Examining the pedagogy of theatre lighting

This article addresses educational routes into theatre lighting for live performance as well as the continuing development of lighting professionals once they enter the industry. Both aspects feed into larger concerns about the industry as a whole: what kind of learning and teaching occur in technical and design fields, what types of education are valued by students and industry professionals, and how a primarily freelance workforce maintains high standards of knowledge in an industry in which technology is constantly and rapidly changing. Using questionnaire responses and interviews with both lighting professionals and educators, the article explores the current provision of lighting education, beginning by placing it within the context of the wider industry and examining distinctions between academic and vocational training, specifically as they relate to theatre lighting, as well as informal routes into the industry. The current lack of a formal continuing professional development (CPD) programme is problematic and both is a symptom of and contributes to the ongoing precarity of the profession. Drawing on recent reports from government bodies and arts organisations, as well as the qualitative data gathered through the questionnaires and interviews, the article concludes with some areas for further discussion and potential directions for training while also ensuring the professional development of early- and mid-career lighting professionals.