Databases
- Performance Design Archive Online This link opens in a new windowTheatre students and researchers can now truly see “behind the scenes” of the world’s greatest dramatic performances. Performance Design Archive Online is the first comprehensive, international collection that covers all aspects of theater production design, from the 17th century through to the present day, including, scenic and set design, lighting design, sound design, costume design, makeup, and more. Performance Design Archive Online features 100,000 pages of primary and secondary resources, including sketches, photographs, technical drawings, monographs, articles, and dissertations. Primary resources include never-before-published designs and other crucial research material for diving deep into the history. Secondary material, with titles such as Making Stage Props and Starting Your Career as a Theatrical Designer, offer practical support for the business of creating designs in professional applications. The pairing of primary and secondary material allows for students at all levels to find content to suit their needs.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowThis database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 395 international periodicals, plus full text for more than 160 of the indexed journals. The database currently includes almost a million records, the majority from the most recent ten years of each journal. Performing Arts Periodicals Database covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television and more.
Journals
- Lighting Design & Application“LD+A is a magazine for professionals involved in the art, science, study, manufacture, teaching and implementation of lighting.”
- Lighting Research & Technology“publishes original peer-reviewed research on all aspects of light and lighting and is published in association with The Society of Light and Lighting.”
Select Books on Stage Lighting
Simulation Tools
- Matt Kizer’s Color LabA browser-based lighting lab that gives students a space to examine how color mixes both on actors and on the floor from various directions.
- Matt Kizer’s Gobo Lab“Experiment with gobos, textures, & lighting direction. Nine lighting source directions, each with ten gobo options & variable brightness. Two actors with simple scenery.”
- Matt Kizer’s Light Lab“Create lighting for dance on a digital proscenium stage. Top light, side light, gobos, footlights, and more.”
Podcasts
- The Learn Stage Lighting“We're here to help you create extraordinary lighting for your event. In the podcast, we bring you tips, tricks, ideas, and explain how to make great lighting in a variety of contexts.”
- Light Talk with Lumen BrothersShow featuring three professional lighting designers and educators who discuss the latest developments in the world of live entertainment and architectural lighting design.
- Making TheatreCreated by James Farncombe and Bruno Poet, the podcast showcases conversations about the complex and sometimes messy business of making a show for theatre.
Industry Links
- Backstage World“Backstage World is the web for people working in showbiz and like to look around for the latest equipment in sound & light industry, pricelists or find out where to rent sound, light, stage equipment.”
- Theatrical Lighting Database“contains actual plots, focus charts, cue sheets and much more from four landmark productions digitized from the collections of the New York Public Library.”
- The Lighting Archive“The Lighting Archive website is developing a collection of actual plots, focus charts, cue sheets from real shows. We will place an emphasis on historical productions and designers who have made important contributions to our field.”
- Off-Broadway Assistant Designer Resources“their mission has been to improve working conditions for assistants Off-Broadway. Together, they set out to advocate best practices for assistant designers, reduce the burdens on individuals created by employer practices, and establish fair wages. Resources on wages, contracts, assistant duties, and more can be found on this website.”