Fact: you need light to see, therefore no matter how small or informal your 'theatre' is you must have some form of stage lighting.

As our ability to regulate natural light is limited we have to use artificial means to control the light we need to enable our audiences to see what is happening on the stage.

So, to understand how to use stage lighting tools such as theatre lights and control consoles we must first learn how to control the useable properties of light. This provides the ability to provide selective visibility, indicate setting, create a mood and add the elements of composition.

The FOUR USABLE PROPERTIES of LIGHT are:

• INTENSITY
• COLOUR
• DISTRIBUTION
• MOVEMENT