Reading the play is the first
stage
in the process of designing the lighting. Through the initial reading and analysis of the play the designer will try to develop a visual interpretation of the script, which will provide him or her with a basis for the first meeting with the director. This initial interpretation, however, need not necessarily match the end result.
At this stage, the play should be analyzed on two levels: the first - a technical analysis of events and activities, including definition of the place, time, number of participants, the mise-en-scene: general and special acting areas for the various scenes, entrances and exits. The second
level
consists of identification and analysis of dramatic events in the play and the way in which these affect transitions in the light, identification of key characters and the means with which to emphasize them, the emotional quality of events and the traits of the locations at which events take place - atmosphere, period and style.
Following the initial reading, the lighting designer can enhance his or her initial interpretation by doing some complementary research on the period of the play, on other productions of the same play, on other relevant writings of the same playwright and so on. Although such reading and research may have little to do with the end result, they will, nonetheless, enable the designer to become an active partner in the process of shaping the concept of the production. Which, if any, of the design approaches suggested by the initial reading and the following research, will eventually be adopted, it will be determined in cooperation with the other artists. The initial lighting concept will be modified and further analysis of the play done, taking into account the director's concept of the production as well as the scenic designer's vision.
