It would be quite difficult to view any performances in the dark but the lighting department makes sure that this is not an issue. They not only light the stage for viewing; they also light scenes to add extra depth to the performances. They design patterns to enhance the plot and colors to enhance the mood. They are masters of playing with the mind and human emotions. If you see anything from bright oranges and yellows to light a happy occasion to darker blues to enhance an unhappy seen to single spotlights on actors giving monologues, this has all been planned, designed, and set up by the lighting department.
Lighting staff and designers work closely with the scene shop and costume shop as well as the shows director to make sure that the production put on in the end is that desired by all design individuals involved. The Krannert Center employs one Lighting Director and one Assistant Lighting Director. The Department of Theater also has two full time Lighting faculty positions. In addition, at any given time, there may be 6-9 graduate students and 8-12 undergraduate students working with the professionals to create the lighting designs seen on the stages.
Each production at Krannert, in-house and touring, decides what types of lights and how many are needed. The lighting consoles can be programmed to tailor to the needs of each production. Some shows are simple whereas others can have 200-300 lighting changes. Changes in lighting can communicate things to the audience such as time of day, location, season, mood, or atmosphere. They can also be used to simply tell someone where to look to reinforce the theme of the show. The lighting designer in essence, paints the stage with light.
Any artists need their tools and as far as lighting goes, they have plenty to work with. To begin with, the Great Hall, Playhouse, and Festival each have 2 follow spots which can be used to highlight individual performers. These spots are the same type as those used on Broadway as well is in Regional and National touring companies. Each theater also has its own set of lights and lighting accessories. The Festival has around 360 instruments and the Playhouse has around 330. Both the Festival and Playhouse have computer lighting consoles that often need to be reprogrammed for various shows. The Studio Theater also has a computer lighting console but it is supplemented by a patch board due to a limited number of dimmers. Many scenes can be created, but after a certain number, in order to create more, patch cables need to be physically moved by hand. The Great Hall also has a computer lighting console but this does not need to be reprogrammed very often due to the nature of the performances held here.
The Dance Rehearsal room is often overlooked but also provides a very versatile space. It can be used for auditions or end of semester shows. It has a computer memory system and 61 instruments in its inventory.
There are around 1200 lighting
instruments overall that can be found throughout Krannert and a wide variety
of special effects equipment. There are also five different computer memory
lighting systems overall.