Theater Lighting

On Lighting for a Small Theater:

I do not imagine that starting a small theater will make somebody happy, but I imagine this lighting system could make a small theater happier and more pleasant to patronize. The purpose of this design is to reduce the quantity of needed lights, reduce the amount of ladder time for underpaid workers, force a pricing change in professional lighting tools and software, train laymen in lighting design without the need of tools, speed up the load in and load out of companies to any space, but primarily this system provides a professional lighting system to underproduced artists.

Claims:

1 - An infinite amount of light cues without a computer program or switchboard
2 - Dimmable lights without dimmers
3 - Infinite color space - limited only by the spectrum of your light
4 - a simple control system that a child could operate
5 - As cheap as the world economy will allow for.

Materials (simplified language // universal) - Please read the simplified version first - I wrote the universal section as this concept can be extensively expanded.

1 - A lightboard // A light source
2a - A video Projector // A system of projecting light
2b - A camera (adapted to connect live with the projector)
3 - Two polarizers // a system of cross polarization
4 - Transparency paper // Birefringent materials

Procedure -

Part 1 - Transmit your light through the projection system across your complete stage.

Simplified example:

A - Turn on your lightboard
B - Direct your camera towards the lightboard so the entire frame is full of light. (This is your controlled working space)
C - Connect your camera to a digital projector.
D - Turn on your digital projector and position it to cover your playing area. (This is also your expanded working space)

Part 2 - Polarize your light source.

Simplified example:

A - Add a sheet of polarizer to the surface of your lightboard.
B - Secure it with some acrylic sheeting or glass to prevent scratching. (Note - glass and acrylic are isotropic and transparent materials)

Part 3 - Cross polarize your projection system.

Simplified example:

A - Add a polarizing filter to your camera. Rotate the filter until the light appears black in the camera. Either tape a polarized filter sheet to your lens or you can buy a special polarized filter for cameras. The effect is the same, commercial polarizer filters are easier to turn and are more secure than tape.

Part 4 - Add Birefringent materials between the polarizers.

Simplified Example:

A - Start with a sheet of transparency paper, cut a circle and place it on your lightboard.
B - Observe the circle appear as a beam of light on stage.
C - Rotate the circle.
D - Observe the beam of light fading dimmer and brighter
E - Lift the circle towards the camera, out of focus...
F - Observe the light expanding, and the edge softening.

Conclusion -

The above is a broad overview of a very effective system of governing light. Start simply, the behavior of polarized light is undertaught. Note an overhead projector uses the same technique but without the latency of a video projection system. Even candle light projected with two lenses will work as a system.

Here is a list of fun birefringent materials to try:

Regenerated Cellulose (Cellophane)
Packing tape
Mica
Sugar
Epson salt crystals

Materials at different levels of birefringence produce different colors. These colors interact with each other in a precise and predictable way outside of the additive and subtractive color wheels. Michel Levy has a guide, Michael Vandergard and the Drolly Theater have a theatrically oriented guide they use for puppetry.

For lighting cues - mount birefringent materials onto cellulose acetate, acrylic or glass. Pull them on and off your lightboard.

Helpful hint - draw your stage on your lightboard with dry erase markers.

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