Date of Award
5-7-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Theatre Arts
First Reader
Professor Eric Phillips
Second Reader
Dr. Caroline Taylor
Third Reader
Dr. Jennifer Fayard
Abstract
Lighting, combined with other aspects of performance, can either make an experience extremely impactful for an audience or it can be completely unnoticed. Lighting is versatile in its ability to be manipulated in different ways to get the desired effect. In addition to having color, lights also have direction, shape, intensity, distribution, quality, movement, and may be changed over time. The combination of these elements can evoke certain emotions in an audience. Opportunities for creativity in this outlet should be explored in order to discover to what extent lighting can impact the emotions of an audience, if at all. In order to determine if the elements of lighting combined can impact the emotions of an audience, one can explore the many different combinations and potentially apply that knowledge to future projects that require onstage lighting. Along with doing more in-depth research on the various elements of light, I have had the opportunity to design lights for “The Old Man and The Old Moon'' by Pigpen Theatre Co. - the 2021 Muse Project at Ouachita Baptist University. In conjunction with this project, I developed a survey regarding the lights to see if/how they played a role in telling the story and affecting the audience’s emotions. The data I have collected is qualitative, and while it cannot prove that onstage lighting does or doesn’t impact the emotions of an audience, the results of the survey are intriguing and at the very least have given me an idea as to how some students define light and how the production affected them personally. This has been an amazing opportunity for me to explore one of my passions in much greater depth than I would’ve otherwise been able to and for that, I am so grateful.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Morehart, Kailee, "The Elements of Onstage Lighting and How it Could Impact the Emotion of an Audience" (2021). Honors Theses. 818.
https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/honors_theses/818