Working on the initial drafting of a rudimentary ellipsoidal reflector spotlight.

Author: Jackson Smith | Major: Theatre Production and Design | Semester: Fall 2022

My name is Jackson Smith and I am a Theatre major on the production and design track within the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The Honors College Research Grant I have received is allowing me to take on my thesis project with the help of my mentor Shawn Irish, the Head of Design and Technology within the Theatre department. My thesis is a three part project revolving around lighting design, consisting of a research paper as well as visual and physical elements. The first part is a paper covering the history of theatrical lighting, and then diving into the physics behind how light is used as well as its use as a storytelling tool. The second part of the project consists of staging a scene and lighting it in various ways to mimic the different types of theatrical lighting that have been utilized in the past, such as candle light, incandescent bulbs, and modern LED fixtures. Finally, I am working to create rudimentary versions of some of the most commonly used fixtures today, such as the Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight, or the PAR Can light.

This semester I focused primarily on writing my paper, as well as beginning the planning for the creative elements of my thesis. The beginning of my paper was built on a research paper that I completed for an Honors Colloquium class in the spring of my sophomore year. The class was called “Seeing Light” and was a deep dive into the physics of light. The paper I wrote for our class final was about the physics behind theatrical lighting, explaining how the different fixtures were used to mold and shape the light that we see on stage. This class and specifically this final project served as the initial inspiration for my thesis, as the small introduction of the field’s history that I wrote made me want to go even deeper into the subject. So this year I did just that, and working off of my existing research I dove more into the history and artistry of theatrical lighting, building a strong base of understanding that I have used to help plan the next two parts.

I began the initial stages of work on my visual and physical elements this semester as well, primarily focusing on the planning of my fixture construction. This involved looking at the diagrams of fixtures that I used in my initial physics of light paper and beginning the drafting of what my build will be.

Much of my research consisted of just diving into texts about the topic, but a couple unexpected opportunities arose this semester for me to get first hand research on lighting design. At the end of the spring semester I spoke with Irish about being able to do sound design – my primary focus within the theatre – for some of the shows in this year’s season, and was placed on three shows as sound designer, This Bitch, God of Carnage, and Hedda Gabler. Then, about halfway through the summer after meetings for the other projects had begun, Irish approached me asking if I would like to do the lighting design for Hedda Gabler as the position had opened up, and I immediately agreed. While the show is not opening until February next semester, our process started in September and has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of how lighting in the theatre functions.

The other unexpected opportunity came at the end of October, when I was asked by our department’s Technical Director Weston Wilkerson if I would be interested in lighting a piece for our November dance concert, Rebirth. I was again quick to accept. The process for that piece was essentially a weeklong from initial concept to execution, and offered a completely different experience in lighting than I have had so far with Hedda Gabler. In dance you are allowed to be more abstract with light than in a realistic production of a play, but in both mediums you are still using light for two sole purposes: as a practical tool to see the action happening on stage, and as a creative tool that is responding to or motivating the narrative occurring on stage. These two experiences have taught and are still teaching me a lot first-hand about lighting and how different it can be depending on what you are using it for.

My final semester will involve me taking what I have learned and using it to execute the plans I have made in regards to the construction of my lighting fixtures and the multiple lightings of my scene. My goal with this thesis project is to make a resource that can be used for students first exploring lighting design, providing them with not only a well-researched essay on the subject, but with visual learning elements as well. I am looking forward to continuing this creative endeavor with the help of my mentor, my department and the Honors College.