form the B'way and West End versions (very different shaped stages) through the cut downs for the tours. How does he maintain the look while trimming and compacting for easy moves and quick setups?
Gilbert Hemsley's Porgy and Bess is remembered fondly by his close associates. After opening at the Houston Grand Opera it toured to several major cities before settling in for a run on Broadway.
Natasha Katz had the momentous task of recreating A Chorus Line in 2006. The production acquired the rights to Tharon Musser's original lighting which you can study at LightingDB.nypl.org. Her papers show her process of understanding Tharon's concepts and then using her considerable talent and Broadway experience to enrich the plot and the cues with moving lights and scrollers. We have her designer notes from the San Fransisco tryouts, the complete Broadway paperwork and a cut down touring version that is largely moving lights.
Jean Rosenthal worked from the 1930s until 1969. During her lifetime she set many standards for documentation as well as visual innovation. We present several shows from different stages of her career.
Mercury Theatre/Orson Wells, John Houseman in 1948, Martha Graham and West Side Story- Jerry Robbins.