Since ancient times, patrons have been enjoying the delights of theatre and plays enacted and carried out on stage. The history of lighting for the theater is interesting and innovative. As technology developed over the years, theatregoers have been witness to extraordinary progress as innovation took over and added unique contributions to stage craft, architecture and theatrical lighting.
Ancient Theatrical Lighting
The amphitheatres of ancient Greece and Rome were built outdoors on hillsides. These types of theatres used natural lighting as the events taking place in these theatre occurred during daylight hours. These theatres were designed to keep in mind how the light from the sun would fall across the stage at different times of the day.
17th Century
During the 17th century, as theatre performances began being staged indoors, the performers were lit primarily by candlelight and oil lamps. Eventually, candles and oil lamps were replaced by gas lamps in the next century. During this time, the architect Inigo Jones introduced stage lighting effects that included reflectors and the use of color. Another architect, Joseph Furstenbach, is responsible for the innovation of footlights and sidelights. Candles were place at the front and side of the stage to illuminate the actors; however, the candles were unable to be seen by members of the audience.
18th Century
In the latter part of the century, the "floating oil wick lamp" was introduced in France, quickly replaced by a device known as a glass chimney. The glass chimney is essentially an oil lamp enclosed in glass, which makes the flame more stable and less likely to flicker. The light created by the glass chimney was much brighter than regular candlelight. Additionally, the color of the glass could be changed to create different moods in lighting.
Limelight
Prior to the use of electricity, the majority of theatres depended upon gaslight for illumination. However gas was expensive, difficult to control and therefore required constant attention. The first "spotlight" was known as limelight and was introduced by British engineer Thomas Drummond. The intensity of the spotlight is created by heating calcium carbonate combined with an oxygen and hydrogen flame. This effect provided a much more natural-looking type of light and was also able to be focused to create a specific "spot" or pool of light onstage. It was also helpful in creating stage illusions for the sun and the moon.
Introduction of Electricity
The harnessing of electricity enabled stage lighting to make a huge leap forward. In 1881, the Savoy Theatre in London was the world's first theatre to implement an electrical lighting system. The first American theatre to employ electrical lighting was the Bijou Theatre in Boston. In 1903, The Kliegl Brothers developed an elaborate system that included over 96 dimmer lights for the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The Kliegl Brothers are one of the most innovative inventors of stage lighting equipment in the 20th century. They were responsible for creating a type of carbon arc lamp now known as a Klieg light, which is still highly used today in both theatrical and cinematic productions. This device is especially useful for film productions, since the high intensity of light creates a daylight effect during the night.
